--- title: Why You Should Make a Reverse Bucket List—and How to Start description: A reverse bucket list records meaningful experiences you’ve already had. Simon Sinek and therapists explain the benefits and how to make your own. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/09/29/reverse-bucket-list-benefits-how-to-make/ author: Angela Haupt article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-09-29T14:56:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-09-29T17:21:25.867Z article:section: Health og:title: Why You Should Make a Reverse Bucket List og:description: Give your "maybe someday" list a break, and celebrate what’s already happened. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/09/29/reverse-bucket-list-benefits-how-to-make/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e99dcdcc4352902/6abbcf569a32fd0045b9b793/ReverseBucketList.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: ReverseBucketList.png og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Should Make a Reverse Bucket List twitter:description: Give your "maybe someday" list a break, and celebrate what’s already happened. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e99dcdcc4352902/6abbcf569a32fd0045b9b793/ReverseBucketList.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why You Should Make a Reverse Bucket List > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0ec2396c-53b7-4c93-a8d0-698e1e414845&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Reversing Your Bucket List Can Make You Happier. Here's Why. [Watch (HLS stream): Reversing Your Bucket List Can Make You Happier. Here's Why.](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8rggqpbs.m3u8) (2:00)  _Published 2026-09-29. Give your "maybe someday" list a break, and celebrate what’s already happened._  by [Angela Haupt](https://time.com/author/angela-haupt/)  ## Angela Haupt Sep 29, 2026 2:56 PM UTC  by [Angela Haupt](https://time.com/author/angela-haupt/)  ## Angela Haupt Sep 29, 2026 2:56 PM UTC Your bucket list is probably full of [big dreams](https://time.com/5909923/how-to-set-goals/): go sky-diving, learn to speak Italian, finally [take that trip to see the northern lights](https://time.com/collection/worlds-greatest-places/2026/). You might think that all that possibility should give you something to look forward to—but spend enough time staring at everything you haven’t done, and your yet-to-be-checked off aspirations can start to feel like more proof you’re somehow behind. That’s what bothered [Simon Sinek](https://www.instagram.com/simonsinek/?hl=en), who hosts the podcast[_A Bit of Optimism_](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-bit-of-optimism/id1515385282)and is the author of books including [_Start With Why_](https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?adgrpid=185691637185&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4kIDXmyJjS0Xw-QcilAjNYVBWc9Yy7Jo2uJqz91oRd67nd2yVBA8ioPR6%5Fy3GWe%5F3Vsm0rKcOgiF%5FODWiNqR4KeZ4zBEdop-AChKhFeMqsjftOTOpQNh96y6QsudJ5QYuXSWJFpLi3khXOzkqSp2eTjnYGnLCS%5F5o1xwCLzaTSUVeYbQKGMnY9H2SGsV%5FlB0K%5F5VlWJJPgnxqmRQl9ZWMz0Crwpemf3zx1vYXDC-jFxOvN8Yz1jF0Lksv%5FMxrg4PZPJUvHRgghbWCsz7uTjT53qHjnwfl8L4A1BU%5FbZK8Ds.mRV9cZIzFnTbiN2Ua2j59BzR5FJ5ufSlDdmsnFSDt68&dib%5Ftag=se&hvadid=779577788617&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9007422&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=9058460171551655099--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9058460171551655099&hvtargid=kwd-303123370078&hydadcr=24378%5F13859742%5F2335920&keywords=simon+sinek+books&mcid=75b4dd7cdb80307b83f5d27f7a46a058&qid=1790255104&sr=8-1), about the concept of a bucket list. “You’re staring at a list of things you’ve never done, and it’s kind of depressing,” he says. “Even if you make your way through the list and things come off, you die with a list of things you've never done. And that just leads to disappointment and regret.” About 15 years ago, in a small act of rebellion, Sinek started keeping [a reverse bucket list](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFlcqKp9BqY): a log of all the wonderful things he’d already experienced, like the time he saw a complete rainbow instead of just part of one. Sinek keeps his list on his phone, where he sometimes stumbles across it while searching for something else. Then he gets sidetracked revisiting his own life and remembering experiences he’d forgotten about. “It’s joy scrolling,” he says. “Why shouldn’t I get credit for these things that showed up organically in my life?” Here’s how to take stock of the big milestones and small moments worth remembering—and give yourself a chance to enjoy them all over again. ## **How a reverse bucket list can help you feel more fulfilled** A reverse bucket list works because it interrupts one of your brain's most stubborn habits: always looking ahead to what's next instead of pausing to appreciate what's already happened. “So much of daily life is focused on the next goal, the next milestone, or the next thing we haven't done yet,” says Rachel Needle, a psychologist in West Palm Beach, Fla. That translates into rarely stopping long enough to notice “everything we've already experienced, survived, learned, or built.” Making the list gives you a reason to notice the lovely, surprising, unexpectedly funny things that happen in the middle of an ordinary day, which are easy to miss when you’re already thinking about what’s next. When you start actively seeking out these moments, you may find that you spend more time celebrating what's already part of your life, rather than dwelling on what’s missing. “Instead of thinking, ‘I'm not there yet,’ you begin noticing, ‘Look how much is already part of my story,’” Needle says. “That shift alone can change how you see your life.” Keeping track of these experiences can be especially helpful for people who feel perpetually behind or tend to compare themselves with others. “We get lost in what everyone else is doing, so we forget what we’re actually doing,” says Alyssa Kushner, a licensed clinical social worker in New York. Writing down your own personal highlights gives you something to revisit when it feels like everyone else is having a better time. She keeps her old journals for precisely that reason: They remind her of the friends, trips, and fun she might otherwise overlook. Rereading them gives those memories a little more time and attention. “You’re feeling it and you’re savoring it,” she says. Those reminders may lift your mood and support your self-esteem, too—especially when you recognize your own role in making something good happen. As Kushner puts it: “I did take that risk. I did build that friendship. I did get through that season.” When it’s easier to focus on what’s going wrong, the list offers concrete reminders of what’s gone right. ## **What to put on your reverse bucket list** Aim to make your entries specific, whether the experience was big or small. For example, you might record a Tuesday dinner with friends: “Everyone stayed at the table chatting for three hours.” There’s room for big milestones (an awe-inspiring trip or promotion at work) as well as what Kushner describes as “micro moments of joy.” “These are the daily things that happen that we might kind of gloss over, but that are just as important,” she says. “Maybe it was a beautiful morning and you got to soak in the sun, and you had your coffee or your matcha, and you just felt content. It could be a random five-minute exchange with a stranger that was a really nice moment of connection. It could be something you felt proud of yourself for.” Every time she sees flowers, for example, she feels happy. Include a few details that help you return to the scene, Kushner suggests: what you saw, heard, or felt, and what made it worth remembering. Maybe you caught the scent of flowers on your walk or laughed so hard with a friend that you forgot what started it. You can also give yourself credit for things that didn’t come with a souvenir or a celebration. Needle suggests including challenges you’ve overcome, relationships you’ve nurtured, and moments when you did something that took courage. “You’re more resilient than maybe you’re giving yourself credit for on a regular basis,” she says. On her own list: finishing her book proposal, reconnecting with friends, and planning a trip to London with her mom. The point is to choose what mattered to you. As Needle puts it: “You’re not trying to prove anything to yourself or anyone else that you lived an impressive life.” ## **How to make—and revisit—a reverse bucket list** Keep track of these memories in a journal or notebook, or on your phone—whatever you’re most likely to return to. Treat it as a living document that grows as you have new experiences and remember old ones you’d almost forgotten. If you like a little structure, Needle suggests a weekly check-in: Add whatever comes to mind, then spend some time rereading old entries. Or take Sinek’s approach and skip the schedule. He adds things when they happen. “There’s no rules here,” he says. Whatever your system, make sure you periodically revisit what you’ve written. Linger over an entry long enough to remember what made you laugh, who was there, or how you felt. As Needle puts it, the point is “letting yourself feel good about it again.” ## Transcript My bucket list is all the usual suspects. Visit Antarctica. See Taylor Swift in concert. Sounds great, right? But when you think about it, it's basically a list of all the things I haven't accomplished, which isn't exactly a mood booster. That's why optimism expert Simon Sinek suggests flipping it around. Make a reverse bucket. List all the things you're really glad you've already gotten to experience. The way life bends and weaves. I was doing things and experiencing things that weren't on any list, that were amazing experiences. And so why shouldn't I get credit for these things that showed up organically in my life? I've seen a complete rainbow. Like you can see the whole not half a rainbow, but a whole rainbow. Like that's on the list for me. That's finding something amazing at the thrift store for like $3. Seeing a new leaf unfurl on one of my favorite plants and yes, dying my dog. My favorite colors. You can You think? Really small. A super juicy peach making a baby laugh in the grocery store. Getting into sheets that are still warm from the dryer. That's what counts. And before you forget all those little things, which is so easy to do, give them a home. Simon keeps his list and a note on his phone. I can put whatever I want on the list of things that I am grateful for, and things that I've enjoyed, and things that are once in a lifetime experiences. You don't have to jot things down every day. Just add something when it happens or in a memory pops into your mind. Then the next time you're feeling like everyone else is off living some fabulous life, you've got a reminder of what's already been good in yours. The day I started my reverse bucket list, I had a lot more appreciation and gratitude for this life that I live. I'm still hoping to see Taylor alive one day, but for now, it's nice to have some new songs to enjoy and to scroll through a reminder of all the other good stuff that's already happened. Enjoy scrolling. 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