Tools to Tackle Your “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” To-Do List
Do you have something you’ve been meaning to try or explore? An idea that crossed your mind and captured your attention, but you put it aside, categorized as unreasonable, impossible, or for you to do if and when you get the chance? If you made a list of all the things you’d like to accomplish or try, how long would your list be?
About seven years ago, I realized I had many things on my “wouldn’t it be nice” to-do list, yet I was stuck working multiple jobs at a time, with sucky roommates, and desperately seeking direction in life. I already had some personally-classified essentials, like a cultivated spiritual life, a social network, and plenty of trial and error life experiences. I idealized living the bohemian artist lifestyle but it became apparent that it wasn’t in the cards. Luck was not going to find me and deliver the lottery winnings. I knew I was capable and needed to figure out what to do. Almost a decade after high school, I again started looking at career options.
At this time, my whole life went into the mechanic for an upgrade. I decided to get a new car, braces, finish my undergrad, and more. I gradually explored a specialized field, taking internships in my late 20s at large institutions and finally, I broke into the corporate world. The items accomplished during this upgrade were all on my “wouldn’t it be nice” to-do list. Things I believed needed to happen before I could truly move forward and uplevel my life. Whether or not they needed to happen, having them happen created more mental and emotional space for me to enter a new domain. At the time, those were my immediate blockers and all I could see. Once they were off the to-do list, I could explore other areas of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
After this large undertaking or rearranging many things in life, and spending years killing it and succeeding in the corporate world, I came to some realizations about creating life on your own terms:
- You can achieve whatever you set your mind to, but you have to be willing to give it time and it might not appear as you expect it.
- Without others in your corner, whether friends, family, mentors or a higher power, it’s hard to accelerate your potential.
- Honor your own process and take time to explore what is meaningful to you.
After investing seven years into the vision I had, I reached my personally-set markers for success. While some even tried to derail my trajectory, I held steadfast to my vision and reached that echelon. With a spirit of gratitude, this large building block that sets a foundation in my life is honored, yet another cycle awaits and I’m ready to explore the next thing. In the face of the unknown, I return to the tried-and-true “wouldn’t it be nice” to-do list procedures.
HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN “WOULDN’T IT BE NICE” LIST
- Take some time to recall all your dreams and desires.
- Create three columns, whether in Word, Excel or by drawing two lines down a sheet of paper.
- The first column is for the main things you believe you need to experience or have in order to thrive. For one person this might be a close family, and for another person, it may be a high paying career. List as many core items you think you want and/or need to be taken care of and thrive at a base level.
- The second column is for things that truly are “wouldn’t it be nice.” Traveling to Italy. Learning the piano. Fostering dogs. Having a house full of plants. Getting VIP tickets to see your favorite band perform.
- The third column is for things you once wanted to do or thought you needed, but is no longer relevant. Things like becoming a tight rope walker at a circus, marrying your high school sweetheart, bleaching your hair, or opening a coffee shop.
Your first column is the main priority for you to thrive. Take a moment to acknowledge how not having these things have impacted you, and how having them will exponentially improve your life. Tackle each goal as you can and adjust as needed. Sometimes circumstances may seem beyond our control, but you now have a barometer for what is most important to you. Stay flexible, but now you have the direction to apply your main efforts towards.
Your second column is the fun column! If there are little things you can do sooner rather than later, go for it! Get the new dishware set. Set up the reoccurring donation to your favorite charity. Treat yourself. Call that friend you wished you stayed more in contact with. Start saving for that trip to the Galapagos Islands!
The third column is the release column. As you read over this column, affirm to yourself that you release all those “once upon a time” desires. This is an affirmation to yourself that removes these items from taking up subtle mental and emotional space in the “wouldn’t it be nice” section of your imagination.
As with most things, your “wouldn’t it be nice” list can be adapted to your preference. This is the opportunity to gain clarity with your innermost self. For example, you could affirm to yourself, “I welcome all of these experiences or opportunities, but I affirm I am okay if X does not happen.” You could also only focus on one item from the first column, devoting yourself exclusively to making that main goal materialize. Or you could only have one column that encompasses the full spectrum of your “wouldn’t it be nice” imagination. I find the most important aspect of this exercise is acknowledging what’s meaningful and a priority to you, and what you can let go of.
An immediate benefit of this exercise is that it allows you to move beyond feeling stuck. It releases your personal energy that becomes stagnant from being pulled in many directions, for now your know where you stand and have put all your ideas and desires into buckets. In one sitting, you can have a full picture before you and see any conflicting desires or ideas, hanging out in your subconscious. From there, let go of anything that is no longer in alignment with your current vision. You can decide to put things on the shelf, on the back burner, in the trash, or at the forefront. Bring to the surface what you truly wish to prioritize and know where everything else stands. From there you can begin to move mountains in the microcosm that is you.
