Make Your Bucket List a Priority With Microsoft Calendar Most people have a bucket list. It's often a list of things they want to do but may not seem to have time to do right now. Over time, as...

Most people have a bucket list. It's often a list of things they want to do but may not seem to have time to do right now. Over time, as your schedule becomes more packed with responsibilities, you may find yourself with a very long bucket list and no real way to make those activities happen.

Creating a solid plan and then taking the time to accomplish these tasks is an uphill battle but completing them is sure to add value to your life. It's worth it to put in a bit more work to get the results you want. You can use Microsoft Calendar to help you prioritize the things that are on your bucket list and really embrace the world around you. Here are some tips to make that possible.

Setting Aside Time Blocks

Perhaps one of the most important decisions you can make is to plan for bucket list activities. Instead of brushing them off as something to do later, you may want to embrace them now. Plan for them like you would plan for any other activity on your calendar.

For example, you may block off every Sunday as a day for an adventure. You could block off just a few hours a week – but be sure to specifically select hours to do this – that allows you to engage in some activity you want to do.

The key here is to make it non-negotiable. If it is in your calendar, and time is set aside for it, you're going to do it. Don't allow anything else to get put into those time slots. View them as valuable and just as important as any business task or school play.

Share Your Calendar

With a few dates in there of activities that you plan to do, it is time to make it all come to life by sharing your calendar with those who are most likely to be interested in it. For example, if you want those adventures to be something that you do with a certain loved one, they, too, need to block off time on their calendar to get them done.

It is super easy for you to share your bucket list or to-do list with anyone else with the Calendar tools. That type of collaborative planning is going to make it more likely that you get things done. Who may want to know about what you are doing? Who else is involved? Even if it is a private task that you plan to do on your own, you may want to share it with a close friend who will keep you accountable.

Let the People That Need to Know Know

Another important function when it comes to sharing your calendar is to get all of those who need to know involved. These are not people that are going with you, but those who may get in your way. For example, sharing your calendar with your employer ensures they know when you are not available.

You can block out as much or as little information as you need to in order to keep things quiet. However, when you share your calendar with them, there is no way they don't know that you are taking time off to accomplish what's important to you.

You may also want to make it clear to others when you may not be available to them. That includes children, parents, and others who typically take up some of your time. For example, you may be planning to block out a few hours every Saturday morning for hiking.

If you know that your parents consistently need your help that day at the last minute, you can show them that you are not available by sharing your Calendar that lets them know you have other plans. You may want to block out a few other hours during the week to show other people (like parents or sibs) that you want to spend time with them.

Set Up Reminders

It's easy to get caught up in all that you have to do on any given day. One of the best ways to make sure you do not forget about your bucket list activities is to set up reminders on your Microsoft Calendar throughout the week. That keeps these tasks at the top of your mind, which means you are less likely to overlook them, and you can work on planning out the details throughout the week.

Be sure your Calendar tool is working to facilitate this for you – you can schedule them as often as you like and for various types of tasks. Have them send you a notification the day before, for example, to make sure you are ready for it.

Bigger Bucket Lists Require Planning Sessions

You don't want the day to arrive where you have a block of time set aside to do something off your bucket list, only to find that you never scheduled that activity or planned for it. To avoid this, plan an hour or two during the weeks leading up to the more significant activities that give you time to plan for them.

For example, you may have on your bucket list to do some fishing on the lake. Take an hour during the beginning part of the week to rent a boat to take out onto the lake. You may want to set some time aside so that you can go through your gear to make sure you have everything you need to get out there and fish when the day arrives.

For larger trips, you will need more time to do this. For example, that trip around Europe is going to require several planning sessions. Value these. Don't push them off instead because something else needs to be done. Put them into your planning app so you can easily – and effortlessly – step away from your day to get the work done. Using an app like this allows you to be highly productive.

Manage Your Time Wisely Outside of Your Bucket List

You may be thinking something along the lines of, "I wish I had time to do all of this." One of the most powerful things you have right now are tools to better manage all tasks during your day to help you get more done. For example, how many hours do you spend a week trying to get stuff done that is late or just not done on time? You may be rushing around quite a bit and not able to achieve as much. Your productivity is way down.

In many ways, your calendar tool is going to become an indispensable productivity tool. It does not just organize daily tasks, but it boosts your productivity, giving you more time to do the things you want to – like that bucket list.

Set Up Recurring Events

You can use your tool to help you to set up not just one event but recurring events. For example, you may want to give yourself three hours on Friday nights from here on out to meet with friends and relax. You can use the tool to set this up for you. That means it will be on your schedule every single week, and it is time that is blocked off from anything else you have to do.

This can be time used for planning purposes for your bucket list events or even time set aside from specific tasks. You can set up items to happen on the same day each year, too, such as if you want to be able to remember a specific day.

Your bucket list should keep growing. It should include anything and everything that brings a smile to your face or things that push you to new levels. Get out there and live your life. With a calendar tool, it can be super easy to find time to do just about anything.

Image Credit: by Kripesh Adwani; Pexels; Thank you!

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