40 things to do before forty

40 Before Forty – My Ultimate Bucket List Before the Big 4-0!

Turning Goals Into Adventures 🎯

Inspired by Stevie over at A Cornish Mum, I created my own 40 Before Forty list a few years ago. With seven years to go until I hit the big 4-0, I wanted to channel that nervous energy into something positive, exciting, and full of intention.

My 40 Before Forty Bucket List ✅

From travel dreams to lifestyle upgrades, here’s what I hoped to achieve before I turned forty:

• Lose 30 lbs
• Have a capsule wardrobe
• Move to my forever home
• Get new lounge furniture
• Go to Iceland and stay in a glass-roof capsule under the Northern Lights
• Go on a husky ride
• Get a drone
• Give blood
• Pay off debts
• Get better at film editing
• Visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour
• Watch Matilda on stage
• Visit the Anne Frank Annexe
• Publish an ebook
• Visit the Galápagos Islands and see turtles
• Upgrade my photography skills
• Improve my handwriting
• Complete a full BritMums challenge
• Be better at planning events
• Return to Disneyland Paris (the last trip didn’t go to plan!)
• Blog consistently
• Get better at my writing
• Establish a routine and actually stick to it
• Go snorkelling
• Have a budget and follow it
• Learn French
• Holiday in Cornwall
• Make friends with another blogger
• Start and stick to a pilates plan
• Watch Kinky Boots on stage
• Drive to Preston to visit family
• Drive to Plymouth
• Grow vegetables
• Be nominated for a blog award
• Visit Morocco
• Have a themed Christmas
• Take an evening class
• Bullet journal better
• Be more organised (ha!)
• Meet with an old penfriend from Austria or Russia
• Take a cookery class

Why a 40 Before Forty List?

Having a list like this helped me turn “one day” into a plan. It reminded me to prioritise adventure, learning, health, and connection — all before a big milestone.

It also gave me blog content, goal-setting focus, and little joyful things to look forward to!

Revisit Coming Soon – What’s Changed at 42?

Spoiler alert: I didn’t finish them all. But that’s the beauty of this kind of list — it evolves with you. I’ve done some amazing things I never imagined adding at the time, and I’ve outgrown others.

➡️ Keep an eye out for my full follow-up post: “Revisiting My 40 Before Forty List at 42“ – I’ll be sharing updates, stories, and reflections.

Over to You!

Have you ever made a milestone list? Would you do a 40 before Forty… or maybe a 50 before 50?

Let me know in the comments or tag me on social media — I’d love to read yours!