The List of 100 Dreams
An unedited list of 100 things you'd love to do, so time never finds you without an answer.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 85%
The List of 100 Dreams is an unedited list of anything you might want to spend more time doing. Vanderkam notes that most people stop a bucket list at 20 items and never return to it, but aiming for a full 100 forces you past the obvious big dreams — the 30 countries — into small, immediately doable things like a jigsaw puzzle, watercolors, a nearby park, or a new restaurant. Because it is explicitly not a contract, it carries none of the pressure that makes people abandon bucket lists. Its real value is answering the question 'what should I do with this time?' the instant free time appears, so you don't default to whatever is easiest.
Origin
Vanderkam learned the exercise from a career coach named Caroline Ceniza-Levine and adapted it as an antidote to leisure time defaulting into passive screen time.
Core principles
- 01Aiming for 100 items forces you past the obvious big-ticket dreams into small, actually-doable ones.
- 02Unlike a to-do list, this list is not a contract — it removes the pressure that makes people quit bucket lists.
- 03We default to TV and web surfing in leisure time because they require no effort or planning.
- 04Having the list ready answers 'what should I do with this time?' the moment free time appears.
How to run it
- 1
Start writing, aim for 100
List anything you might want to spend more time doing, aiming for a full 100 items rather than stopping at 20.
Pro tip The first 30 will be big dreams like countries to visit; the value comes after that.
- 2
Push into the small and doable
Force yourself past the big items into small, achievable ones: a puzzle, an adult coloring book, watercolors, a park an hour away, a restaurant to try.
Pro tip Small items are the ones you can make happen this very weekend.
- 3
Keep it unedited and pressure-free
Treat the list as possibilities, not commitments; try things and freely decide you hate them.
Pro tip Because it's not a contract, you never have to worry about the items you don't do.
Watch out Don't talk yourself out of items as you write — the point is an unedited list.
- 4
Pull from it when time appears
When you have an evening, a weekend, or a vacation, consult the list instead of racking your brain in the moment.
In the wild
Instead of defaulting to TV, someone with 'do a puzzle' on their list orders one, has it delivered in two days, and spends the weekend's leisure time assembling a thousand-piece puzzle.
→ A small listed dream turns idle weekend time into a satisfying, intentional activity.
Common mistakes
Stopping at 20 items
A short bucket list stays stuck on unattainable big dreams and never surfaces the small doable things that actually enrich everyday leisure.
Editing as you write
Talking yourself out of items defeats the purpose; the list is meant to be unedited possibilities, not a contract.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone who feels their leisure time evaporates into passive screen time and wants a richer, more adventurous life.
Not ideal for
People who already plan their leisure intentionally and don't struggle to decide how to use free time.
From the transcript
“making a list of 100 dreams which is an exercise i got from a career coach named caroline's denise levine is an unedited list of…”
“this list of 100 dreams is not a contract with yourself at all it's just things that might be cool”
From the episode
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