30 Before 30 | Things To Do
I’m 25, and this year I’ll turn 26 years old. To me being 26 is a lot scarier than 25 because it officially means I’m closer to 30 than I am 20. And, as someone who has an issue with the idea of turning 30, I decided to do what I do best. To make a 30 Before 30 a list of things I want to do.
Become a published author ✔
This is very much in the works since my debut novel What Planet Can I Blame This On? is out in June 2021! But, until the book is on shelves or Kindle this will remain on my 30 Before 30 list.
Go to Italy
I really want to go to Italy, mostly so I can eat authentic Italian food. I just want pasta, pizza, and gelato whilst I’m shopping for postcards and taking selfies by fountains. The holiday idyll for me.
Be on TV
I’m a narcissist who loves media, and I love the idea of being on TV. I’ve done radio, online interviews, and more but I’ve never been on TV. One for the bucket list.
Go to Kew Gardens ✔
Unbelievable, since I live in London, I’ve never been to Kew Gardens. I have always wanted to go, although I don’t have a horticultural bone in my body. But I love the idea of Kew Gardens at Christmas.
Have a house party
I’ve never thrown a house party before. I’ve done dinner parties and small get-togethers, but I want to throw a proper house party where the alcohol’s flowing, everyone’s gossiping and there’s music.
Adopt a cat ✔
I want a cat. I’ve had a cat since I was eight years old and I love cats. My best friend has a cat, my sister has a cat. I live alone and I want a cat. It’s on the list.
Go to a drag show ✔
I adore RuPaul’s Drag Race, yet I’ve never been to a Drag Show. Or even a gay nightclub and my best friend lived in Brighton! I need to fix this because I love that community.
Take a class
Be it a class on how to make sushi or cocktails, to a course of some kind. I love to develop my skills and learn new things, and I want to keep doing that in my late twenties.
Have £5,000 in savings
This is a big financial goal, but I’d quite like to have a big bunch of savings by the time of 30. Mostly so I can start saving towards a bigger purchase like a mortgage or a car.
Become a Head of Marketing ✔
Since I became a Marketing Manager at 23, I don’t see why I can’t grow in my career to Head of Marketing by 30. I’m very ambitious and I love my job.
Have over 100,000 unique views on my blog
I love to blog, and I’ve been blogging for seven years on and off. I don’t put much store in my analytics, I do this for fun, not validation or views. But by the time I’m 30, I’ll have been blogging for nearly 12 years so I hope to have hit 100,000 unique views on my blog by then.
Win some awards
As someone who loves recognition, I hope to win some more awards at some point. I’ve previously been named a Trailblazer at London Book Fair and won a Book Marketing Society for a campaign I’ve run. I am very proud of these achievements and I love working towards something, so working towards an award is good motivation for me.
Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant ✔ – Gymkhana in Mayfair
I watch Masterchef religiously and every time I say I’m going to book a meal at a Michelin star restaurant and I never do. But I’m determined to do so by the time I’m 30.
Keep a plant alive
I’ve never been a plant owner before, but I’ve been meaning to get some plants for my flat as I want to liven it up a bit. Fingers crossed I can keep it alive long enough to make it worth the cost of buying.
Go to Disneyland Paris ✔
I was meant to go to Disneyland Paris for my 25th birthday in June 2020, but COVID put a stop to that. We still have our tickets, and fingers crossed we can get to Disneyland in Autumn/Winter 2022!
Read at least 5 Charles Dickens books
It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t include a reading challenge. Previously I aimed to read all of Jane Austen’s completed novels and I achieved that in 2020! By 2025 I would love to have read at least five Charles Dickens novels. Currently, I have read two: A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield. Fingers crossed I can read three more between now and 2025.
Travel to Cornwall
I’m a fan of literary pilgrimages. I’ve previously been to Haworth, or Bronte country, to enjoy the gorgeous moors and spend some time at the Bronte Parsonage and Museum. Next up, I would love to travel to Cornwall for a Daphne Du Maurier pilgrimage. She’s one of my favourite modern classics authors and Cornwall was where she set most of her novels, as it was her favourite place in the world.
Spend a weekend in the Lake District
Another travel/literary pilgrimage wish is on my wish list. I adore the Lake District for the vistas that it sports. I set a novel there – My Mr Keats – and yet I haven’t been since I was a little girl. Definitely one to return to, and I would love to visit Beatrix Potter’s cottage.
Create a full ‘1-second’ video in a year ✔ – completed in 2021
This is a very popular past-time for many people in their twenties, and one I would like to do at least once. I’ve started a 1-second video in 2021, but honestly, the videos are mostly of my cat and the TV… not much going on in 2021. Here’s hoping I can have a more exciting version by 2025.
See Hamilton on the West End ✔ – in January 2022
I was meant to see Hamilton with my family in March 2020… sadly the theatre closed three days before we were meant to go! I was distraught. I have seen the movie version on Disney Plus, but I really want to see it live!
Get a psychic reading
My friend, Freyja, and I have been saying we would get our futures read for years! We will do it one day, just to say that we’ve done it.
Expand my freelance lifestyle
Whether this is by starting my own consultancy on the side of my Marketing Manager role or just adding more by-lines to my Freelance Writing page. I would love to expand my freelance lifestyle by the time I’m thirty.
Have a launch party
Be it for my debut novel – not likely due to lockdown – or for another project, I would love to throw a launch party and celebrate my successes!
Write four more novels
As of the time I’m writing this post I’ve written six novels… I think I can add four more to that list. That’s roughly one every 12 months. That’s doable… right?! I wrote the last two in three months, so really it is! I just need to have an idea and run with it.
Renovate my home
I’m not talking full-on rip-out kitchen cupboards and installing a new oven, but renovating a home so it’s entirely me. From painting/wallpapering walls to having all my own furniture and potentially a garden.
Finish a non-fiction project
Be it a collection of articles a la Everything I Know about Love to writing a business or self-help book! Who knows. I’d love to write non-fiction.
Work with 30 brands
From sharing content on my blog, and partnering with brands at work on book campaigns to being an ambassador via my social channels. I love working with brands, big and small, and would love to expand on this in the future.
Expand #MarketYourMarketing workshops ✔
I currently run monthly workshops on marketing and publishing via Zoom and YouTube, entirely for free. I would love to expand this further between now and my 30s as I love making these videos and chatting/educating new publishers and publishing hopefuls. I also learn a TON from running these workshops.
Read 100 classics
This is a bit of an ask, but when I look over my reading experiences from the last 10+ years I’ve read 52 classics, so I’m halfway there and I would only need to read 10 classics a year to make this goal. Since I read between 80-100 books a year this feels entirely doable.
See a Shakespeare Play at the Globe
And finally, I would love to see a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre. I have worked close to the Globe Theatre for three years and yet I’ve never seen a Shakespeare play there. As someone who was raised on Shakespeare and Shakespearean adaptations, I feel this is practically sinful of me. And easily remedied.
But there we have it. 30 things to do before I turn 30. What do you want to do before you turn 30 years old? Let me know in the comments below.
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