How many times have you said, “We should do that sometime”? Maybe it’s a place you’ve wanted to see for years. You saw a photo once, or you drive past the same turnoff and think about stopping, and you’ve mentioned it more than once. Then work gets busy and the weekends fill up, and the idea goes back on the list.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone has responsibilities, and nobody gets to do everything they want whenever they want. But every so often it’s worth looking at what you keep putting off and asking why it’s still waiting.
Tom and I have our own someday list. Some things on it took years to happen, including a place that was practically in our backyard. Looking back at the ones we finally did, the difference usually came when we stopped waiting for a quieter season and found room for them in the weeks we already had.
The Place We Kept Talking About
A few years ago, Tom and I saw photos of Ha Ha Tonka State Park, with its castle ruins surrounded by fall color. We talked about going. Then another fall came around, and we still hadn’t been. It wasn’t a hard trip to put together, but a couple of years went by before we made a plan.
In 2024 we booked an Airbnb and invited Sam, Andi, and Andi’s girlfriend, Elsie, to come along. We hiked the park and went out for Mexican food, and the next morning we made breakfast together before heading home. It was simple, and we had a wonderful time.
What stays with me is how long we talked about something that turned out to be so easy to do. I suspect a lot of people have a place like that on their list: close enough for a day or an overnight, and somehow never on the calendar.
Room in a Full Calendar
Not everything on our list was that close. In 2023 I was still in school to become a radiologic technologist, and our whole schedule was built around classes. I’d wanted to get back to Michigan for a long time. It was home, and I hadn’t been back in 20 years.
When the longer break between the summer and fall semesters came, Tom and I used it to go see family. We could easily have spent that break catching up on everything else, and there was plenty of it. We made room for Michigan instead.
I think about that trip when I catch myself assuming an adventure has to wait until life slows down. Sometimes there’s an opening in a full calendar, and the only question is whether to use it. Rest matters too, and plenty of free weekends should stay free. It still helps to notice when an opening is there.
Some Plans Need Longer
Other things on our list needed more time and more saving. The Oregon Coast was one of them, and it waited until I finished school before we went in 2024. Some plans belong on the calendar this month, and some take a year or two to come together. Both kinds deserve a place on the list.
Why We Keep Saying Someday
Most of us don’t decide to keep putting off the things we want. We’re taking care of what’s in front of us, from appointments and bills to the people who need us, and by the end of the week, planning something new feels like one more job.
Sometimes we also make the idea bigger than it needs to be. We picture a whole weekend when an afternoon would do, or a detailed itinerary when one night away would be plenty.
And sometimes the obstacle is real. A trip may cost more than makes sense right now, or the calendar may be truly full. It helps to tell those apart. A plan that’s waiting for a good reason is different from one that keeps waiting because nobody has thought past “that would be fun.”
Give One Thing a Date This Month
If you have a someday list of your own, try this. Think of a few things you’ve been putting off, anywhere from a park you’ve never walked to a trip across the country. Then pick the one that fits this month’s schedule and budget, and the energy you have left after a normal week. That might be a Saturday somewhere nearby, or a restaurant you’ve meant to try with a walk afterward through a neighborhood you don’t know.
Then look at the calendar and give it a date, even if the details aren’t settled. If other people are involved, bring them in early. Ha Ha Tonka turned into a family weekend because we asked the kids along. And keep a simpler backup in mind, so a rainy forecast or a tiring week changes the plan without canceling it.
Still on Our List
Michigan, the Oregon Coast and Ha Ha Tonka were very different trips, and each one sat on our list for a long time. We still have places we want to go, and I suspect we always will. I like having things to look forward to, even when I don’t know when they’ll happen. I’d also rather not look back in a few years and count up everything we meant to do along the way.
If that sounds familiar, take another look at your someday list. There may be one thing on it that could fit into the next few weeks.
If you’d like help turning an idea into a plan, our free Everyday Adventure Kit includes the Weekend Adventure Blueprint, made for exactly that. It’s yours when you join the Weekly Reset, the short email Tom and I send every Friday morning with a little real life from our week and one idea you can try right away.
Get the free Everyday Adventure Kit →
And if your list feels crowded and you’re sorting out what deserves your attention now, you might like Why Your Short Goal List Still Feels Like Too Much.
What’s been on your someday list the longest? Tell us in the comments.