Goal-setting
Bucket list template: a free, printable way to write your life goals list and pick where to start
Updated 25 October 2026 · 7 min read · Free to print
A bucket list template is a page for writing down the things you want to do, see, learn or make in your life, then choosing where to start. This free one helps you brainstorm by area, sort by cost and distance, pick a few that matter, add a first step with a rough date, and log what you finish.
A planning format, with goal-setting research behind the 'be specific' step · Part of goals and life balance
Fill it in here (it saves in this browser, but not in a private window), print it, or download the PDF. Free, no sign-up.
You may carry a loose list of things you would love to do someday. The trouble is that "someday" has no date, and the list stays in your head. Writing it down is the first step. Choosing a few and giving each a small first move is what gets one of them started.
A bucket list can be small and local. A walk you have never taken, a skill you want to try, a person you want to see, a meal you want to cook. Nothing on it has to cost money or need a plane ticket. If a dream is big, that is fine too. This sheet helps you split it into something you can begin. If you want pictures to go with your list, try the vision board template. To turn a chosen item into a proper plan, use the goal setting worksheet.
A note on the name. It comes from the phrase "kick the bucket", and Merriam-Webster dates its first known use to 2006. This list does not have to be about dying. Read it as a list of things that would make your life feel full. It is a planning format, not a tested method, and it is a self-help tool, not therapy. If thinking about your life brings up low mood, a GP can help.
How to use this worksheet
- 1Allow about 30 minutes for the first pass. Print it, or fill it in on screen.
- 2Brainstorm first and judge later. Write anything that comes, even if it seems silly or too big.
- 3Only pick a few. Three to five is plenty to begin with.
- 4Give each pick a small first step and a rough date, then put the date in your calendar.
- 5Come back to the done log when you finish something, and once a year for the look back.
The worksheet
selfgrowth.org
My Bucket List
Brainstorm by area, sort what is near from what is bigger, pick your top few, add first steps, and keep a log of what you finish.
01Brainstorm by area
Write as many as you like under each heading. Nothing is too small or too odd. Mixing big and small is fine.
Places I would like to go (near or far):
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Things I would like to learn:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
People and relationships (people to see, say thank you to, or get to know):
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Experiences I would like to have:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Things I would like to make or create:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Ways I would like to help others:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Small everyday pleasures I want more of:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
02Sort: near and cheap, or bigger
Go back over your lists. Copy the best into the two columns. Near and free means you could do it in the next month or two with what you have. Bigger needs more time, money or planning.
Cheap or free, and near
Bigger (more time, money or planning)
What I notice about my list (for example, how much of it needs no money):
03Pick your top few, and why each matters
Choose three to five that you want most, from either column. A reason in your own words helps when the idea loses its shine. In work research, goals that were specific and challenging led to higher performance than 'do your best', so write each pick so someone else could picture it. 'See the Northern Lights' is clearer than 'travel more'.
Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
Entry 5
04The first small step, and by when
For each pick, write one small step you could do in the next week or two. Booking a ticket, a phone call, a search, a saved pound. Then a rough 'by when', such as a month or a season. A rough date is better than none.
Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
Entry 5
05What is in the way
Name what could stop you. Time, money, nerves, another person, health. Then one thing you could do about it, or one way to make the item smaller.
Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
How much do I want to start, honestly?
06Done log: what it was like
When you finish one, note it here. Write what it was actually like, which can differ from what you pictured. Leave the dates blank until it happens.
Entry 1
Entry 2
Entry 3
Entry 4
Entry 5
07A yearly look back
Once a year, read your list again. Lists change as you do. Crossing an item out because it no longer fits is a good result.
Items I finished this year:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
Items I want to drop, because they no longer fit:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
New items to add, and the ones I will start next:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
When you're done, a moment to reflect
- Which items on your list are really yours, and which did you pick because they sound impressive?
- How many of your picks could you start this month without spending anything?
- Is there an item you keep delaying? What is it waiting for?
- Which pick involves another person? Have you asked them?
- When you read your list back, what does it say about what you want more of?
Done for now?
Save today's answers as a dated entry. You can come back, fill it in again and compare the two side by side.
Is a bucket list worth making?
A bucket list is a planning format. It has no research of its own, and nobody has tested whether having one makes people happier or more likely to do things. The phrase comes from 'kick the bucket'. Merriam-Webster gives 2006 as the first known use, and a 2007 film called The Bucket List shares the name.
The one part with research behind it is the step where you make each pick specific and give it a first move. In a 2002 review of 35 years of goal-setting research, Edwin Locke and Gary Latham report that specific, challenging goals led to higher performance than being told to do your best. That research is mostly on work tasks, so it is a reason to be specific, not proof that a bucket list works.
So use this sheet as a thinking aid. It helps you notice what you want, choose a few, and take a small step. It is not therapy, and it does not predict anything.
These are educational self-reflection tools, not therapy.
If you want to go deeper
- Merriam-Webster. 'Bucket list'. Dictionary entry: etymology and first known use (merriam-webster.com).
- Locke, E. A. & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
Your questions, answered
- What is a bucket list template?
- It is a page for writing down the things you want to do, see, learn or make, with space to sort them, pick a few and plan a first step. This one adds a done log and a yearly look back, so the list keeps moving instead of sitting in a drawer.
- What should I put on a bucket list?
- Anything that would make your life feel fuller. Places, skills, people to see, things to make, ways to help others, and small everyday pleasures all count. Big trips are fine, but a bucket list can be small and local. Start with what you would be glad to have done by next year.
- Where does the term bucket list come from?
- It comes from the phrase 'kick the bucket', meaning to die. Merriam-Webster gives 2006 as the first known use of the phrase. A 2007 film called The Bucket List shares the name. A bucket list does not have to be about death. You can read it as a list of what you want more of in life.
- What is the difference between a bucket list and a life goals list?
- There is no firm line. A bucket list leans towards experiences and things you want to do once. A life goals list tends to include longer-term aims, such as work, health or home. This template works for either, and you can mix both on one page.
- Do bucket lists work?
- A bucket list is a planning format, and it has not been tested as a method. There is research on goals in general. In a 2002 review of goal-setting research, Locke and Latham report that specific, challenging goals led to higher performance than 'do your best', mostly in work research. That is a reason to make each pick specific and give it a first step.
- Is there a bucket list PDF?
- Yes. Use the Download PDF button for a clean, print-ready copy, or Print to print straight from the page. It is free, with no payment and no email needed. You can also fill it in on screen, and your answers save in your browser.
- Is this a substitute for therapy?
- No. It is a self-help planning tool, not therapy. If low mood, grief or stress is what is really in the way of living the way you want, a GP can point you to support. If you ever feel unsafe or have thoughts of harming yourself, call Samaritans on 116 123 (UK and Ireland), 988 (US), or find a line at findahelpline.com.
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