30 Before 30 List

I turned 29 in March. It felt kind of monumental because I’m now in the last year of my 20s.

I have loved my 20s. They’ve brought me some life-changing things. Thinking about turning 30 and all that’s to come in the next decade of life can be intimidating.

30 sounds like an adult. 30 feels mature and like you should have your life together.

30 is a big milestone that everyone seems to focus on. The end of your 20s.

For fun, I googled “things to do before you’re 30” and came face-to-face with a BILLION (exaggeration, but not really) lists of things you “should” accomplish or do by the time you turn 30. And suddenly, the fact I have less than 365 days to do them all seemed overwhelming. And extremely unattainable.

Of course, life is not a competition or a giant bucket list of things you have to do in order to be living your best life. I know this, and I hope you know this too. But I remember reading Carly’s blog post a few years ago called “30 Before 30” and it was a list of 30 random things she wanted to complete between her 29th and 30th birthdays. I loved the idea and thought it was a fun way to brainstorm, dream, and reflect on the year ahead.

So today, I’m sharing my 30 Before 30 List. Not as a competition or to hold myself to these 30 things, but as a way to identify and specifically write some of the things that have been on my mind. Will I get to all 30? I doubt it, but again this isn’t a competition or a list of things I must do. Stay tuned for how many of these things actually happen!

Find a dermatologist. // This is something I’ve been needing to do, and want to prioritize to establish a good skincare routine.
Master cooking at least 5-10 meals. // I’m no expert in the kitchen, but I’d love to have a solid repertoire of meals I can confidently make. I know some, but want to learn more.
Read at least 3-5 classics. // Challenging myself to reach for a classic piece of literature once in a while instead of relying on my trusty favorite authors.
Frame my college degree. // 7+ years later and my degree is still rolled up in the tube. It must happen!
Run a 5K. // I have a love-hate relationship with running, but a 5K is an attainable goal to aim towards no matter what.
Meet with a nutritionist. // Over the past few years I’ve been trying to learn more about foods and how they make my body feel. Meeting with a nutritionist can help with that.
Find a primary care doctor. // I have several doctors that I visit regularly, but I realized the other day that I don’t have a primary care doctor. Whoops.
Make steps toward the backyard project. // Our home is always going through some project or enhancement. Luke and I have a few ideas on how to make our backyard even more of an oasis.
Complete a social media-free week. // I’ve done this before and love going social media-free on occasion, but want to challenge myself to go a whole week again.
Go on vacation. // Hopefully to the beach this summer!
Send at least 12 snail-mail letters (at least one per month). // I love writing, and receiving, snail mail and want to prioritize it this year.
Make an appointment with a makeup artist for tips and tricks. // I didn’t grow up with sisters or super into makeup, but I’d love to meet with a professional to learn some tricks to make my everyday and special event makeup looks even easier to achieve.
Learn more about the stock market, investments, etc. // I know some but I definitely need to learn more. It’s so confusing to me.
Complete a few home projects on our list. // Similar to #8, there are a few projects around our home that I’d love to check off. Not all of them are crazy, but some are definitely achievable by March.
Surprise someone with a gift. // I love surprises! I will have to think more about this one.
Organize our photos and albums. // I have a bunch of albums and misc. photos on my phone that I’d love to print and organize.
Order a wedding album. // We still don’t have our wedding photos printed except for a few canvases around our house! This is definitely something I’d love to do.
Declutter and organize at least 3-5 places in our home. // I can think of a few places that I’d love to tackle. This will definitely be a summer project.
Get up at 6:30 a.m. for a week. // I low-key love waking up early but I find it difficult to do sometimes. Hoping this will motivate me to try.
Establish a good skincare routine. // This goes hand-in-hand with #1. I have my everyday products and a routine right now, but perhaps it can evolve over the year.
Create a new 101 in 1,001 Days list. // My 101 in 1,001 Days List ends in July! I’ll be creating a new one for sure.
Read at least 50 books. // This is sort of cheating since reading at least 50 books is my goal for 2022.
Increase my 401k contributions. // #Adulting at its finest.
Book a photo shoot. // Because why not?
Read a book in one sitting (or one day, whichever works). // A girl can dream.
Throw a party (it doesn’t matter the occasion, for whom, etc.). // We love hosting parties and cannot wait to host more this year!
See a beach sunrise or sunset (or both!) // Fun fact: Some of my favorite memories growing up have been waking up early to see the beach sunrise with my brother on family vacations and then running (literally) to get coffee at Dunkin.
Go to a baseball game. // We live super close to a minor league baseball stadium yet we’ve never gone!
Learn at least 5-10 new songs on the piano. // Thanks to my mom, I have a new piano sheet music book that’s perfect for this goal!
Decide how to celebrate my 30th birthday. // My 30th lands on a Saturday next year so I’ll have to figure out how to celebrate!