My 2018 Bucketlist
Another year, another boring list of goals to achieve is probably what you're thinking. But I believe this year is different. By writing my bucket list down and making it public, I know I’ll feel more intent on fulfilling my aims. There’ll be no way I can push them from my brain when they’re written in print and forever plastered on my laptop screen.
This year, I have chosen 5 different objectives- a very short list I know, but I'm simply being realistic. A bucket list, according to the Oxford dictionary, is ‘a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime’, albeit in this case, my deadline is the end of this year, not my life. Bucket lists are therefore meant to be thrilling and inspiring, but admittedly, a few of my goals are new year’s resolutions in disguise. However, this is a personal bucket list, so I’m moulding it best to fit me.
I have tried to incorporate a few different strands of my life into the list, for example health and travelling, in the hope that my journey won’t get tedious and my determination won’t die out. Anyway, here it is, in no order of significance- the first steps not to a ‘new year, new me’, but to a ‘new year, better me’.
1. READ A BOOK A MONTH
I must confess, this was a 2017 resolution of mine that I stuck with until August, but sadly for some unknown reason, I decided I couldn’t hold out for another few months. This year, however, those few extra months will not defeat me.
The books I’ll be reading won’t be for my university course, or books I feel I should read because they’re ‘academic’ or anything, but books that I actually want to read. They’ll give me a chance to relax and my brain an opportunity to de-frazzle after a long day of university.
Studies have proven that reading everyday expands vocabulary, improves your memory, increases your writing skills, enhances focus and concentration and most importantly for me, reduces stress. So, this year, I’m going to make time to lose myself in a book that I genuinely enjoy reading, and who knows, by December 31st I might have discovered my new favourite novel.
Currently on my list is Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, A History of Britain in 21 Women by Jenni Murray and The Zanzibar Wife by Deborah Rodriguez.
2. FIND A NEW FAVOURITE COCKTAIL
I absolutely adore coffee. But I adore cocktails much more. Even when I was younger, I’d always hunt down the ‘mocktail’ menu first thing when visiting a restaurant. Cocktails are so much more diverse, innovative, fun than your average diet coke. It sounds slightly sad, but they make me feel adventurous.
At the moment, my favourite is a mojito- you just can’t go wrong with it. But I’m ready to branch out from this trusty classic and find a new addiction. At the top of my list to try this year are Espresso Martinis, Bloody Marys (even though the ingredients don’t particularly tickle my fancy) and an Old Fashioned. I can already hear the sobs from my bank account…
3. SPEND LESS TIME ON MY PHONE
Frankly, it is ridiculous how much time people spend on their phones nowadays, myself included. I’m partial to a moan about how obsessed society is with technology, but am I doing anything about it? No.
This year, I am going to actively distance myself from what has become a dependable retreat for me, from Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Whatsapp and all the other apps that too often prevent me from living in the moment. When I am next dazed by a beautiful sunset, I won’t dash to my mobile and end up admiring it through a screen, but I’ll stay exactly where I am, and take in nature with my own eyes.
In order to stay on track with this, I have downloaded the mobile phone app ‘Moment’, which is succinctly summarised by its motto: ‘Put down your phone and get back to your life’. The app tracks how many hours a day you use your phone, and can even tell you exactly what apps you’re wasting all this time on. What I think will be most helpful is the ability to set daily limits, and the app will notify you when you’ve exceeded these.
Honestly, I am scared to find out how much time I spend glued to my phone, and that in itself demonstrates exactly why I need to terminate this obsessive relationship I've developed with a piece of metal.
4. DO A YOGA CLASS ONCE A WEEK
Considering that I forked out an inhumane amount for my university’s gym membership, it seems reasonable that I should go to at least one class a week. And it seems wise to choose yoga. The incessant hype surrounding the discipline is enough to prove how beneficial it is for health and relaxation.
My university gym holds 7 yoga classes a week, so I have absolutely no excuse to not be able to tick this off my bucket list come the end of this year. After attending a class yesterday evening, I’m shocked to see how inflexible and generally unfit I am. But with any luck, in a few months’ time, I’ll look back at this post and smile at how much I’ve improved.
5. GET A NEW STAMP ON MY PASSPORT
Last but not least is to visit somewhere completely new. I want to explore somewhere I’ve never been or seen before. This stamp has to be unseen to the pages of my passport, not a repeat of one that it's already seen.
I love travelling, unearthing different cultures, sampling unheard-of foods and simply escaping the same old daily routine. It’s fascinating. In the future, I’d love a job that includes the opportunity to travel- I know staying in one place would make me feel trapped and claustrophobic. In the meantime though, I’m determined to tour as much as I can. So bring on a new stamp!
And that is my 2018 bucket list done and dusted. Five goals really doesn’t seem difficult, but I think it’s better to start small, with an achievable set of realistic aims in mind. This way, I can focus on each one more effectively, and finish the year with five fat ticks circling my head.
I look forward to what 2018 will bring, and
so I am ending my ever first post with some words of wisdom that I’ll need to keep in mind when completing this list- it does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop.