Nearly half of Brits want a better work life balance, and to fulfil their career aspirations as we step out of lockdown

New research from comparethemarket.com has revealed that more than a third (36%) of Britons started planning their bucket list during lockdown. More than half (57%) claim their motivation for planning the list was due to their attitude that ‘life is too short’, whilst 29% say they want to do something for themselves.

A higher proportion of Gen Z2 (55%) planned their first bucket list during lockdown, so they can ‘start living life to the full’ (44%) post-lockdown.

Amongst those who planned their first bucket list over the past year, topping the list for more than half (59%) was traveling and seeing more of the world. Making more time for family and friends was the second most listed goal (44%) and two-fifths (41%) wish to learn a new skill.

Other bucket list items that scored high included buying a new home (36%), doing an adrenaline-seeking activity (35%), and allowing more me time (32%). Doing something for charity (27%) also followed.

When asked when they want to achieve their goals, a third (33%) hope to do so within the next five to 10 years, while over a quarter (26%) hope to tick off their list in the next one to five years. Nearly half (48%) want to accomplish their goals with a partner which helps explain the spike in searches for ‘Bucket list book for couples’ over the last year (+457%)3 and one in five (21%) want to achieve theirs solo.

The study revealed that on average, Brits have worked 2.9 hours per week over their contractual hours during lockdown, which equates to 150.8 hours over the last year. Looking at the generational split, 25-34-year-olds worked the most overtime at 187.2 hours, followed by 18-24-year-olds and 35-44-year-olds at 182 hours.

In the light of this, self-care is a priority for many as we step out of lockdown with nearly half (45%) of respondents saying they want a better work-life balance. 36% say they want to fulfil their career aspirations, while 30% say they want to work less and travel more. And for one in seven (14%)… well, they want to make sure that whatever they do post-lockdown makes them really happy.