How to Side Quest Like a Baddie on a Buget

While tending to all the things in life that demand our attention, energy and presence — work, relationships, recycling yoghurt pots — it’s too easy to forget to tend to ourselves. Self-care would have us taking a bubble bath or booking a therapy session, but have you tried side questing?

If everyday life is the main plot, it would be natural to think of side quests as the subplot. I prefer to think of them as a plot twist. Choosing to deviate from the script of daily life and becoming the Main Character in a moment we’ve chosen, rather than one dictated by expectation. It can be fun, empowering and romantic in a way that has nothing to do with another person.

If you saw the title of this article and clicked to read, I think it’s safe to assume you know what a side quest is. And you might have undertaken a few. For those not so familiar with the concept, you have likely set out on a side quest without realising. Spontaneously booking a weekend retreat, walking down an unfamiliar street just because, or deciding to learn a new language on a random Tuesday, could all be considered side quests.

As the concept becomes more popular on social media, so does the notion that these adventures must be epic and aesthetic. I beg to differ.

For me, it’s romanticising small, unassuming moments and activities that to anyone else might seem ordinary, but were prompted by curiosity, taken on a whim and somehow leave me feeling like I’m not the same person I was before. Which brings us back to the goal of this article.

How can you be spontaneous, experience novelty and follow your curiosity without emptying your coin purse?

Since becoming part of an online community where being the Main Character in your own life is very much encouraged — and themed side quests are a weekly occurrence — my life has never felt more like the pages of a novel. The quests themselves are rarely grand. In fact, that’s the point. They’re small deviations from the expected plot that somehow make the whole story feel bigger. And without realising, we’ve achieved something we were putting off, or something that also just makes life better.

So, I’m going to share four ways I side quest like a baddie on a budget, so we can all be the Main characters in our life.