Wondering what you need to do to find love in 2024? The key dating “to do’s” that ACTUALLY make a difference? Then follow our essential dating checklist with 14 simple but highly effective dating tasks to increase your chances of finding love – significantly!
Why You Need a Dating Checklist
See, everyone might have slightly different dating checklists, based on where they’re at and what they’re looking for.
But getting organised – knowing what you want and need to do, really pays off.
It’s like anything in life that you’re working towards – if you want to get there faster and easier, you need to think it through, make a plan, and take action!
Your Dating Checklist For 2024
So what are the key dating tasks that show up on most dating checklist’s when you want to increase your chances of finding love in 2024? Well, let’s get stuck in, shall we?
1) Spruce Up Your Dating Profile
So if you want to start dating a little more strategically and purposely, the first thing on your dating checklist should be to review and improve your dating profile(s).
After all, this is basically your “CV” in the dating world…
- Assess your photo selection and what this says about you, plus what it attracts.
- Analyse your profile answers and if they’re best reflective of you.
- Look at your profile bio and what is most important to highlight in there.
- Check all the basic information you’ve disclosed is up to date. (What you’re looking for etc.)
Now of course dating apps aren’t the only way to find love. Some people are totally against them. But when you use them properly and carefully, they’re – in my opinion – an avenue you really don’t want to miss. And so -putting a little TLC into your profile certainly doesn’t go amiss.
2) Get Clear On Your Wants vs Needs
Another absolute-must to add onto your dating checklist is to get clear on what you want vs what you actually, genuinely NEED.
This should be not just in a partner, but also in a relationship itself, as a whole.
This exercise can prove to be incredibly surprising, but eye-opening in the best of ways, too. It then stops you from ruling out people for the wrong reason and being too picky when dating.
3) Have a List of Qualifying Questions
Whether you’re using dating apps or not, creating a list of qualifying questions is absolutely essential when it comes to finding the right person for you.
Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll get a big long list out on your first date, and go through them one by one. Nor does it mean you’ll quick-fire question after question across on a dating app. (Can you imagine!? 😩)
No, no, no – you’ll simply direct the conversation where you want or need it to go, CASUALLY, to find out the “deal-breakers” and get to know your date properly.
It’s fun, makes dating far more interesting and means you’re quickly able to find out if you’re dating the right people – saving you both time and heartache!
You want to date SMARTER not harder you see. Value your time and develop a process.
You can still ask funny first date questions and lose track of time talking about “anything and everything”!
But with smart, qualifying questions – you make sure you’re doing it with someone who has real potential, so it’s an investment in your time, rather than a waste of it!
4) Improve Your Dating App Process
On a similar note, talking of processes, you hand-down want to have a dating app process.
We run through this in more depth within our free guide (linked above), but essentially you want to SWIPE SLOWER and really make the most of the matches you have before moving on to match more.
See, I know it’s easy to get carried away with the swiping. That’s the fun part, right? You never know which profile you’ll come across next!
But when you have too many matches, you end up missing potentially good matches, even within your inbox. So slow it down, be more strategic, have a process, and you’ll have far more success!
5) Try Different Apps / Websites
A nice and simple one for your dating checklist now then, is to try different apps or websites when it comes to finding, meeting or matching with fellow singles.
Been stuck on Tinder for as long as you can remember? Not really branched out? Then it’s 100% time to! There are plenty of alternatives to Tinder…
In fact, when it comes to the best serious dating apps for finding love, Tinder isn’t actually one of them, nor are dating apps and dating apps alone – your only option, actually!
So swat up, see what’s out there and experiment yourself to see where has the best pool of people, looking for the same kind of things as you.
If you’re investing time into dating, you want to make sure you’re spending it in the best places for you, so this simple test can be a total-game-changer!
Don’t restrict yourself. The switch up may actually be just what you need to stay motivated when dating. It’s good to spice things up! On this note…
6) Don’t Rely Solely On Dating Apps
Do you work, eat, sleep, repeat and swipe on dating apps whenever you get chance? Are dating apps your ONLY way of finding and meeting new, single people? Then you are 100% missing out.
See, there’s plenty of great places to meet men – great places that also get you out there, making the most of single life, and building your confidence in the process!
So if you’re not already, brainstorming different ways to get yourself out there, undoubtably, has to go on your dating checklist.
Remember, being in the right place at the right time is definitely a thing. It can lead to extraordinary things.
I mean, I can vouch for this from personal experience – after meeting my life-partner out at a bar, by complete chance.
So get yourself out there, plan to do more things that will open up new opportunities.
7) Make Finding Love a Priority
Now… Hear me out on this one. What we DON’T want is for dating to take over your life, but, a major dating mistake is not investing enough time into it.
It’s important to reach the point of being happily single, and sure – sometimes love DOES just naturally come to you when you’re not even looking for it…
But if finding the right person is important to you – and even more so if you’re under slight time pressure (I know, we do have biological clocks to contend to) – then you have to take it seriously.
This means finding time, every day, to be proactive with it.
And hey – let me be clear, this isn’t making it a desperate search. You’ll still trust the process and know that things don’t happen straight away. But it’s EMPOWERING when you take control and do all that you can whilst sustaining a healthy balance.
It’s only like if you were trying to lose weight – you’d make time to go to the gym or exercise.
And so within your dating checklist you want to set small daily tasks to keep moving forward on your search for love too.
Struggling to know which action tasks to do? Where your time will be best spent? Then check out our Power Hour Dating Coaching Call’s, as we can guide you through.
8) Take on a Dating Challenge
Next up – let’s talk about dating challenges. In fact, why not get inspired by our hand-crafted Mighty Single’s Dating Challenge?! (It’s free!)
Dating challenges can be a real game-changer as they help to pull you out of a rut, increases your dating confidence and makes dating fun again.
See, believe it or not, but – in most cases – single life will be a time in your life that, although difficult, you look back and smile on and be grateful for.
So why not switch it up?! Step outside your comfort zone by creating your very own dating challenge and see just how much it opens your heart and mind.
Think a dating challenge is too much? 👀
… Then the alternative is to simply commit to doing one bold, brave dating move a month instead.
This could be something like – asking someone out instead of waiting to be asked, or giving a random who you connect with at your bar, your number. Or maybe it’s about matching someone who COULD be good for you, but who you usually would rule out!
Work out what would be genuinely valuable and do these things not because it’s a challenge, but because you WANT to do it and you never know where it will lead!
Sit down at the end of each week and ask yourself, “what would future me have done differently this week? And what would I like to do next week?”
Get into the habit of pushing yourself more when it comes to dating, but in a positive, productive, confident way – and you’ll be astounded by the impact and results!
9) Write a Dating Diary
Another great activity to add to your dating checklist is to create a dating diary. Think Bridget Jones – only this one’s solely for you!
The benefits of writing a diary of your dating experiences is:
- It turn bad experiences into something you’ll look back and laugh at. Or at the very least, wonder why you got so worked up about it at the time.
- It also helps to take the intensity out of the bad dating experiences, as you can better challenge your thoughts and change the way you look at them in the diary.
- It helps you manage and process your emotions.
- Not to mention, it offers a safe space to vent.
See the idea is to FEEL it, RELEASE it, WRITE it out and LET IT GO!
A dating diary is therefore a great (and seriously under-rated!) tool to help you stay motivated when dating. It also makes you more aware of your dating patterns and habits, which can be an absolute GAME-CHANGER! Speaking of which…
10) Recognise Your Patterns
If you want to date smarter and more-effectively then a must-do activity for your dating tick-list is to start becoming aware of and better recognising your patterns.
You can do this by:
- Breaking it down in your dating diary, as mentioned above.
- Doing a post-date analysis / review.
- Having a weekly check-in with yourself and your dating habits / behaviours.
See you want to try to identify:
- Are you going for the same type of person each time?
- How do you typically get treated by these people?
- Do you fail to spot the red flags in the moment?
- Could you have any potentially bad habits that push people away?
- Do you seem to chase men? Or get drawn towards the “bad boys“?
- Do you put your guard up when you feel others getting close? How? What do you do?
- Does your dating experiences all seem to go the same way or end the same way? Why could this be? What patterns are you noticing which could be the link?
When you can start to notice patterns and recurring habits or behaviours, you can work to improve them, break them or overcome them. It’s incredibly powerful.
The more awareness you have, and the more willing you are to recognise your own mistakes too (so that you can then learn from them) – the fastest and easier you’ll find it to find a lasting, healthy love.
So whichever way you choose to do it, be sure to make recognising patterns part of your dating checklist in 2024. On a similar note…
11) Write Out Your Boundaries (& Read Them Daily!)
Establishing your boundaries is an essential task on a dating checklist in itself, but once you know them it’s also vitally important to remind yourself of them.
So get clear, know your boundaries, break them down into red flags to look out for, and remind yourself of them daily by writing them out and sticking them of your bedroom wall. This way, they can remain the forefront of your mind.
See it’s easy to get carried away when dating – if you find a spark and connection, your vision can start to haze. You forget what REALLY matters (and what actually protects you.)
So know what you will and wonder accept – plus those all important reasons why.
Your dating diary will remind you of the little signs you don’t want to forget when dating someone… Then your notes on your walls will make you be like…
“Hold up… I’m not falling into THIS trap again!”
Especially when you follow #10 on our dating checklist of actively becoming aware of your patterns, too. (You see? They these tasks all work together and support one another!)
12) Ask For Feedback
Now here’s a fast, easy, dating task that you can tick off your dating checklist at any time.
See, it helps to speak to your trusted friends or family for their honest opinion on where they think things are going wrong in your love life.
After all, they know you better than most people and can probably see or notice things that maybe you can’t. The chances are however – they won’t tell you unless you ask. (Especially if there’s some hard-hitting truths that they’d be able to share!) So, ask, ask, ask.
It doesn’t mean you need to take everything they say as 100% the truth, but it can give you really helpful food for thought and make changes you didn’t even realise you needed to make!
If you tend to keep your love life private and are unsure who you could ask, consider booking a Power Hour Dating Coaching Call with us (just as a one off) as we can do exactly the same for you, offering expert advice and invaluable feedback. (As dating coaching is 100% our thing!)
Remember, dating shouldn’t be a lonely journey so don’t feel like you’re battling along on your own. You’re not.
Reach out, gain support, gain feedback… Because it could well be just what you need.
13) Create Your Own Dating Affirmations
Next up – it’s time to develop some powerful dating affirmations.
Now, not everyone believes in them but affirmations are actually an incredibly powerful tool. Science says so, too!
A study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (1) used MRI to reveal that:
“practising self-affirmation activates the reward centres in your brain.”
And sure, saying, “I love dating” may not automatically actually make you genuinely THINK and FEEL that way. That’s not what makes it true.
But (and this is a big but!) – it will light up the same reward system in your brain, that would be triggered if you DID genuinely enjoy dating.
Ultimately, affirmations fire up your neural pathways and makes changes to the areas of the brain that make you happy and positive…
When you’re in that state, you’re able to better do the things you need to do, or shift your mindset around something so that you can properly and fully, give dating your best shot… Without letting past hurt or baggage, hold you back.
So, get clear on what’s holding you back, what limiting beliefs you may have (as it probably goes deeper) and then challenge them – every single day, with your very own dating affirmations.
Don’t settle for feeling less or sabotaging your own chances of finding love.
14) Work On Becoming The Best Version Of You
Last but not least, something that should go on everybody’s dating checklist, is some element of self improvement work.
Some of the most invaluable areas for self improvement when it comes to finding love are:
#1: Knowing your own worth – that way you stop wasting time on the wrong people or accepting less than you deserve. Self love work makes dating a far easier, more enjoyable process and more effective too. So a little self love work (maybe starting by developing these self love habits) may also be something to add to your dating checklist too.
#2: Knowing what you need to personally work on to be and attract the person you want to meet… Then you’ll have a personal development plan, separate to this, as part of your dating checklist.
By shifting the focus away from the dates themselves and back to yourself and what you can ACTUALLY do, you regain your power and control. It feels good, and actually makes a surprising world of difference!
That’s All For This One
So there we have it – that concludes the 14 things you need to do in 2024 if you’re looking for love.
Use these tasks and add them to your very own dating checklist, so that step by step, you can work your way through them.
I hope you’ve found this valuable. Wishing you the very best of luck on your dating journey.
Love,
Ell_xx
