The Almost-30 List: A Collection of Beautiful and Expensive Things I’ll Do in My 30s

Your future on your terms. The Almost-30 List is where your bucket list and intentional future goals collide. To make the list, you’ll evaluate the good and bad of the last decade and uncover the things that really matter to you.

Imagine we’re on a road trip. You’re sitting comfortably in my passenger seat as the resident road trip playlist genius and snack distributor. I’m taking us to one of my favorite spots in Colorado (maybe the Million Dollar Highway), and we’re talking about the things that matter most to us.

All the best conversations happen during road trips, after all. This is the intimate space where we share our saddest memories and biggest hopes … and it’s where I introduce my close friends to the Almost-30 List.

I’ll introduce it softly. “I bought this hand pump espresso machine to use on international flights,” I tell you. “Because when I’m 30, I want to have a completely different experience on airplanes. Homemade espresso, nontoxic face masks, an EMF blanket, and extra leg room.”

You agree. We’re both overdue for a fancy flight experience.

Then we talk about what other people say about turning 30, comparing our notes. “Everyone says your 30s are like your 20s, but you have more money and you care less about what people think,” I say. “And I’m a recovering people pleaser, so that sounds like heaven.”

That’s when we start talking about the Almost-30 List.

Chapters

• What Is the Almost-30 List?
• How to Make Your Almost-30 List
• The Benefits of Starting Your Almost-30 List
• Prompts and Intentions to Get You Started
• 30+ Bucket List Ideas

What Is the Almost-30 List?

It’s not just a bucket list. It’s a symbol of intention. The thing about turning 30 as a woman is, there’s a lot of subtle pressure and expectation. Maybe you should be married, have more kids, be further along in your career, or move out of the city you partied in during your 20s. Maybe the path you chose isn’t everything you dreamed of, but you don’t know how to pivot (and everyone’s telling you to stay the course).

No matter where you are in your life situation, the underlying currents are strong. So, the Almost-30 List is my way of changing the current. It’s a bold and radical choice to write your own future without any outside voices. It’s a process that uncovers what really matters to you and helps you chase it, full force.

Make sense? Keep in mind, this isn’t a “carpe diem” or an excuse to live an aimless life. The goal of the Almost-30 List is to grow your confidence in the things that matter to your soul.

How to Make Your Almost-30 List

If you’re like me, you’re not quite 30. And that’s the beauty of this list. It allows you to find dreams and excitement past your 20s, and embrace your next decade with confidence instead of doubt. It allows you to work through the underlying currents and outside voices and find the things that are most important.

Step 1) Look Forward to Finding Yourself

Contrary to what the media has to say about aging, the most confident women I know say that turning 30 is one of the best things to happen to them. Make a conscious choice to believe that you’ll find a better and more confident version of yourself in the next decade. Then write your Almost-30 goals for that girl.

Step 2) Uncover What Really Matters to You

By now, you’ve had almost ten years as a full-grown adult, which means you’ve done a lot of trial and error. Journal about the good and bad of your 20s, highlighting the things that mattered to you and empowered you most. If you experienced difficult things in your 20s, make sure you take the time to grieve those losses, too. Then, you’ll use these notes as a guiding light for what’s ahead.

Step 3) Begin Writing Your List

Keep in mind, your Almost-30 List spans ten years. Think about all the things that changed in your life from ages 20–29 and think about how much time passed. You’ll have that same amount of time in your 30s, so there’s plenty of space to focus on life goals, bucket list items, and everyday wins. Separate your list into sections or use this template that I made for you.

The Benefits of Starting Your Almost-30 List

Starting your Almost-30 List is practically zero effort (just open your notes app). But it comes with a lot of benefits, especially if you’re anxious or unsure about the decade ahead.

• You begin a new decade driven by your intuition, rather than other people’s opinions. And if the future version of you is more confident in her 30s, this excites her.

• Big goals that you’ve thought about for your whole life (like writing a novel or traveling to a bucket-list country) feel easier when you have ten years to accomplish them.

• You get to plan out a future you love, rather than live aimlessly hoping that your dreams will find you.

• You always have something to celebrate and look forward to.

Prompts and Intention to Get You Started

Remember, the goal isn’t simply to dream big (you can do that anytime). The Almost-30 List works to uncover your true self — the person who exists beyond perfectionism, expectations, and agendas. Once you uncover that person, then you begin writing your list.

Use these prompts to get your creative juices flowing…

• “I will feel more like myself when I finally [do this].”

• “[This] is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve never prioritized it.”

• “I’ve tried it, but I don’t feel like [current life situation] really matches who I am.”

• “If money wasn’t an issue, I would [do this with my life].”

• “I care the most about [this].”

• “I don’t want to waste a decade doing [something you don’t care about]. I’d rather invest in [something you do care about].”

• “Something that’s always felt out of reach for me is [this]. But I’m ready to make it a reality.”

30+ Bucket List Ideas

Here are some Almost-30 bucket list ideas to begin with…

Travel

• Fly first class at least once
• Drink homemade espresso on an international flight
• Subscribe to the Timeshifter app for jet lag
• Splurge on three pieces of art collected during your travels
• Go to the expensive destination you keep putting off (hello, Iceland)
• Pay the $20 extra for a flight that doesn’t leave until noon
• Buy a comfy travel outfit

Lifestyle

• Sign up for art or music lessons
• Hire a photographer to document this current season of life
• Splurge on high-quality skincare products and find a routine you love
• Start prioritizing daily walks
• Take baths instead of showers
• Spend less time scrolling Instagram and more time scrolling Pinterest
• Switch out reality TV shows for wholesome classics
• Buy less, experience more

Home

• Become a 100% clean ingredient home
• Hire an interior designer and cultivate beauty around you
• Start a garden and share vegetables with your neighbors
• Get the animals you’ve been talking about (chickens, goats, a cow)

Financial

• Max out your IRA at least once (maybe multiple times — go crazy)
• Start a savings bucket for your dream home
• Be rich enough for an Audible account or a monthly trip to the bookstore
• Budget for a monthly “gift fund,” so you can send your friends care packages
• Start individual investment accounts for your kids

Career or Business

• Pivot your career to something more fulfilling
• Get a promotion with your current employer
• Actually commit to the overseas work you’ve been dreaming about
• Negotiate with your employer for more paid time off
• Quit your 9–5 and start a freelance business
• Create an online course or digital product to supplement your current income
• Find a way to actually use your gifts in your work environment

Health

• Work with a holistic nutritionist to optimize your diet and wellness
• Invest in biohacking devices, like a red light, PEMF mat, or home sauna
• Start shopping at your local farmers’ market instead of the grocery store
• Become an expert in meal planning for yourself and your kids
• Make food staples at home, like salad dressing and sourdough bread
• Work with a therapist to process trauma or find direction for your future

Community

• Host more dinner parties and open your home to friends at least once a month
• Start meal planning parties with your friends and share the foods you make
• Join a pickup basketball league
• Set the table outside and eat in nature all summer long
• Take up knitting, crocheting, or hand-stitching during your kid’s soccer game
• Create core memories for your kids, like summertime scavenger hunts and road trips with read-aloud stories

Big Dreams

• Write the book you keep talking about
• Live in another country for a year
• Open a coffee shop and bookstore with your best friends
• Start a homestead on your dream property
• Get your master’s degree

Get the Almost-30 Journal Prompts

If you want to approach the next decade with purpose and intention despite the underlying currents of what you “should do,” I want to invite you to be part of the Almost-30 community. This community is open to anyone, at any age (it’s designed so you can make the challenge work for you). To give you a head start, I’ve created a free journal with prompts and guidelines.

Ready to Begin?