As I’m turning 28 in 4 days time, I thought now would be a good time to post this post about things I want to do before I’m 30. But first things first, I’m trying INCREDIBLY HARD not to freak out about the fact that I’m almost 30. Not that I think 30 is *old* or that I think life is downhill from there – quite the opposite actually. But because I have a very weird relationship with my own birthday and I’m VERY judgmental about where I am in life compared to my peers.

Things I Want To Do Before I'm 30

Photo by Shawn Ang on Unsplash

All I see when I scroll through Facebook now is the girls I went to school with having babies, getting married or moving into their own homes. It shocks me for a fraction of a second until I realise we’re 27/28 now- we’re at the exactly age that most people DO these things. But since when did we get so old? School feels like yesterday to me and yet so much bloody time has passed since. It scares and saddens me at the same time.

Sooner or later Nana, people have to grow up – George Darling

But a lot of it has to do with the fact that I am not where I wanted to be or expected to be by the age of 28. And I know you absolutely shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone else because life isn’t a race and there’s no rule-book to say you have to have done x, y and z by the time you’re 30. But it’s just an internal battle I have which gets accentuated every time those digits change.

Related: How I’d Celebrate My Birthday If Money Was No Object

But I’m trying to be positive and not compare myself to ANYONE else. Heck, I don’t even speak to anyone I went to school with, why should I care where they are in their lives compared to me? The blogging community is a much more diverse place with women in their 20’s doing all sorts of different things; some are married with kids, some are travelling the world, some are business owners and everything in-between.

And thinking about it now, a lot of the things mentioned below would have taken a big dent by the pandemic situation – particularly the travel and experiences category. I feel like this year could have set some people back in their life plans, with so many things being cancelled or postponed weddings and such.

So without further ado, here are 17 things I want to do by the time I’m 30:

Things I Want To Do

Blogging and career

  1. Get accepted onto Mediavine
  2. Release a blogging course (I did this already! Check out Blogging Mindset Mastery here!)
  3. Have my own home office (this is currently getting built!)
  4. Have a book published (pre-order here!)
  5. Attend a blogging event
  6. Get invited on another press trip

Travel and experiences

  1. See a Formula 1 Grand Prix live
  2. Visit Amsterdam
  3. Stay overnight at a zoo
  4. Go to Disneyland Paris again
  5. Go on holiday or a short trip alone
  6. Visit a Christmas market

Personal

  1. Get engaged (CARL IF YOU’RE READING THIS GET A MOVE ON)
  2. Have at least 50k in savings
  3. Be in a position to buy my own home
  4. Buy a new car (or my dream car, ideally!)
  5. Transform my body into something I’m happy with

So I’ve kept it pretty short for each section because I’m wary of the fact that I only have 2 years but I think all of these are pretty doable and not just far fetched dreams! I’ve also been a little cheeky and added some things onto this list that I know are going to happen or I expect will happen this year (like my book) but I’m writing this on 14th July so at this point in time, it counts, okay?

17 Things I Want To Do Before 30

What’s on your bucket list right now? Anything you want to do before a certain age? Have you done anything I’ve mentioned above? Let me know!

183 Comments

  1. Beautiful post here Jenny. Your webpage is awesome, i can tell that you are on your way to achieving big things. Your list is interesting and I am sure that you can achieve it. I do not know if you believe in God, but if you do, it would be a good idea to take this list to God in prayer and ask him to make the things you want become a reality. God is still in the business of making things work for the good of those who believe in him.

    The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9
    “In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps”.

    The Bible says in Zephaniah 3:17
    “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing”.

    I think the Bible verses above are beautiful and they show that God is always with us. He wants us to achieve, he wants us to thrive, he wants us to be happy. God is love.

    In case you are interested in a building a relationship with God or just want further information, I have a post that can help here:

    https://christcenteredruminations.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/how-to-build-a-relationship-with-god/ 

    You can check out the blog post above. If the information is too overwhelming for you, then you can start slow and work your way up gradually. If you want to stay updated and you want more posts from me, you can follow my blog. I post about God, faith and Christian Spirituality.I

    If you ever need to talk, then send me a message on the “Contact” section of my page.

    May God’s blessing be with you, and may you achieve good great things, Amen. 🙂

  2. As someone who is about to turn 31, just know that I had the same worries as you and so far, my 30s are MUCH better than my 20s. That said, you’re already crushing your 20s in a way I never came close to, so your 30s will be even better, no doubt! Your goals are so good, so varied and so achievable. I’m excited to watch you absolutely smash all of them x

  3. I’m rooting for both of you so please update us if Carl finally decided to ask you to marry him!!!
    I think getting older is amazing sure we may feel pressure that we haven’t reach certain things in life but in the end nothing is too late everything has a purpose.

    Michelle| brokebutflawless.com

  4. Happy late birthday, Jenny!! I hope it was nothing short of wonderful <3 Staying overnight at a zoo sounds amazing, oh my goodness. Can't wait to hear about all the times you check everything off of this list 😉 Loving the new look of your site, by the way! xx

  5. Good luck with accomplishing your goals!
    I did a 25 things to do before turning 25 & I gave myself 6 months to complete them (I tried to stick to realisitc goals). I did end up completeing 14 of my goals & since then I have completed even more. It would be fun to make another list of goals I want to complete before turning 30!

  6. I highly recommend the Bath Christmas market if you get a chance to go! I actually went for my 30th as I wanted to do something I could take my 6 month old (at the time, she’s five now…) along to.

  7. I love how you’ve divided these up int different sections. It’s such a nice, organized way of doing things and makes sure you’re covering all different areas of your life. Good luck!

  8. Wow, I hope you get to do everything and more! I haven’t made a detailed list or anything yet, but seeing this really motivates me to have one! Great Post!! cheers!

  9. Oh I loveee reading these sort of posts! I completely agree with feeling ‘old’ (even though I know we’re not at all) – seeing people on Facebook announce a pregnancy and thinking ‘we’re a bit young for that’ before realising mid-twenties is the ‘normal’ age for that!

    I would also like to get accepted into an ad network for my site, become a manager at my work, and do a road trip in America before I’m 30! Becca x

  10. These are some fab goals, I didn’t even know you could stay overnight at a zoo but that sounds really fun! I’d love to stay overnight at a theme park, I think that would be really cool. I love your hint at an engagement, hahaha.

    Alice xx

  11. I have the exact same relationship with my own birthday and comparing when I know I shouldn’t so I fully get you there. These are great things, I love the balance between different aspects of life too. The top one in the personal category made me laugh! I need to work on a little list like this of my own x

    Sophie

  12. I’m several decades past “30”. That being said, I like your list. The items on my bucket list that I have achieved that meant the most afterwards all involved “experiences” and not acquiring things. Most of the items on my bucket list are “experiences” now. Gotta love creating memories. Great article and good luck on your bucket list!

  13. This sounds like a fantastic and achievable list! Attending a press trip would be so much fun, hope you get to attend one. You deserve it!

    I recently found a list of things to do before 20 and whoops, I only did one thing! So what i’ve done now is essentially moved all of those items into my 25 before 25 list. Such as sewing a whole collection (5 garments) and driving down to the U.S (I live 45mins from the border).

    Loren | Plaid + Sugar

  14. Hi Jenny. You are going to be busy! And so is Carl, whether he realises it yet or not! I didn’t know that you could stay overnight at a zoo. Do some have them have a mini-hotel arrangement? Or are you planning some clandestine incursion?! (Don’t answer that!)

  15. This is a great list. I love that you included so many achievable items but didn’t sell yourself short either! I can’t wait for the say that you are accepted into Mediavine. I know that I will be cheering for you the moment that you announce it. I love seeing other bloggers achieve their goals!

  16. Growing up and getting older so scary, it makes me so anxious. The virus has messed up my plans for the year but I try not to think about it too much. I would love to go to a blogger event or a press trip, I would love to have my little home office too! I didn’t realise you could stay overnight at a Zoo? My travel dream was to go to Japan and that has already came true, I am very grateful. 50k in savings!!! That would be amazing by the time I am 30. One of my dreams is to see MT Fuji San in Japan! Good luck with achieving these! xx

    1. It’s scary for me too. Especially with all the added “pressure” of where we should be etc. Yeah there’s a zoo near me with glamping pods that you can stay in overnight and go round the zoo at night, sounds bloody amazing! Japan would be a DREAM. I’m so glad you got to do that!

  17. I definitely get how you’re feeling, I also kind of panic that I haven’t accomplished everything that I thought I would have by the time I got to my late 20s. I’m going to be 26 in a few weeks time and I am freaking out a little haha. Those are great lists though and I’m sure you’ll be able to accomplish these things in the next couple of years! xx

  18. Its not as bad as you think when you reach the big 3-0. I defintely thought my life would be completley different byt the time I reached this number, but I am a true believer in everythign happening for a reason. It’s so hard not to judge your own life and compare it to others though isn’t it? Love how you have broken your goals down into sections.
    Oh and in case I miss it, happy Birthday in advanced. Hope you have a wonderful day celebrating! 🎉🎉

    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

  19. I hope all of these work out!! I’m so happy to see that a few are already underway. Your career list inspires me. Also, I burst out laughing at the call out on your engagement point haha. I’ll be on the lookout for an engagement announcement 🙂

  20. I like to think of age as just a number; keep celebrating birthdays and enjoying life, keep setting goals and working to see them accomplished. I think if every day is a day well-lived, then you are thriving. You cannot compare yourself to others because everyone’s definition of happiness or success is different. This is a great post…if you know what you want, you know what to go after. Sadly, so many people have no real idea of what they want; then, they look back decades later and wish they had done things differently. Wishing you birthday blessings and dreams come true…one beautiful day at a time! 🙂

  21. Believe it or not, my life started after 30. I also realized I wasn’t at the place where I wanted to be back then (almost 5 years ago). Making a list like yours helped me to go after my goals and dreams and I achieved most of them :)) Lists like these really help getting the most out of your life! X

  22. Being on the other side of 30, I can tell you that the age-30 milestone is… well, interesting, for lack of a better word. 🙂

    But having said that, I totally get it. I’ve created similar lists myself. 😛

    Your list seems great, and I have a feeling you’re going to smash all of the things in your list. 🤗

  23. I love these kind of posts. May all your dreams be realised hun and can’t wait to see you tick off your bucket list. Oh and I completely agree time just seems to fly by, how?! 🙈 Xxx

  24. Love this blog post, such a great idea. I might create a bucket list of things I want to do before I’m 30 too. We visited Amsterdam at the beginning of this year and it was such a nice city break, well worth going too. I would also say Iceland is a must too, even if it’s just for a long weekend x

    http://www.stephhannam.com

  25. Love this! Too often these lists are completely unattainable and it’s just ridiculous reading through them. But your goals are super achievable and realistic. And you’ve already gotten quite far with the list as it is 😉 Good luck with the rest of it! xx

  26. These are some great goals! It’s good you have broken them down into categories! My bucket list before I hit 30 (in February) has been thrown out the window because of the pandemic. So I am thinking about writing a new one! Thank you for sharing Jenny! I hope you manage to tick all of these off! X

  27. Good luck to your goals! I, too, am 27 and feel the pressure to live a certain why by this age. Society is so silly that way. You do you and crush those goals!

  28. I love this post! Good luck reaching all your goals! I need to make a post like this too since I am now closer to my 30s rather than my 20s anymore lol

  29. I am 33 years old and I can’t say is any different than being 28. Not to me at least. I have also noticed that most of my friends from school are now married or engaged and they have their own kids. Some of them had a family soon after college. I don’t think we have to follow this pattern necessarily. Society shouldn’t force anyone to start a family just because “it’s time” or you reached “that age” and afterwards it’s going to be complicated,if not impossible. So I think we should live our lives exactly how we want it and I wish you the best of luck with anything you want to accomplish 🙂

  30. Let’s go, Carl. Chop chop 😉 But seriously, I love this list. I think it’s great that you have some big ticket items on there, along with some that are just sheer fun (going to a Christmas market is the BEST. I’ve gone every year since I was… probably 9 or 10)! I’m sure you’ll be able to cross of most – if not all – of these in the next couple of years. You’re already making progress on several of them. And I sure do hope your birthday is divine! Just live in the moment and enjoy celebrating how far you’ve already come!

  31. Great list, it looks like you’re well on your way! And happy early birthday! 🥳 Birthdays do really make you think about where you are in life as compared to where you want to be don’t they? It’s some sort of magical power I think. I’ll be turning 35 in a couple months and I still can’t believe it! 🤯

  32. I love this post Jenny! I remember feeling the exact same way when I was your age and into my early 30s even! All those wedding photos and babies and me still single and with no idea how I would ever meet a man! It does create a bit of an internal panic…even though it shouldn’t. But now, at 40 I can tell you that your 30s are the best years of growth and that all that stuff about white dresses and babies doesn’t even matter in your happiness. Your bucket list is perfect! xoxo

  33. Wow you’ve accomplished so much! I definitely agree the pandemic has set so many of us back in accomplishing the things we want to do. Good luck on meeting all your goals and dreams.

  34. Hey Jenny! It was actually pretty funny reading your post, not because your article is funny but you reminded me of myself few months ago! I thought I was the only one thinking very seriously about 30’s! Two or three years ago, I wasn’t thinking much about it, but now after turning 30 (31 next October!) I felt things have changed so much. Plus, after 2020, I really started thinking about my life, the kind of people I surround myself with, my personal goals and when should I start a family of my own. All of these questions start rising once I turned 30. And let me tell you, IT FEELS GREAT! Life gets harder yes, but it feels great to see yourself growing and accomplishing and succeeding. So, best of luck to you and I hope you will have a wonderful birthday! 🙂

  35. Goodness this is an impressive list!! I am turning 28 in just a few months, maybe now would be a good time to make my own bucket list like this 😁 Thank you for sharing the inspiration!

  36. This is a great list Jenny and all it is achievable, in fact you’ve achieved quite a lot already! I’m a tad older than you and I think it is important to have a list to work towards. One thing I’ve always wanted to do was drive a very fast car round a racing circuit and my lovely hubby bought me a Ferrari track day but COVID has put the brakes on it for the moment – I’m looking forward to marking it off my list!

    1. Oh my god that’s so cool! Please take lots of photos and let me know when you do it – I’d love to see! My boyfriend did a track day in a BMW around Brands Hatch a few years ago. I’m a bit nervy for that myself haha! You’ll have an amazing time x

  37. I love to see other people’s bucket lists, it’s not something I have ever written. I always set resolutions for the year ahead but never set out long term goals like yours, I guess they are all just floating around my anxious mind and if I don’t say them out loud I can’t be held accountable if I don’t manage to complete them. Also self esteem and belief plays a big part in setting long term goals and that is something I’m working on, hopefully once through the other side il sit and write my own becket list!

  38. This is a great list. I’m turning 35 next week 🙈 and I’ve been thinking about doing a list about things to do before I turn 40 (I don’t even like thinking about that, lol)

  39. Firstly, thank you so much for linking to my post. I really appreciate it!

    Secondly this is such a great list! Quite a lot of these would be on my list except it would be a before 40 list! I can hand on heart say turning 30 was a huge turning point in my life and I loved it.

    I can’t wait to see you achieve all of these bucket list items x x

  40. These are extremely good goals. I love taking inspiration from post like this. They really give me a kick to start making some goals and actually sticking to them x

  41. Those are some great goals Jenny. I like that it’s a mix of different areas of life too. You’ll have to keep us all updated on your progress over the next 2 years. I’m cheering for you! I’ll have to create a list like this too, as I’m less than 2 years away from being 40!!!!

  42. These posts always interest me – I kept on trying to do mini “bucket lists” before I turned 30 (last September) but I got married 2 weeks before which kind of made everything else irrelevant! Great to see that you’ve managed to do something already! Wish you the best of luck with what you’re setting out to do 😊

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: