I've been writing this list for seven years, and it's the only resolution I can keep up with. So if you think the person writing this hopeful list every year has it all together - I regret to inform you how wrong you are. I've come to look forward to creating it every December, and I pride myself on not repeating items from previous years (with the occasional exception). 2022 was a big year for me. I graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Humanities. I grew my Meetup groups to over 10,000+ adults trying to make friends. I started a podcast. I also just recently adopted a second Dalmatian - his name is Gabbana. It's wild to think how far I've come over the last seven years, and each list somewhat imitates whatever I was going through X year.
As my life gets more established, it's more important than ever to learn, try, create, and experience new things as often as possible. If you're reading this, I hope my list can inspire you. This list isn't just some "resolution" guide with dumb ideas like "Wake up at 7 am and go to the gym three days a week". Instead, it's an efficient and straightforward collection of ways to feel successful in 2023 - no matter your financial situation, location, age, beliefs, etc.
When we keep an open mind and learn, try, create, and experience new events in life, we can feel inspired and find adventure within. I hope you all have a wonderful & safe New Year!
Want a full printable version of this list to check off and look at throughout the year?! Purchase your own copy complete with a 2023 full calendar & planning section! As a bonus - each download comes with a copy of EVERY LIST I'VE DONE from 2016-2022! Makes a great holiday & NYE gift!
So, without further ado.... here is my list of "223 Things To Do In 2023"!
Cheers to the New Year!
To Learn...
1. How to fold your sheets into your bed corners like they do at hotels
2. Scrap cooking (Zero waste cooking)
3. How to close caption your videos & make your social media posts accessible for all
4. Soap carving
5. Sautéing
6. How to not be so dependent on a global supply chain
7. To use sunscreen daily even if you’re not “Out in the sun”
8. How to make friends as an adult (check out the podcast!)
9. Ways to decrease the amount of germs you touch on a daily basis (Wearing pants on public transit, zapping your sponge in the microwave before use, etc)
10. A new subject or skill by devoting 25+ hours of studying it throughout the year
11. Ventriloquism
12. The burrito method of covering a duvet cover
13. A really unique conversation starting question
14. All of the helpful uses of dryer sheets
15. To memorize better with the spaced repetition method
16. Natural cleaning ingredients you can use around your house
17. Upcycling
18. About botany and how it correlates to cooking/cocktail mixing
19. The basics of organic chemistry
20. The Words of The Year for the last few decades and their meanings
21. Circular breathing techniques
22. About mechanical watches
23. The history of your favorite food(s)
24. About Banksy & their street art
25. About names & the meanings behind popular names
26. Yarn spinning
27. Old house preservation
28. The capitals of major places
29. To make sourdough bread
30. To pause more and enjoy the moments
31. How to use different types of cutlery/knives in the kitchen
32. To ask more questions when conversing with someone
33. Spoon carving
34. Amigurumi
35. Spanish guitar
36. Power lifting
37. How to stimulate your mind
38. The art of gift giving
39. Ways to converse with someone much younger or older than you
40. To control your impulses
41. Accepting criticism
42. Assertive communication
43. All about Herodotus
44. How to use Google Forms & Docs
45. More idioms
46. How to pronounce words that you often don't say correctly
47. About ancient civilizations
48. Everything about AI art (the good, the bad, the ugly)
49. To speak more affirmations into your life and others
50. To cook foods that actually help & work well with YOUR body
51. About cooking boiled eggs & bacon in the oven
52. To quiet the voice in your head (your inner monologue) from time to time
53. A life necessity that you've yet to master
54. Not to be so biased
55. To delegate more tasks to those around you when you need help (family/roommates/coworkers/etc)
To Try...
56. Joining a Pickleball League
57. Recycling your old tech products
58. Conch fritters
59. Forest bathing
60. Creating a more unique experience with your photos & videos by using a 360 degree camera
61. Gelled eyebrows
62. Asking your waiter to “surprise me” when you order out
63. Making Oreo balls for a party or holiday event
64. Making a burn-out car whipped cream pie for a fun dessert
65. Making giant or fun shaped chocolate bars by filling pop it toys
66. Letting it out by submitting a story to Stories Last Told
67. Adjusting your settings on whatever music app you use (Spotify, Apple, etc) to enhance your listening experience - crossfade, automix, etc
68. Pepsi milk
69. Spending 5-10 minutes each morning in the sun or with a light therapy lamp
70. Wrapping your gifts with scented wrapped paper
71. Taking more panoramic photos
72. Using more random Apps on your phone besides just the main social media or gaming ones - it’s amazing how many tools are literally at our finger tips
73. Making your drinks more interesting by freezing different types of ice cubes (orange juice cubes for mimosas, chocolate cubes for milk/coffee, larger cubes for certain cocktails)
74. Lymphatic drainage
75. Memorizing more poems, quotes, etc
76. Ghost hunting
77. Using MyNoise.net to create music to listen to while you work
78. Getting into foreign cinema
79. Writing works of historical fiction for fun
80. CBD Whiskey (Dr. Stoners Smoky Herb is really good!)
81. Writing reviews for every restaurant/bar/hotel/experience you go to in 2023
82. A chemical skin peel
83. Taking a practice SAT/ACT test for the hell of it - no matter your age!
84. To make the perfect pancake
85. Food dehydration
86. The Freeform canvas app on Apple
87. Playing the Wordle every day
88. Making a cocktail board
89. Taking photos on an actual camera when you would normally use your phone
90. Cooking a meal over an open fire
91. Attending more events with speakers and people you can learn from regarding your career/hobbies/interests
92. Swordfish
93. Baking what they make on the Great British Bakeoff
94. A flight simulator
95. Singing with a cover band
96. A Gua Sha beauty/meditation took
97. Sour beer
98. Maximalist decorating 99. Zentangling 100. Tutoring 101. Creating a more repetitive daily routine 102. Coconut oil hair masks 103. A completely new outfit style that you normally wouldn't consider 104. Listening to your emotions 105. Different jams & spreads for snacks 106. Making more friends 107. Seizing the moment 108. Letting your guard down 109. A hobby you hate 110. Overlooking a situation you would normally be upset by
To Create...
111. A list of all the books you own & have read with apps like Bookshelf to keep track of your reading
112. An Ode to a House Letter (Where you write a letter to a home you architecturally love)
113. AI Art
114. A new/healthier mindset when it comes to how you view the future
115. A chat group on Discord
116. A playlist of your favorite 2022 songs
117. A photo album of 2022
118. An extensive seasoning/spice collection for cooking and drink making
119. An amazing village on Disney Dreamlight Valley
120. A mood board for 2023
121. A list of 52 things you love about someone (Your friend, partner, family member, etc) spread out on a deck of cards
122. Door Wreaths for your friends as holiday gifts
123. A butter board for grazing at parties
124. Fun centerpieces using Orbeez
125. At home window displays using liquid chalk
126. A more exciting month by signing up for a magazine subscription you enjoy and being able to look forward to each issue
127. Book art - by painting or drawing on the pages whatever inspires you as you read
128. A really impressive gingerbread house
128. An incense space in your house for meditating
129. A file of your favorite memes, TikTok videos, posts, etc to always have saved to look back at on a tough day
130. A new recipe
131. A collection of postcards
132. Works of fan fiction
133. A collection of your favorite magazine(s)
134. Art using the 2023 color of the year
135. A social media strategy plan for 2023 (Even if your social media is for fun!)
136. A really catchy email signature
137. A haunted house/gingerbread house/themed house for holidays or parties out of thrifted doll houses
138. Your own sauerkraut
139. Sculptures with a 3D printing pen
140. A Twitch channel
141. Paper joke tellers like you made as a kid
142. Hand string art
143. A list of things you love about yourself
144. A voicemail guestbook (Where you have friends/guests leave a voice recording on an old phone, tape recorder, etc)
145. A new self-care routine
146. Goals just to accomplish by the end of January 2023
147. Mosaic art
148. Lists of places, stores, hotels, etc that you recommend so you always have them available when someone asks
149. DIY plant stands
150. Art out of leaves, pinecones, and pieces of nature
151. QR codes to easily share your LinkedIn, social media, website, or contact information when you don't have a business card on hand
152. New forms of self-expression
153. An art series
154. Melted crayon canvas artwork
155. A well-navigated phone and laptop by organizing you apps & files
156. Safe or buzz words to use with friends & family in case you are ever in an emergency or situation where you can't freely speak
157. Text art
158. Custom emojis
159. Thrifted & up-cycled furniture for your home by using the site hibid.com
160. Beer bottle cap collection
161. DIY coasters
162. An even more organized space using lazy susans in your cabinets/pantry
163. Paper flowers
164. Art/decor/sculptures (or even outfits!) from duct tape
165. Artwork in Excel
To Experience....
166. Taking a digital detox 167. The perfect bottle flip (Where you flip a water bottle over and it lands correct side up!) 168. Watching & supporting a local high school or college football/other sports game 169. Planting a tree someplace new 170. Hosting or attending a moon party 171. ToyVoyaging (Where you send a toy or item you have around the world) 172. Being part of The Facing Project 173. “Sharing” a Starbucks coffee with friends, social media, co-workers, etc by purchasing a gift card and sending the QR code to those you wish as a thoughtful surprise 174. Growing your own meal 175. Playing hooky for the day 176. Adopting a Turkey with Farm Sanctuary this Thanksgiving 177. Throwing a huge tailgate party 178. Silencing your intrusive thoughts on a more regular basis 179. A farm animal tour day where you pet and feed goats, pigs, etc. 180. Throwing a fake bachelor/ette party with your friends where you dress up and go party! 181. Finding a subculture that really interests you 182. Reading the insanity (or passion) of James Joyce’s love letters to his wife Nora 183. Taking a super late night walk (with safety precautions!) 184. Reading or writing posts on MetaFilter (MeFi) 185. Putting up a critter cam in your background 186. Making your wine nights more interesting with the 19 Crimes Wine & Living Wine Labels App 187. Writing with fountain pens 188. Stopping at random roadside historical markers 189. Attending a fringe festival 189. Watching a highly regarded tv show that you’ve shrugged off 190. Watching more black & white films 191. Soul food 192. Recording more lengthy clips of your daily life to look back on years from now 193. Re-discovering love for an old hobby 194. A holiday ornament exchange party 195. Becoming a fan/reader of a local newspaper 196. Sitting or doing your favorite activities outside more often 197. Living off the grid (even from the comfort of your own home!) for a long weekend 198. Leaving children’s books in the “Little Free Libraries” around your town 199. Being bad at a hobby and still enjoying it 200. Seeing a local play and bringing flowers to gift to the headlining performers 201. Sponsoring a child 202. Polishing your shoes that need it 203. The humor that is the Talking Ben the Dog app 204. Going to a trampoline park 205. Driving through a Christmas or holiday light park 206. Getting a tattoo on Friday the 13th (There's one in January 2023!) 207. Meal prepping for a friend 208. Taking a Weedology class 209. Having fun in your community with the app Goosechase 210. Throwing a fake "corporate" party with your friends 211. Touring a distillery 212. Paintball 213. Hookah 214. Going to a Rage Cage 215. Riding on a pedal barge/bus/bike 216. Attending a local comedy night near you and supporting the comedians! 217. Indoor Sky Diving 218. Touring a cave 219. Taking photos at a selfie world/museum/pop up 220. Visiting the most obscure landmark in or near your town 221. Cutting out your usage of filters & photoshop - you look amazing without them! 222. A Drunk Shakespeare comedy show (Or you can find one on Youtube!) 223. The peace with knowing 2023 is only one year & you have many years to come- this is just one chapter in your book and if you haven't done something yet, it doesn't mean you won't
Thank you so much for reading my list for 2023! Let's stay in touch on Instagram/TikTok @meetwithmacey & make sure to use #223ThingsToDo2023 so I can follow you :)
Don't forget to grab a full downloadable copy of 2023's list & also get a full 2023 calendar, planner section, & every previous list from 2016-2022!
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