How to write a list of the things you’d still love to do, see and say, at any age or stage of health, and how to start on it.
Last reviewed · For readers in Australia
In short
Start with what you love, not what looks impressive.
Small wishes count, and so do things you’d like to say.
A list becomes real when something goes in the diary.
The phrase “bucket list” can conjure up skydiving and the Northern Lights. Those are wonderful if they’re what you long for. But for many people, the list that matters is quieter: a drive along a coast road they loved as a child, a long lunch with old friends, teaching a granddaughter how to make the Christmas pudding.
This guide is about writing a list that’s genuinely yours, and then actually beginning it.
Start with what you love
Try setting aside the lists you’ve seen online. Instead, think about the moments in your life when you’ve felt most yourself. Where were you? Who were you with? What were you doing with your hands?
Some questions that can help:
What have you always meant to do and kept putting off?
Is there somewhere you’d love to see again, or for the first time?
Who would you like to spend more time with, or reconnect with?
Is there something you’d love to learn, make or finish?
What would you like to say to someone, while you can?
Write down everything that comes, without judging it. You can sort it later.
Small wishes count
Some of the most meaningful items take an afternoon. Sitting on the verandah at your childhood home, if the new owners will let you. Hearing a particular piece of music played live. Fish and chips on the beach at sunset. A phone call to a cousin you haven’t spoken to in twenty years.
Small wishes are easier to say yes to, and they can be done this month rather than one day. They also suit times when energy is limited.
Wishes that involve other people
Many of the best items aren’t solo adventures. They’re time together: a family holiday with every grandchild, a reunion with school friends, a day out with your sister. Involving others can help with the planning, and it gives them memories to keep too.
You might also include things you’d like to pass on: teaching a skill, sharing a recipe, telling the story behind a family heirloom. Our guide to telling your life story has gentle ways to start.
Things you’d like to say
For some people the most important items are words. Thank you to a teacher. Sorry to an old friend. “I’m proud of you” to a son who may never have heard it. If saying it aloud feels hard, a letter can do the work. Our guide to writing letters to the people you love has ideas.
Planning around your health
If you’re living with a serious illness, you can still have a list, and it may matter more than ever. The Australian Government’s health department explains that palliative care focuses on quality of life, and can begin soon after a diagnosis and continue alongside other treatment. Your palliative care team or GP can help you plan around your energy and symptoms, and can tell you what’s realistic.
If travel is on your list, Smartraveller’s official advice is worth reading early. It says you need to tell your travel insurer about all pre-existing health conditions when you buy cover, and suggests getting medical advice well before you go, carrying medicines in their original packaging with a letter from your doctor. Allow for rest days too.
From list to calendar
A list becomes real when something goes in the diary. You might:
choose one small item to do in the next fortnight
tell someone about it, so they can help you make it happen
put a date on one bigger item, even if it’s months away
keep the list somewhere you’ll see it, and add to it whenever you like
It’s alright to cross things off without doing them, too. Sometimes we discover we wanted the idea more than the thing.
Helping someone else with theirs
If you’re reading this for a parent or a friend, you can help them make a list of their own. Ask what they’ve always meant to do, or where they’d love to go back to, and listen for the small things as well as the big ones.
Then offer one practical piece of help, such as driving, booking, or simply coming along. People sometimes feel shy about wanting things, especially when they’re unwell, so it can mean a lot to hear that their wishes are worth making time for.
Sharing the list
Your family might love to know what’s on it. Some families help make an item happen as a gift, or keep the list afterwards as a picture of what mattered to someone they love. If it feels right, talking about your list can also be a gentle way into the bigger conversations. Our guide to talking with your family about the end of your life may help.
Further help
Smartraveller Official advice on travel insurance, health and medicines before you go overseas.
Your GP or palliative care team Talk with them before planning anything strenuous or travel, especially with a serious illness.
Each fact in this guide was checked against these official pages on 23 October 2026. Rules and forms change, so please check the source for your own situation.
This is general information, not legal, financial, insurance or medical advice. For your own situation, please speak with a qualified professional or the official body named above.
