Psychologist Dr. Christopher Peterson, who is the author of Pursuing the Good Life, says that a bucket list might help with goal setting but the drawback is that it also implies a "check off the boxes" approach to our time on Earth, which can lead to a superficial sense of fulfillment and distract from deeper, more meaningful experiences.
So let's take a look at a bucket list that is meant to not be completed. An anti-bucket list, if you will. A few days ago, Reddit user TheDeadYeti made a post on the platform, inviting everyone to share the things that they have tried and vowed to never do again. From chasing popularity to staying at hostels, here are the most upvoted entries to the discussion.
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Cave crawling. I've done walking cave tours since this story I'm gonna tell, no problem. What I'm talking about is laying on my stomach and sliding through gaps in caves that look too small for a house cat to slip through. The one that made me reconsider caving as a hobby was a professional cave club tour, but not one advertised to the public because it was so demanding and specialized. I felt really comfortable with the two leads despite some minor claustrophobia because they were highly recommended by the club. I had little pings of fear here and there but the leaders were so comforting that it was adding to the experience rather than taking away from it.
We were probably a quarter mile crawl (no place to even fully get on your hands and knees let alone stand and stretch) one group leader in front and one in back to insure our group was sandwiched by experienced guys. Anyway, the leader was in front of me, two of my group behind me then the 2nd leader. The guy behind me got legitimately stuck and started grabbing and scratching at my legs and feet which sent me into a full blown panic, the third guy got kicked in the nose and lip which pissed him off and caused him try to leave, but this is literally a perfect human sized tunnel so no one could urn around, plus the 2nd leader was behind him blocking him in, causing him to freak out as well. After a solid ten minutes of yelling and kicking at each other, the leaders got us to quiet down enough so they could make a plan. I crawled ahead another 200 feet or so with the 1st lead to a wider gap where we could both get on our hands and knees and turn around, ten minutes ago this big gap would've been a god send, in that moment though I was so panicked it didn't matter, I might as well have been buried alive. Anyway, the lead left me and crawled back to help pull the stuck guy through, but couldn't because he was just too big. The two guys in the back had to crawl all the way out, sliding backwards since they couldn't turn around head first, then the 2nd leader crawled all the way back to pull the stuck guy out. Obviously I immediately agreed to leave when I was told the guys were pulling out and silently cried all the way back. I have never been so genuinely terrified in my life, it's an indescribable feeling. Imagine every drop of adrenaline your body can produce being pumped through you but not being able to crawl more than four or five feet per minute, soaking wet, covered in stinky mud, freezing cold yet sweat is burning your eyes but your arms are stretched out so far forward so you can only use your dirty finger tips to swipe it away. It was like one of those nightmares where you're trying to run and scream but your legs don't work and your scream for help comes out silent.
I'm glad I did something that scared me that deeply though I'm not sure why lol. It was just a little too close to a real disaster for me. I'll base jump in a squirrel suit before I cave crawl like that again.
Buy a place with an HOA .. if I do that again. Someone kick me. Hard. It wouldn't so bad if they weren't such *a*s-douches*.
Date a man that follows Andrew Tate and his comrades in misogyny. The men's rights online coalition and ideology is a problem for all genders.
One of the eternal mysteries for me is how Tate & those similar to him claim to be the ultimate womanizers with irresistible alpha male aura who can have any woman they point at... and yet I haven't met A SINGLE woman who is attracted to him. I've seen more women lusting over Jack Black than Andrew Tate.
Go to Vegas. The disconnect between the lights and flashiness and the poor and homeless begging was unsettling. Plus it's way too hot there for me.
Get a puppy. I love this little demon but I’m not doing this again. I’ll adopt some 7 year old lazy mutt.
Go to disney - OMG what a waste of time and money.
I used to love going to Disneyland, but the magic has worn off for me. It's so crowded you can hardly walk around, the wait to get on a ride is ridiculous even with FastPass (or whatever the current equivilent is; it's been a decade since my last visit), and it's just too damned expensive. And it's not just inflation; a general admission ticket in 1964 was $1.20, which would be $15.88 today. Now it varies depending on what day of the week/month you want to go, and ranges between $104 and $194. Then there's another $25 to park your car...
Hopefully chemotherapy.
Been there, done that. I wouldn’t wish chemo on anybody! Just when you start feeling semi-human, you’re into another round of chemo
Live with someone. Dogs, cats, reptiles, rodents? Hell yes. All fine. A human being? No f*****g thanks.
I once tried to impress a date by ordering the spiciest dish on the menu. I'll never again pretend my taste buds can handle what they clearly can't. Lesson learned: ghost peppers aren't a substitute for personality!
Get pregnant.
Labor's not so bad, I can do that. It's the 9 months before and the 4 years after that I won't do again for love nor money.
Yeah I'm not doing that again. Thankfully I can't, don't have to worry about accidentally falling preggers.
A cruise. Average to below average food, watered down drinks, claustrophobic on the ship, contributing to an ecological nightmare, crammed in a boat with hundreds if not thousands of other people, stressful suboptimal excursions...an overall expensive nightmare I have no desire to ever repeat.
Assume that every co worker is a friend.
Drinking. Honestly life is funner without the alcohol involved, and it's not fun as you get older.
The recommended intake of alcohol is O, think about that. The only way to prevent any negative effects to your body is by never drinking.
Attend a massive event. I was at Obama's inauguration in 2008, I went to college nearby and thought it would be cool to be a part of. It was freezing cold, and many people weren't ready for that. I was, but I wasn't ready for the realities of 2.5 million people descending on a city with a population of 600k. No food, no water, no restrooms, no shelter, no room to move at all, nowhere to sit down after hours on end of standing and walking. Trash everywhere, subway stations were a claustrophobic's nightmare, people were fainting from dehydration. I ended up walking over 4 miles over the Potomac to Virginia to catch a train home. Ended up being an exhausting 12 hour day. It's cool to say I was there but I'll never put myself in a crowd that size again.
I live in LA so I have routine access to Universal, Disney, Six Flags, Knotts, etc.
I will never go to a park in the summer.
It's 100F. Kids aren't in school so it's packed. You stand in the sun for hours for a 30 second ride.
My dad is coming this weekend and wanted to go to Disney. I flat out refused. We'll go in November.
If I ever took my kids to a theme park, I would go on a weekday during school hours. The kids can have a few days off school.
I will never have another wedding in my life. If my husband and I divorced, I’m positive I would stay single. I’m not expecting to divorce him. But if I did, I don’t ever want to try it again. One and done. If it doesn’t work with him, I won’t bother ever trying again.
Spend time trying to get people to see why I'm worthwhile to be friends with.
Attempting to catch escaping Goslings. They have a lovely nest in a large pen with Momma but so far they’ve escaped and got stuck somewhere else 4 times. 4 times today and it’s only 1pm.
Every rescue risks genuine injury from Mum who despite me returning her babies every time and then feeding/watering the family - still tries to kill me for helping.
F*cking Geese Man.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again... geese are a******s
Swim in the Dead Sea. Don't do it, fam, it's not worth the risk of TOO MUCH SALT in any opening in your body. Scratched your arm too hard? SALT. Blinked at the moisture in the air? SALT. Spread your legs while having a p*ssy? GUESS, F*****G GUESS. Oh, and here's the fun part, once your tender bodily orifices start burning like the fires of hell from SALT, you *will* start thrashing around because AAAAAA GET IT OUT GET IT OUT GET IT OUT. And that *will* splash water everywhere, causing more tender bodily orifices to get tainted with SALT. By the time you make it back to shore everything will be on fire, and it will take a long, long time to wash all that SALT out. The Dead Sea: not even once.
I loved floating in the Dead Sea! I was probably out there for nearly an hour. The only time it started to burn was after i got out and rinsed off and missed a little spot. You need to rinse thoroughly. This person went into the Dead Sea with open wounds. It's not a good idea to get into any body of water with open wounds.
Hostels! I'm very glad they exist as cheap options for young people, exactly how I experienced them, but I'm now happy to close that chapter of my life lol. Extra privacy, extra cleanliness, and extra comfort are vastly more worth it to me now and fortunately I can afford that!
I stayed in a hostel once and NEVER AGAIN! I was a contestant on a game show that taped in NYC. Unlike other game shows, this particular production company did not pay for hotel accommodations. The only place in Manhattan that I could afford for two nights was a hostel. It was a mall room in a very sketchy-looking building. The bed was little more than a cot. The room had a bare bulb light hanging from the ceiling and a small (12 in.), B&W TV with an antenna. Mind you this was in 2007. The bathroom and shower were down the hall. I didn't trust the cleanliness of the place so I slept on top of the covers for two nights. I couldn't wait to get back home! For the record - it was worth it because I won $16,000 on the show and got to meet Meredith Viera.
Outdoor music festivals where you camp. My husband and I went to Sweetwater in Atlanta 2 years ago (when it was still cool) and it ruined other fests for me. We got to go see music all day long, then go back to the hotel and shower and actually SLEEP at the end of the day. I didn't realize how old I had become until I vowed to never sleep on the ground in the mud in a tent again.
At a regional burning man event I had an inflatable air mattress in my tent. Tent was near our giant music pyramid. The air mattress acted like a passive subwoofer - vibrating with the bass beat. It was amusing, and fun, but not how I'd like to sleep every night. And we did have showers - just had to walk a little ways to get to them.
New York City on New Years Eve.
Accidentally eat poorly cooked chicken teriyaki in a strange city far from home the night before an early flight.
Dating a woman who says she loves you 4 days into the relationship. To any guy or girl reading this, please use it as a warning. The only thing that’ll come out of a relationship like that is trouble.
Mardi Gras and the Kentucky Derby. Everyone should do them once but if you do them more than once something is wrong with you.
Jet skiing.
My brother refused to slow down. My ankles, knees, hips and back were so f****d up from all the bouncing that when we stopped at a beach I couldn’t walk.
The jet ski was extremely bouncy, and we hit a particularly bad patch of water. We jumped and slammed back down and my head flew forward and my chin hit his back. I legitimately felt my brain rattle.
Two weeks later I was diagnosed with PCS after having nonstop migraines, throwing up, extreme lethargy and what I can only describe as disassociation.
Polyamory. I barely dipped my toe in and got burnt real bad. I'm good to not try that again.
Giant swing.
One I went on was 200+ft high when we pulled the quick release to drop. Thought since I love rollercoasters and thrill rides I’d enjoy it.
I did not like freefalling while parallel to the ground. At all. Only time I’ve let out a blood curdling scream of pure terror.
Never again will I attempt to cook a gourmet meal while simultaneously trying to entertain guests and keep my cat from jumping on the kitchen counter. It was a chaotic disaster that ended with burnt food, a stressed-out chef (me), and one very mischievous cat who got a taste of marinara sauce and decided to redecorate the living room.
Work in a call center.
I had a job in a call center once. 30 minutes into it I got up, went to my car and drove away. Never again.
I wouldn't exactly call it bucket list item, but a few months ago I had a Carolina Reaper burger. I had to sign a waiver to purchase it. It came with gloves... ...I'm sure you can see where this is going... I will say that the experience of eating the burger itself was pretty good. I enjoyed the taste, but man it was by far the hottest thing I have ever eaten... ...The stomach cramps started about 20 minutes after I finished... ...they didn't stop for about 30 hours. No need to call me a dumbass, or ask me what I was thinking. I doubt you could say anything to me that is nastier than what my family said over the next week. I can still eat really hot food, but the craving isn't there anymore.
I don't get the appeal of super hot peppers. There's no flavour, it's just hot. I suspect a large majority of people who claim to like super hot food are lying because they think it makes them cool. No thanks, I'll stick with actually tasting and enjoying my food.
Never again will I date someone with narcissistic personality traits/cluster B disorder. You can’t help them. The chronic of the disorder makes them beyond repair from my experience, no matter how much they work on their symptoms? A narc will always be a narc.
Okay I have a Cluster B (BPD) and there aren't "symptoms", it's straight up reactions to uncontrollable emotions. Not sure about the rest, but for BPD, you CAN control how you react to the emotions. It took me a bit to learn but it can be done. The trick is to admit that I suck, I am abusive, I am toxic, I hurt people. The problem is it's extremely hard for anyone to admit those things, let alone someone with a personality disorder. I say this to not let stigma continue for this diagnosis. I am not encouraging anyone to "stick it out" in a relationship cause of this. If the person is actually trying to change (and making progress), then they are a green flag. Otherwise, if they aren't willing to change, yeah, run from those red flags!
Giving birth - did it 2 times. 10+ lb baby each time (that came into the world the usual way). I'm TOTALLY done! :-) Thrilled with the results, but NEVER want to give birth again! Hats off to surrogate mothers. A million dollars wouldn't be nearly enough for me to be pregnant and give birth again.
Being caring towards anyone and everyone. I was a huge people pleaser growing up. I let people who were clearly a******s walk all over me. I learned my lesson. A lot of people out there can and will screw you over. Don’t care if it’s life or death. They can get f****d. This isn’t some b******t fairytale where the person you save or help comes to a realization and you become friends. Fool me once shame on you. I’ll stick towards helping decent folk and the people I’m close to.
The human being must be the only animal in all Creation that doesn't answer goodness with goodness.
I will never trust a car seller at their word again, regardless of if they are somebody I know. Many many years ago, I was burned by an acquaintance selling a Jeep. I will also never buy a Jeep again.
Cliff jumping,i had testicle and perineum pain for days, and yes i tried to close my legs and clench my butt. Edibles, one time was enough for me. Long crowded concerts, not because i didnt enjoy it, but i had the urgent need take a s**t in the middle of it, yeah no thanks.
Jumped off South Point in Hawaii, about 50 feet up into the Pacific. Landed mostly well but tilted back a little and my back stung for a while. The worst part was actually the little rope ladder you had to climb to get back up. Absolutely terrifying.
Everclear. Once was enough forever.
About 45 years ago I tried a punch made with Everclear. I spent the rest of the night passed out in the backyard. Never again.
Drink and drive. I never hurt anyone, but there is a clear distinction between the level of care sober you has versus non sober you. 2 of my cars totalled because of it, nearly in the exact same way. I was never beligerent, but intox'd enough to be easily distracted by music or my phone or just f****n pretty colors passing by. Thankful I never hit people, and I am so f*****g done being stupid. Now I just stay home and play Gran Turismo 7 VR and get absolutely shloshed lol.
Driving drunk is a mistake that can have horrendous results. You might get off with just scratch on your car or you might start a multi-car-crash and f**k up your own life and the life of countless other people. So every time is one time too much.
Be a bridesmaid. It was nice for the experience but I had known the woman for less than a year. Way too much drama for my liking. Never again.
I've done it 3 times. All for very close friends at the time. I don't talk to any of them now. (Not because of the wedding, we just all got older and went different ways) It was expensive and my dresses were ugly. :(
Spelunking. In college my friends and I went to explore a nearby cave. You had to squeeze over a boulder and contort into a little opening to enter and then descend down into the cave. We got down to a largish room and took a break. There was a path to go further but I said I would just wait for them to come back. They went on - with the flashlights - and I stayed put in total and complete darkness. I don't know how long I waited, but when I began to hear their voices and see glimmers of light return I was beyond relieved. When we got out of the cave we all were muddy and sweaty and I knew I would never do anything like that again.
I have sat alone in a totally dark / totally quiet cave and I found it relaxing. Obviously I wouldn't want to be stuck there but doing it intentionally was nice. It was in caves I could walk down into so the risk of going alone was minimal. Though if I did have a medical emergency I doubt anyone would know I was there until they found my body. It was before cell phones were common but I doubt I would have had a signal anyway.
Going to Egypt in August.
Or September. Or October. Or November... I'm sure you can see where this is going.
Climb Notre Dame - f**k that staircase getting smaller and smaller as you go up. Alice in wonderland awfulness.
Well, I'm not going to climb them, but I'll be glad when those stairs reopen.
Buying a house without an inspection by each trade. F**k home inspectors f*****g scam artists in collusion with realtors. 55 year old cast iron turning to tissue paper and a slab missing rebar.
Or just find an actual good home inspector who gives a s**t and has amazing reviews? Our home inspector's first inspection with us got us out of a contract for a house that he said should be for sale for half the price due to all that was wrong with it. We won't buy a home without him looking at it again.
Whitewater Rafting. It looked like a rollercoaster on water. I love rollercoasters and I love water, win/win. Except it's nothing but trying not to get tossed from a boat so you don't end up hitting your head on a rock or stuck underwater and drowning while your rafting guide tells you about every person who has died in the rapid you're about to enter. Nope, never again. 0/10.
I used to love this. We went every year when I was in high school. It was a lot of work, but it helps if you have a good guide. Nowadays floating on a tube in calm water is more my style. :)
Dating apps. Absolutely not worth the stress.
I met my wife on Match 25 years(!) ago, when we lived on opposite sides of the planet. We have now been very happily married for the past 24 years, and are looking forward to the next 24+.
Driving 17 hours straight to Orlando, and having to drive the I-4 on 2 hours of sleep.
Doing anything before stretching… I’m 33.
I always tear something if I stretch before warming up the tissue. Cold Yoga always damaged something. Do at least a short walk, or a warm bath/shower to soften the ligaments and get the blood circulating before stretching. A smart Yoga teacher has the class doing some kind of warm ups before stretching anything.
Have sex with someone I just met.
SKydiving. Tried it once, and the thrill didn't quite outweigh the terror. Good for one time only for me.
Many of the people who try skydiving just once have nothing bad to say about it afterwards.
Roller skating. Did it once when I was 12, fell on my a*s, and never wanted to do it again. I just don't have the balance.
My favorite thing back in the 80's! Every Friday night I'd get dropped off at the rink with all my friends. Lots of fun memories.
Get into a committed relationship. Now, bear in mind I'm married, but if it were to ever end for some reason, I wouldn't seek out commitment anymore.
Intentionally acting stupid and immature. It was a habit rooted in deep insecurities (still have them), but now I am trying to actually act my age and finding true friends. For the first time in years I have an actual friend group and it feels great.
Get another craniotomy. It's not worth the risk of what I'll lose, and I don't care that it could kill me if I don't. Death is better than what I faced that day.
Scuba-diving. triggered my claustrophobia for some reason.
I'm claustrophobic as h*ll, and I very much enjoyed diving. There's space all around, and I don't feel constricted. Wouldn't even approach the entrance of à submarine cave, though. Or any cave, for that matter.
Vacations in public places.
I've had it with lame touristy places and crowds. It seems like a waste of money to go somewhere with the intention of R&R, but instead you have to deal with annoying people, screaming kids, traffic, basically everything I can get for free at home.
From now on, it'll be remote places, cabin in the woods, or staycations.
Remote places is my kind of holiday. Don't get me wrong, there are some public places I want to visit....for a day or two. I would rather travel and camp in a campervan.
Bungee jumping, was on my bucket list so I did it and hated every second of it. Sky diving was fun and oddly not the least bit scary for me yet bungee jumping absolutely terrified me when I got there to do it.
I still dream of bungee jumping. Maybe starting with a smaller jump though. A local festival had quite low one and it was above river close to a beach. I wanted to do it when I turned 18 (needed to be of age), but the last year they held the bungee was when I was 17.
Rock climbing. I tried it a couple of times just to say I did it. I'm still not good with heights, and it's not for me.
Hot yoga. F-that.
Why is this even a thing? Seriously? As if assuming ridiculous positions wasn’t bad enough, you get to sweat like a ho in church while doing it?
Snorkeling. That actually sucked. Turns out I prefer to breathe with my head above water.
I'm a diver (well, was in my younger years), but I really enjoy snorkeling when I just want to just chill and take in the scenery.
Shoot high semi auto, high powered guns. Did it while in the US and I can honestly say it now holds zero attraction for me. Loud and violent. I'd happily do some target shooting with some lower powered rifles though. That's kinda fun.
Sit down with a bunch of fortune tellers out of curiosity. I got robbed.
Build a paver patio. I don't think these old knees would put up with it a second time.
Buy a used BMW. Can't afford to keep it running. I've calculated that it has cost me just under 50 cents per mile in repairs alone.
I bought my 2002 BMW 325i when it had 112,000 miles on it. Now it has 221,000 miles and nothing, NOTHING has gone wrong with it. Germans like rules, and they expect you to follow the rules which I did; the maintenance rules that is.
Travel, I am content to watch Rick Steves video and such videos on YouTube. I am crippled with Arthritis and would no be comfortable sitting in a place for hours, then be miserable bringing all around down.
Going to a dance club ever again. I went a few times when I was young. It was fun enough at the time, but it's nowhere I'd ever want to be nowadays.
A dolphin tour. Dolphins are weird and all I could think about was how much pollution all those boats were putting in the water.
I went on a guided night hike in Costa Rica. I love the outdoors but f******ck the rainforest at night.
Many years ago, I went to this place that sells Christmas trees. It’s like a tourist trap kinda place where they’ve got bon fires, $9 hot apple cider, s**t for kids to do. Anyway, I went with an ex twice, both times it always ended in a fight. I loath this place, not because of her, but every time it’s raining and I’ve gotta be the absolute sucker to cut down the stupid god damn tree with a dull saw someone had in their garage for the last twenty years, and get soaked to the bone struggling to cut down a $90 spruce that someone’s going to watch die in their living room. Anyway, I am now with an absolutely lovely person who has kids, and she pulled a prank on me that we were going. I kinda had a melt down. I hate Christmas.
Artificial trees (high-quality ones, not Walmart c**p) are the only way to go.
Go sailing with an overconfident lesbian.
Went to an Adele concert. Her singing is great, but it sounded exactly like her recorded songs so why bother.
Someone is completely missing the point. Although TBF I do recall seeing the Human League at their height ("Don't you want me" was number one that week) and, given the electronic nature of their music it really did sound like they were just playing the album "Dare" straight through. And their stage show... wasn't. Love them to bits, but definitely Worst Concert Ever.
Shoplift. As much as I hate capitalism and hate what multi billion dollar corporations are doing to their employees and our world, shoplifting is not the answer. All it does is hurt you and the people who love you. Nope, I’m out.
Ride a bike during a semi storm. I did it twice and no more heavens oh god.
Heck, I don't even like to drive a *car* around semis, let alone a storm of them.
Travel to China.
My wife of 24 years (and counting!) is from China (I'm American), and we've been back there more times than I can count. Going again next month. It has its irritations just like any country (especially the U.S...), but it has many, many compensating charms. Now, I prefer Iceland in the winter (which tells you how I feel about crowds), but I'm comfortable enough in China except during the really hot & humid times.
Go golfing with my FiL. I hadn't picked up a club outside of a minigolf course in 20 years at that point and I found out the hard way that he's ultra-competitive. Made for an absolutely miserable experience.
Move a grand piano.
With the proper piano moving equipment, two people can easily manage them if they know what they are doing and only a couple of steps are in the way. You really do need that tool that the piano rests on while installing the legs. To get the piano upright to attach the third leg, it swings on that tool. Almost no lifting at all.
Gum transplant. Use electric toothbrushes people and don't scrub too hard.
Broke my ankle last month. No thanks.
I'm 80 and tore my Achilles JUST WALKING earlier this year. Thankfully not fully ruptured, but I have just got out of 14 weeks in a moon boot. As it was my right leg, no driving. Not painful fortunately, but frustrating being stuck home and having to rely on people to take me enywhere. The older you are, the longer your body takes to repair.
Eat homemade pizza at the Indian non-711 convenience store.
Doesn't most of the cooked food at convenience and gas stations sit out for days?
Getting my wisdom teeth removed. Sadly the doctor only removed two because it was all I needed at the time, so if those other two f*****s show up I am going to be suffering.
Will not date a preacher’s daughter.
I (briefly) dated a minister's daughter who was deeply afraid that members of her father's church were watching her and reporting to her father. Not totally unreasonable close to home, but those same fears gripped her when we were hundreds of miles away from her father's church.
Why stop there? I will never again work for someone else. F**k bosses! (I mean, unless they are me, of course :-).
Load More Replies...I think this is more like "Did once and will never do again". The idea of a bucket list is you have never done it (and will want to). In this case, the never done thing is to STAY never done. Pretty much all of these were "oh I did this thing and I really didn't like it cause some reason and I will never do it again".
BP has some issues with article titles, to say the least. Perhaps the site should be renamed "Bored Clickbait".
Load More Replies...Why stop there? I will never again work for someone else. F**k bosses! (I mean, unless they are me, of course :-).
Load More Replies...I think this is more like "Did once and will never do again". The idea of a bucket list is you have never done it (and will want to). In this case, the never done thing is to STAY never done. Pretty much all of these were "oh I did this thing and I really didn't like it cause some reason and I will never do it again".
BP has some issues with article titles, to say the least. Perhaps the site should be renamed "Bored Clickbait".
Load More Replies...
