Open Quest Log

 I've never had much success with new year's resolutions. What felt inspiring and achievable before sleep at night seemed austere and difficult in the cold light of day. It was during the COVID-19 lockdowns that I came across an alternative: themes. CGP Grey posted a youtube video titled Your Theme. In the video, he offers an alternative to pass-fail resolutions by suggesting that behavioural change can be approached as a journey. 

With themes, the exact data points don't matter, only the overall trend. If the theme is Outdoors, then it doesn't matter that you didn't spend 1,000 hours sitting outside, it matters that when faced with a decision, you chose the option that took you outside more often. A theme allows for flexibility where a strict goal doesn't. If your circumstances change, your original goal may become unattainable, but a theme allows you to take a different path that will adapt to your current life.

I started out with seasonal themes lasting a few months. In 2024, I tried my hand at a theme of Movies. Prior to that, if you named a film, chances were good that I hadn't seen it. You could argue that I should have picked a more productive theme, but I had a blast. Simply telling people I wanted to watch more movies sparked brilliant conversations. People were excited to tell me about the classics they felt I ought to watch, or the indie films that deserved greater appreciation. It was fun to tell people that I had watched Jurassic Park for the first time, friends wanted to know what I thought of their favourite movie, and I even discovered that I actually quite enjoy horror movies!

2025 was the Year of 100: I wanted to do certain things 100 times. Maybe a little more goal-oriented than the theme system was intended for, but I viewed it more like an activity menu. If I wasn't sure what to do, I should look at my menu first and see if I wanted to do something from that. I'm particularly proud of going swimming slightly over 100 times last year!

Lately, I've been thinking about how much time I spend scrolling: watching shorts, mindlessly browsing Facebook, reading Reddit comments... I started to notice that I wasn't spending time on my actual hobbies that I found fun and relaxing. My precious free time was being gobbled up by the insatiable maw of doom-scrolling. It was wasting my evenings and I wasn't even enjoying myself!

This year isn't a productivity or a self-improvement challenge. I'm not trying to optimise my life or monetise my hobbies. I just want to have fun.

My friends have suggested some great theme names for the year: intentionality, leaning-in, focus, living deliberately. Something like Intentionality is probably an accurate name, but I'm going with something a little sillier: A Year of Side Quests.

Side quests are optional content. They're activities you don't have to do, but they enrich your experience if you choose to do them. If my life is a video game, then the mandatory quests are things like Go to Work, Exercise, Eat, Do Laundry. The side quests are Listen to Music, Cross Stitch, Play an Instrument, Write a Story, etc. 

The theme of Side Quests will also encourage me to be more spontaneous (I hope!). It's easy to say no to trying new things, or to convince myself I'm too busy to go to that book club or pottery class. I always enjoy those things once I actually leave the house, so I hope treating them as Side Quests will help me overcome the inertia of staying at home.

So welcome to my Side Quest Log. This is a place for me to share what I'm enjoying, making, engaging with. If you're passing through and want to be more intentional about how you play, make, and rest, welcome on in!