Side Quests
Adapted from Philosophy Sage
A compact list of things to do when life has become too narrow. The point is not achievement. The point is to remember that a larger life is built through small, unnecessary adventures.
Physical
- Run a 5K without stopping.
- Do 100 pushups in one session.
- Learn to swim properly.
- Try a combat sport for 30 days.
- Hike a mountain and reach the top.
- Do a cold plunge for 30 straight days.
- Train for and complete one physical challenge.
- Fast for 24 hours and observe your mind.
- Learn to do a handstand.
- Walk 10,000 steps every day for 90 days.
Mental
- Read 12 books in one year.
- Learn a new language to conversational level.
- Meditate for 30 days without missing a day.
- Write in a journal every morning for 90 days.
- Spend one full day alone and in silence.
- Go one full week without social media.
- Learn chess and become decent at it.
- Study one subject you know nothing about.
- Write the story of your life so far.
- Memorize 10 poems or quotes that move you.
Social
- Have a real conversation with a stranger.
- Reconnect with someone you lost touch with.
- Tell someone exactly how much they mean to you.
- Apologize to someone who deserves an apology.
- Make a friend in a completely different field.
- Spend a full day with your father or mother.
- Write a letter to someone who shaped you.
- Mentor someone younger than you.
- Host a dinner for people who matter to you.
- Build one genuine circle of close friends.
Adventure
- Travel somewhere completely alone.
- Sleep under the stars at least once.
- Visit a country where nobody knows you.
- Try one thing that genuinely scares you.
- Drive somewhere with no destination planned.
- Swim in the ocean at night.
- Get lost in a city you have never visited.
- Watch the sunrise from somewhere beautiful.
- Eat alone in a restaurant abroad.
- Do something your younger self would find unbelievable.
Creative
- Learn to cook 10 meals from scratch.
- Pick up an instrument and play one full song.
- Build or fix something with your hands.
- Write something honest and share it publicly.
- Take photos of your life for one full year.
- Learn to draw, even badly, and keep going.
- Start a project with no audience and no goal.
- Record yourself speaking and listen back.
- Design something from nothing, even if small.
- Create something that did not exist before you made it.