List of Things to Do Before We Die

I came across an interesting book recently, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by Joshua Foer. I have not read it yet, therefore this is neither a review nor a recommendation per se. But when I did a quick research, I found a short interview with the author in which he touches on a well-known yet widely ignored point: life is short and you have to enjoy it while it lasts. Enjoyment isn't just about fleeting pleasure; rather, vivid experiences create the memories that distinguish the events, people and places important to us through our lives. This is what I want to concentrate on today. I will return to Foer’s other focus, memory building, at a later date.

Q: What is the connection between memory and our sense of time?

A: As we get older, life seems to fly by faster and faster. That's because we structure our experience of time around memories.

We remember events in relation to other events. But as we get older, and our experiences become less unique, our memories can blend together. If yesterday's lunch is indistinguishable from the one you ate the day before, it'll end up being forgotten. That's why it's so hard to remember meals.

In the same way, if you're not doing things that are unique and different and memorable, this year can come to resemble the last, and end up being just as forgettable as yesterday's lunch. That's why it's so important to pack your life with interesting experiences that make your life memorable, and provide a texture to the passage of time.

Interesting experiences help our memory

Joshua speaks about the importance of having interesting experiences that will allow us to distinguish one year from another when we look back on our lives. This reminds me of a really interesting presentation I saw awhile ago. It was run by James Lafferty, Procter & Gamble executive at the time, currently with Coca Cola West Africa. He talked about 15 steps to achieve better work/life effectiveness (in other words: balance) and although I picked up a lot of golden nuggets, one really stood out for me: Jim talked about his list of things to do before he dies.

At first glance, this doesn’t seem to be a new idea. In fact, most of us have one of those lists in one form or another. They might not even be lists at all, but only a special wish one holds on to for way too long: an exotic vacation, amazing road trip or doing something really crazy with friends. My lists have so far included big goals to be achieved with broadly defined deadlines, as well as more specific, short term timelines for professional and financial goals. I make annual, as well as monthly, weekly and daily to do lists. All of these though, are very different from Jim’s list.

Are we sufficiently serious about fun?

Jim’s list was all about fun, in some cases hilarious, crazy fun (Wife Carrying Championships anyone?). It was not designed to build his professional credentials and further his personal development (and Jim is certainly highly accomplished). It was designed to create interesting, challenging and memorable experiences for him and his family. And although it will be satisfying, maybe even pleasurable, to achieve the goals on my list, it does not actually include things largely considered to be fun. How come I have not noticed that before?

This post is not aimed at listing many personal and social advantages of having fun. I leave that to my client, friend and fun expert, Lisa Reichenbach who is writing a book on this very subject. It is merely a gentle reminder to intentionally and generously include fun in our life to make it interesting and memorable. In other words: worth living.

It takes time to make a list, says Jim. It is a process that took him four years. Every year he tries to cross at least one point off and he adds new ones as well. Inspired, I am starting from scratch today.

How about you? Do you have a list of your own?

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