Turning 23 feels like a lifetime ago. As someone who has always loved a good checklist, I originally sat down and put together a list of 24 personal goals I wanted to tick off before hitting the big two-four.
Looking back at this lifestyle bucket list, some of these goals weren’t groundbreaking achievements to the outside world, but they meant a lot to me at the time.
Whether you are looking for things to do before 24 or planning your own 20s bucket list, here is the ultimate look back at my 24 before 24!
The 24 Before 24 Checklist
1 . Lose at least a Stone
I had never properly tried to lose weight before this, so I had no idea how easy or hard I was going to find it. I decided to start with a small, manageable target of one stone and go from there.
2 . Change My Hair Until I’m Happy With It
After being blonde for a long time, I finally dyed my hair brown. Even after going back to my natural colour, I still wasn’t 100% happy with it. Finding a hair routine that makes you feel confident is a journey.
3 . Visit More Places in the UK
There are so many hidden gems and amazing places to visit in the UK, and I wanted to make a conscious effort to explore closer to home. Who says you need to go abroad to have a good time?
4. Have a Weekend Away in a Log Cabin
Who doesn’t want a cosy weekend getaway in a log cabin complete with a hot tub? It’s just the ultimate aesthetic, relaxing weekend.
5 . Save, Save, Save
Building up savings is a slow process, but saving money is a habit you never regret starting in your early twenties.
6. Curate a Pratical Capsule Wardrobe
I am incredibly guilty of wearing the exact same three outfits on repeat. While outfit repeating isn’t a bad thing, I wanted to curate a wardrobe where I actually wore more of the clothes I owned instead of reaching for the same things every single week.
7 . Travel More
Traveling is one of my absolute favourite things to do, and expanding my horizons was a massive priority for the year.
8 . Cook a Meal without Following a Recipe
After spending a lot of time in the kitchen learning the basics, my ultimate goal was to be confident enough to whip up a home cooked meal completely from scratch without staring at a recipe step by step.
9 . Read a Book
I know, big target! In all honesty, I hadn’t read a book in years, so I wanted to start small. Which is strange actually, as I love reading, it’s just not something I make time for.
10 . Bake Something New
Once upon a time, I used to bake a completely new recipe every single month. After letting that hobby slide, I wanted to bring the joy back into my kitchen.
11 . Watch More Films
If you name a film, there is a 99% chance I haven’t seen it. I seriously needed to sit down, grab some popcorn, and catch up on cinema culture.
12 . Use My Diary
We all remember the massive Papier diary hype, right? I completely jumped on the trend and bought a gorgeous planner, but my goal was to actually use it past January.
13 . Finish Makeup Before Buying New
As a beauty lover, product hoarding is real. I set a firm boundary to focus on hitting pan and finishing up old makeup before bringing new products into my collection.
14. Donate to Charity
A simple, quiet goal because putting some good back into the world is always a nice thing to do.
15. Visit and Donate to My Local Dogs Home
My dog, Ralph, has an absolute mountain of toys. I was certain he wouldn’t notice if we quietly packaged a few up to donate. Plus, it was the perfect excuse to buy some fresh treats to drop off for the rescue pups.
16. Up My Blogging Game
I love blogging so much, and I wanted to challenge myself to create a consistent posting schedule that outpaced my previous year.
17 . Fill Out More of My Scrapbook
Memory keeping is so important to me. I love the physical process of scrapbooking and wanted to dedicate more evenings to updating it.
18 . Get Out More
As an introvert, my comfort zone is my house. However, I knew I needed to push myself to get out and about more often.
19. Take My Nan Out for a Day
I love my Nan so much and she deserves the absolute world. Planning a dedicated day out just for her was top of my list.
20. Improve My Fitness
My stamina and fitness levels were pretty poor, and I knew it was time to prioritise my health and physical strength.
21. Declutter and Stop Hoarding
I am a self proclaimed hoarder, so decluttering is a massive emotional struggle for me. It was getting to a point where things didn’t have a designated home, which is never a good environment.
22. Learn How to Make Cocktails
Learning a few classic cocktail recipes seemed like a fun, creative skill to have, plus, it is significantly cheaper than paying bar prices.
23. Swap my Fake Flowers for Real Ones
I had the exact same fake tulips sitting in my bedroom for literal years. I wanted to inject some fresh energy into my space by swapping them out for real, seasonal blooms.
24. Hit 10k Steps Everyday for a Week
While 10,000 steps a day sounds easy to some, staying consistent when you work from a computer or have a busy routine is tough. Setting a one week streak felt like a great challenge.
The 2026 Retrospective: How Did I Actually Do?
Looking back at this list from my current perspective is so eye opening. Some of these goals feel so simple now, while others are things I still struggle with today (yes, I am still a bit of a hoarder!).
The biggest lesson I learned from this list is that life doesn’t happen in a neat checklist. It’s okay if you don’t tick off all 24 things before a milestone birthday, the fun is in the trying.
Let’s Chat!
Do you create a yearly bucket list or a birthday checklist? More importantly, are you an outfit repeater or an introvert who’d rather stay at home like me? Let’s chat in the comments below and share our goals!
Thank you for reading!
Ahh I loved this list! It’s such a lovely idea to donate to a local dogs home, I might try and do the same soon! 🙂
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
Thank you so much! I’m glad you think so too, it’s such a lovely gesture isn’t it xx
Happy belated birthday! It is great that you have a list of things you want to achieve before 24! Love that all of these will help you become a better version of yourself! Sending you all of the positivity you need to rock them!
Nancy ♥
Thank you! I’m glad you think so, and thank you so much!xx
Great goals :). With regards to books, are there any particular genres you like? I recommend How Do You Like Me Now by Holly Bourne. It’s about a woman who seems to have her life in order from the outside, but when the story is told from her perspective she really doesn’t. I think it’s so easy to read and so relatable to women in their 20s and 30s. xo Sarah Oomph London
Thank you! I’m not too sure yet, I think I want to test the waters, as it’s been a while since I’ve read something. Thank you for the recommendation, it sounds like a great book xx
what a great idea! maybe i should start creating my yearly bucket list as well. good luck on yours x
erin x
Thank you! You should go for it xx
Good luck with you’re goals for next year. I need to read more books too I got about half way through a terry Pratchett last year and I rate them it’s just I don’t think to pick it up.
Thank you! I hope you’re able to get back into it xx
Love reading this post so many good bucket lists that are achievable! One of my major omes is trying to read a book a week. So far im doing quite well, but it is onky February.
Thank you, I’m glad you think so! Good luck with it, I hope you smash it xx
Great goals and I’ve no doubt that you’ll achieve them! x
Thank you!xx
I just had my birthday on Feb 05! Loved your goals!
Xoxo Babita
http://www.travelhues.com/
Happy belated birthday! Thank you xx
I adore all of these! I keep a scrapbook too and it’s so wonderful, especially if you’re a sentimental person!
Lots of love from Mollie, blogger from theperksofmolliequirk.blogspot.com xxxx
Thank you! They’re great aren’t they?!xx
I shall visit more places in UK as well. Been here on and off for many years now, but haven’t really gone on a proper explore of a country ever since I was taken around as a child. This could be a great resolution for this year then 🙂
LackaDaisy
I hope you’re able to do it! It’s an amazing place, and there is a lot to see. Good luck with it xx
Love this! Hope you had a great birthday! I did a list of 20 things to do in 2020 and a lot of them are the same as yours! Especially improve my fitness, get 10,000 steps a day (or close to) and up my blogging game! So far so good but I guess we’re only in February ha! Best of luck to you! x
Georgia Rose
xx
http://www.justgeorgiarose.com
Thank you! Ah no way, good luck with your list! You can do it!xx
Happy belated birthday! I agree that you should travel more!
Thank you! It’s great isn’t it xx
I am curious, why do you want to visit so many places in UK? As for me, I would like to visit as many places around the world as I can.
There are some great places in the UK, which I think get overlooked. It seems a shame to live here and not experience anything outside of my city. Around the world is good too, but it’s important not to overlook the UK xx
What a great list of realistic things to do before you turn 24. I turn 24 this year, and the thought of it scares the life out of me haha. I feel I should have everything together at this point, and I truly don’t. Maybe curating a list like this, to achieve things, step by step, would be more of a realistic goal for getting everything together haha. Thankyou for sharing lovely! xx
Amber | http://www.amberatlanta.blogspot.co.uk
Thank you, I’m glad you think so! I hope you have a good birthday. A list will definitely help, especially if it’s step by step! It’s no problem, thank you for stopping by xx
Ooh good luck with all of these! I am trying to save more this year too xo
Makeup Muddle
Thank you! It’s always a good thing xx
I love how realistic these things are – the one about taking your nan out got to me! I’d love to have the chance to do that!
Thanks for sharing and good luck with achieving these!
– katelyn
Thank you! I wanted to keep them achievable. Aw, I know I’m lucky to still have the opportunity to do it, so I want to take advantage of that. No problem, thank you for stopping by! Thank you xx
Fab list! I need to visit more places in the UK too soon!
Kathleen
Thank you! There are so many amazing places isn’t there?!xx
Oh these are all GREAT goals!
Allie
So many awesome targets here! Good luck with them!
Sunset Desires
I love the UK, I really want to do more weekend away stays around the country – I know most want to have a short stay abroad but I’d much rather the UK! A log cabin with a hot tub, yes please!
happy belated birthday Hannah! I love the list of tasks you have for yourself this year! I might make myself a list one my birthday hits in June. I hope you get to scratch off every single one of these this year 🙂 xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
I defo want to visit more places in the uk! Considering making a solo trip somewhere soon!