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Things you could do.

419 ideas in one shared catalog — places to go, milestones worth reaching, and things worth trying. Explore by category, and keep the ones that matter in your own list.

Want a shorter starting list? Browse collections for weekends, solo time and more.

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36 of 419

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  • Creative

    Write and finish a novel

    The finishing is the rare part. Eighty thousand words at five hundred a day is about six months.

  • Creative

    Learn to play a musical instrument

    The first three months sound bad, and that is the whole test. Twenty minutes daily beats a weekend binge.

  • Creative

    Paint something you're proud to hang on a wall

    The first dozen canvases go in a cupboard. Somewhere after that the hand catches up with the eye.

  • Creative

    Record a song and release it

    A laptop, an interface, and a quiet room will do. Distribution to the streaming services costs about twenty pounds a year.

  • Creative

    Perform on a stage in front of a crowd

    Nerves peak in the wings, not under the lights. Open mics exist so the first time costs nothing.

  • Creative

    Learn a new language to conversational fluency

    Roughly 600 hours for a close language, double that for Mandarin or Arabic. Speaking badly early is the shortcut.

  • Creative

    Design and build something with your hands

    A shelf, a bike, a bread oven. The measuring is slow and the mistakes stay visible for years.

  • Creative

    Take a photograph that stops people in their tracks

    Thousands of frames for the one. Light and timing decide it far more than the camera you own.

  • Creative

    Write your memoir

    Not everything that happened, only what it meant. Most first drafts are far too kind to the writer.

  • Creative

    Learn calligraphy

    Broad nib, ink, and the same letterform a hundred times. The pleasure is the repetition, not the finished card.

  • Creative

    Create a short film

    Ten minutes takes a weekend to shoot and a month to cut. Sound is what makes it look expensive.

  • Creative

    Take a pottery class and make a finished piece

    Centring the clay defeats most beginners for several sessions. Expect a third of your pieces to crack in the kiln.

  • Creative

    Learn watercolour painting

    Unforgiving. The paper records every hesitation and nothing can be painted over, so the trick is leaving white alone.

  • Creative

    Design and make your own clothes

    A pattern, a machine, and a great deal of unpicking. Fit on your own body is the reward.

  • Creative

    Build a piece of furniture from scratch

    A stool before a table. Wood moves with the seasons, which is why joints matter more than screws.

  • Creative

    Start a podcast

    Most die at episode seven. One cheap dynamic microphone and a consistent day of the week beat any gear list.

  • Creative

    Perform stand-up comedy

    Five minutes takes months to write and dozens of open mics to sand down. Silence teaches faster than laughter.

  • Creative

    Choreograph and perform a dance

    Counting eights until the shape holds, then discovering what the body does differently once someone is watching.

  • Creative

    Compose an original piece of music

    Eight bars that are genuinely yours is harder than an hour of other people's. The notation software is free.

  • Creative

    Illustrate a children's book

    Thirty-two pages, the same character recognisable in every spread, and the pictures carrying what the words leave out.

Choose from a collection

Ideas grouped by the time, budget and company you have.

Not sure where to start? See how many weeks you have left first — it makes the choosing easier.