Is Your Bucket List Staring You Down? Try This Fun, Easy, and Realistic One Now

The Thimble List! Your Shortcut to Life’s Magical Moments.

I recently scrolled past a Pinterest blog post, one of those surprisingly good ones, and it stuck with me. A woman in her mid-40s admitted she’d only completed maybe 10–15% of her bucket list. She didn’t share the whole thing, but most of it was travel-related. One entry really got me: Meet up with old Uni friends I haven’t seen in three decades.

Well, mine hadn’t been that long, but still, it had been too long.

And I meant to save the post, of course. Didn’t. Can’t find it now. Bloody annoying.

But the funny thing is, by complete coincidence, I’d just done that exact thing on my last trip home.

And it wasn’t planned—just a casual link-up with one friend, then a message here, a text there, and next thing you know, eight of us were piled into this little spot called BOXHALL in Liverpool Street that my bestie Sade found. BOXHALL is basically a mini Time Out Market, so the food’s great, the drinks are better, and the DJ turns dinner into a full-blown throwback party.

Cue the old jokes. The “remember when” stories. The random life updates and curveball career turns. The rounds of drinks and ending on belting out some good tunes along with the DJ. This was really us girls, the fellas maybe bopped their heads here and there.

That night wasn’t on anyone’s bucket list. But it was everything.

Bucket Lists Are Amazing… But Extraordinarily Big

I have one. A real one. It includes flights to far-off places I still fully plan to visit—and yes, I’ll want a little more comfort than I did in my 20s. First-class is me dreaming, but at a minimum it’ll be at least one level up from cattle-class. Speaking it into existence.

Thanks to my Mum, I’m a traveler at heart. 99% of our trips from London to Ghana typically involved stopovers in Amsterdam. I recall one in Moscow, Russia, for about 3 nights, I think. And one in Libya. I remember we remained in the airport and my sister and I drank insane amounts of apple juice. And let me be super clear, this was done due to it being the best bang for our Mum’s buck… well, pound.

So, dreaming about flights to destinations 15+ hours away doesn’t feel unattainable or intimidate me. Shitty, rock-hard seats and a spork with my meal, does though.

But that reunion reminded me how good the little things feel—especially the ones we either never think of or keep putting off for “later.” This all just so happened to take place when I was home, but it that kind of fun that doesn’t have to require a passport, just a little intention.

Enter: The Thimble List

And then it hit me: maybe we need a smaller list. A scaled-down, right-now kind of list. Our weekly shopping lists are small and repeatable, why can The Thimble List, be exactly the same?

Yeah, yeah, thimbles are sewing tools. Or for the OG Monopoly game, not travel metaphors. But they’re bucket-shaped, teeny, and I like the name. You can call yours whatever you like.

This isn’t about giving up on those bigger goals. Far from it. It’s about sprinkling a lil’ happy into the margins… the cracks of life. The Cracks of Life List! Another name option for you there. No charge.

Doing the things that have sat stone-cold silent on the back burner for no good reason, even though they’re more than doable. Maybe that’s the point.

Like finally visiting that speakeasy you’ve heard about three times. Or dragging your friends to that wine tasting in the funky art gallery you keep bookmarking monthly, but never attend. Or hitting up that annual event in your town you’ve somehow missed for ten years straight.

Make It Local, Seasonal, Yours

Your thimble list doesn’t have to be sorted by geography—it could be by season, by mood, by who’s up for it, or even who’s coming to town and when. And there can be multiples. But just keep it practical, personal, and easy-peasy.

“If at the end, there’s a cheesy grin all over your face, then ‘ya done it good!”

When I got together with my Uni crew, my bestie mentioned a local tour group that does themed outings around old university haunts in London. Or around something around London… we were a few drinks in, but we all immediately lit up. And boom! That’s now on my thimble list: next trip home, fix a date for all and book that tour. It’s not some huge financial investment. I’m going home anyway. The rest of the crew lives nearby. It’s literally the cost of the tour ticket and food during or after. Even if snacks aren’t allowed on the tour, I know my people. They’re bringing something.

Easy. Fun. Doable. The quintessential essence of Thimble-List life.

Now I’m scanning my own local area and even a little way out but that’s still easily drivable there and back. Stuff that a little off beat than my usual “let’s just grab dinner” fallback. (Which I still love, by the way.)

Stuff like, what’s been happening that I keep ignoring or postponing? Adding it to my list. What could I say yes to without overplanning or overspending? Again, on the list. What if I stopped waiting for “a good time” and just… went? You get the picture. But all of them are realistic. Low-lift. And way more fun than the usual.

If It’s Not Written Down, It’s Not Real

Lists satisfy the type A side of me. Partly for organizational purposes, and to avoid overload, and two… because if I can forget it, I will most certainly forget it.

“If it’s not on some list, it doesn’t exist.”

Hence, ergo, thus forth, this part is key. Thinking is just dreaming, but planning is doing.

Just make sure your Thimble List can be done solo as well as with a group. Sometimes you feel like company and sometimes you don’t. That way, events you hear about and places you keep meaning to go, you can decide if this is party of one or bring on the fun friends.

Your Turn

Do you have an OG bucket list? When’s the last time you checked off one of those major and life-changing events? And if recently, then that’s amazing!

But if that mammoth list feels dusty, overwhelming, or full of things that no longer feel like you… what could go on your Thimble List instead if you started one?

• That small thing you’ve put off twelve times.
• That low-key adventure that keeps tapping your shoulder.
• That friend you’ve said “see you soon” to… for the last four years.

Write it down + Make it real + Keep it local + Make it yours = Cheesiest Grin

Need some list suggestions? Peep ‘The Thimble 13’

1. Cocktail Concoction Competition
   Host a Cocktail Night. Pick a house, invite friends, and have everyone bring their own invented drink recipe. You’ll laugh, you’ll judge, and you might just discover a signature house cocktail.
   Two words: designated driver.

2. Retro Game Night
   Host an Old School Game Night. No newfangled card games. Think Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation. The stuff that made your childhood competitive streak flare.

3. Spontaneous Scavenger Hunt
   Go on a scavenger hunt with friends. Don’t over plan. Find a random list online, set a time limit, and see who comes back with the exact or closest match to the items. Bonus points for creativity.

4. Thrift and Sip
   Set a budget and go thrifting. Give yourself a $30–$50 limit. The goal: find something you’d actually wear to your next happy hour, or something not typically you, but you’ll still have to wear it.

5. Golden Hour Getaway
   Watch a sunset. Bring snacks, a blanket, maybe a portable speaker. You can laugh the whole time or sit together (or solo) in that perfect, comfortable silence.

6. Free Music Fix
   Find a free outdoor concert or an indoor one if the weather’s not cooperating. Look for community events, library programs, or open mic nights.

7. Ticket to Anywhere
   Go to a live show. It could be comedy, theater, or a small band at a neighborhood venue.

8. Tours R Us
   Tour a local factory or behind-the-scenes spot you’ve never thought twice about (breweries, chocolate makers, TV stations).

9. Tattoos R You
   Henna That Tatt’. You’re still not ready for the real one but playing around now with a fun design that lasts a few weeks might get you there.

10. Pathfinder Day
    Explore a new walking or hiking path. Even if it’s just one town over. Bring a thermos of coffee or tea and make it feel like an occasion.

11. Vision Board Vibes
    Create a vision board—digital or physical. Don’t make it specific. Keep adding to it and see what themes emerge.

12. One-And-Done Workshop
    Sign up for a class at your local community college, or go online through places like Alison and of course, YouTube. Skillshare or MasterClass are great too, but require a monthly fee. Pick something you’ve always been curious about, whether it’s watercolor painting, creative writing, or even mixology.
    
    
13. Hobby Revival Rendezvous
    Revisit a hobby you abandoned years ago:

• Roll out those old roller skates and cruise your neighborhood like it’s 1999.
• Pick up that guitar or keyboard and learn one new song on YouTube.
• Try a quick craft—think painting, collage, or something messy and fun.
• Bake a childhood treat your Mum never let you have.

BONUS

• Karaoke – An Oldie But Goodie
  Sing one song at karaoke. Even if you think you can’t sing, do it. No one cares and all fun.

• And For You Work-A-Bees
  Complete that easy house project. That ‘done in a few hours’ task you’ve been putting off but want finished. Organizing the junk drawer, swapping out cabinet handles, hanging those fire prints you bought two years ago.

And yes, the big adventures are always great and worth the wait. But the little ones, the seemingly insignificant ones, those are actually bigger than you think and keep the fire going in between.