The ‘Might Do’ List

Feel too busy to plan anything for pleasure? Tied to your to-do list?

Enter the ‘Might Do’ list. Using this guilt-free method, you can put fun at the forefront and make time for the things you truly enjoy.

Think of things that you’d love to make time for, or things that could shake up your routine and add a bit of fun! We have some ideas to get you started.

Do you have a to-do list? You might even have more than one: a list of chores, a tally of work tasks, perhaps a note of birthday cards you need to write, and a shopping list almost certainly. But have you got a ‘Might Do’ list?

This isn’t a list of optional errands, or tasks you think you should do. Rather, it’s a personalised list of enjoyable, nourishing or novel activities – things you’ve always wanted to try, but have never made a proper priority.

Take off the pressure

In a nutshell, a ‘Might Do’ list is similar to a bucket list, defined as a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish in their lifetime, but it comes without the pressure or expense that bucket lists traditionally imply.

While an aspirational bucket list is certainly good fun to put together, dreams like ‘take a round-the-world trip’, ‘climb Mount Kilimanjaro’, or ‘swim with dolphins’ require a significant amount of time and money, which can feel out of reach for many.

A ‘Might Do’ list is a bit like an achievable bucket list, filled with ideas for things to do that you could take up with little notice. It shouldn’t leave you feeling filled with regret if you haven’t been able to achieve everything, or even most of the things, on the list.

Brainstorm Ideas

Set aside a little time to dream up ideas for your own list. Start small – remember this isn’t necessarily about big-ticket goals or once-in-a-lifetime ambitions. Instead, think about everyday activities you like doing but never seem to find time for.

Ponder new hobbies or skills you’d like to take up or learn. Think about events or sites of interest near your home that you’ve been meaning to visit for years. Is there a dish you’ve always wanted to learn how to make? Or a sport you’ve always planned to have a go at playing with friends?

The key detail when creating a your list is that anything goes, and nothing is too small or trivial to make the cut!

Guilt-free goals

The best thing about a ‘Might Do’ list is that it can be totally guilt-free. Because the items on the list are merely suggestions, a range of ideas to inspire you, it does not announce itself with all the weighty pressures of your average list. Ideally, it will be filled with attainable goals.

This list is all about pleasure, about the things that interest and intrigue you, about the activities that feed your soul. It is about releasing the pressure of the ‘should’ and the ‘have-tos’.

It’s up to you

Experiment, if you like, with different ways of structuring your list. Maybe you’d like to structure it around the seasons, or write a list for the whole year. You could lay out your list by activity, separating cooking might-dos from trips you’d like to take. Leave room to add more ideas at the bottom, for when inspiration strikes.

Get inspirational ideas from your Dairy Diary!

Take a look at page 160 of the 2025 Dairy Diary – it contains over 40 inspirational ideas for your Might-Do list, plus space for your own.

Ideas range from calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while to hosting a games night, upcycling furniture, making a favourite recipe file or trying a new craft – how about trying printmaking? You will find how to do just that on page 40 of the 2025 Dairy Diary!

We hope you give your own ‘Might Do’ list a try!

For more ideas, visit the Inspire Me section of our blog. Find other Useful Tips, as well as Ideas for the Garden and Creative Crafts.

Find other features like this in the Dairy Diary, which you can buy below!