40 before 40
Tick off 40 things in 8 years, seems fairly simple? Let’s hope so…
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The List has 5 categories. See the full list below, and follow the links at the bottom to find out more about their progress.
Travel and Tasks
1. Stand under a waterfall
2. Go on a cruise
3. See the northern lights
4. Go to 20 new places in the UK
5. Visit 10 new places abroad
6. Ride the Eurostar
7. Run dramatically through a castle
8. Have a picnic in a field of flowers
Events and Experiences
9. Meet a Rhino, feed if possible
10. Attend a candlelight concert
11. Attend a ball
12. Go to an afternoon tea
13. See a ballet
14. Dance in the rain
15. See a game of rugby at Twickenham
16. Go to an ice hockey game
17. See the MotoGP at Silverstone
Physical Challenges and Fitness
18. Pass the RAF fitness requirements
19. Complete Tough Mudder
20. Learn to ice skate
21. Learn to ride a bike
22. Learn to drive
23. Learn to juggle
Creative and Craft Skills
24. Learn to bind books
25. Learn calligraphy
26. Learn to knit
27. Crochet/knit a temperature blanket
28. Make my own candles
29. Learn to make bread
30. Learn to sew properly and make an outfit
31. Publish a book
32. Start a blog and keep it running
33. Read 50+ books each year
34. Sell something I’ve made
35. Make a 3-tier cake and then smash it
Life, Ethics and Admin
36. Leave a 100% tip in a restaurant
37. Complete 100+ hours of volunteering
38. Be debt free
39. Keep my nails done properly for a whole year
40. Finish my tattoo sleeve
Completed tasks
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You’d think I’d start with number 1 if I made a fancy list but that’s not how my brain (or life) works. Below are the items I’ve ticked off from the list, with hopefully a link to a dedicated blog post for each.
May 2024
3. See the Northern Lights
August 2025
21. Learn to Ride a Bike
November 2025
38. Be debt free
In Progress
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Some things take time, and I’m going to be honest about how long they take.
January 2024 to present
33. Read 50+ books each year
You can see my reading lists here.
May 2024 to present
4. Go to 20 new places in the UK
So far I’ve been to Bath, Loxwood, Portsmouth, Birmingham and York. You can see a specific post about this here.
December 2024 to present
26. Learn to Knit
I’ve made 3 scarves on a knitting loom. Something in me is telling me this doesn’t count, so I’m counting it as In Progress.
September 2025 to present
36. Keep my nails done properly for a whole year
This will take a year, given the actual task. So far, I’ve managed to keep them professionally done and pretty without breaking any! My job involves a lot of typing and I honestly expected to have given up by October but we’re still going strong!
November 2025 to present
18. Pass the RAF fitness requirements
I’m not joining the RAF, even though it would probably help with some of the list. I’m just using this as a target for my fitness. No sweaty gym photos here yet, but maybe that’s the type of person I’ll be in 2026?
January 2026 to present
5. Visit 10 new places abroad
Now that I’ve finished number 38 (be debt free!) I have some fun money to play with, so my first of 10 holiday trips is all booked and paid for. Number 1 on the list is Athens.
32. Start a blog and keep it running
Well. If you’re seeing this then I’ve started it. “Keep it running” is subjective but for me that’s going to be a monthly update on how far I’m getting on my targets.
26 / Thirty Four 