This seven-day real-life side quest challenge gives you one small adventure per day: notice a detail, follow a curiosity, try a different route, make something, share a discovery, change a flavor, and revisit a favorite. Each prompt has a clear finish and an alternative you can do at home.
Use seven consecutive days if that sounds fun, or spread them out. There is no penalty for skipping, changing the order, or deciding that one activity isn't for you. The prompts are a standalone challenge you can try without an app.
Before day one
Choose a comfortable time limit—ten to twenty minutes works for most of these versions—and decide whether you want to keep notes. Use places and materials already available to you. If a quest involves going out, allow for travel and check access, opening hours, and cost.
Day 1: Find your postcard detail
Look for one detail that captures the place you're in. It could be a sign, a patterned surface, a tree, or a window display. Give it a title.
Finish: choose your detail and title. At home: use the view from a window or an object in your room. Keep: one sentence about why you chose it.
Day 2: Follow one question
Choose something you wonder about and look for an answer in a public sign, a library resource, or a relevant official website. Keep the question small enough for your available time.
Finish: record one answer and where it came from, or write what you still need to find out. At home: investigate a local place through its official website. Keep: the question, even if it remains unanswered.
Day 3: Change one part of the route
Use a different known, accessible public route to somewhere familiar. Look for a detail that wasn't part of your usual journey.
Finish: reach your destination and choose one discovery. At home: spend ten minutes looking closely at a part of your room you usually overlook. Keep: a note titled “A new detail”
Day 4: Make something small
Sketch a view, write a postcard, or arrange three photos of objects around a theme. Use what you already have and set a stopping time.
Finish: stop when the time ends, even if the result is rough. At home: all three versions work indoors. Keep: the work, without needing to post it.
Day 5: Trade a discovery
Invite a friend to exchange one interesting thing each of you noticed recently. It can be a short conversation or a message. Give them an easy way to decline or answer later.
Finish: offer your discovery; a reply isn't required. Solo alternative: write the note you would send and keep it for yourself. Keep: what made the discovery worth sharing.
Day 6: Try a different flavor
Use an ingredient already available in a new snack combination, or choose something unfamiliar during a visit you already planned. Stay within your budget and dietary needs.
Finish: describe the result in three words. At home: use only ingredients you already have. Non-food alternative: choose a piece of music you can access but haven't heard and describe it in three words.
Day 7: Return to your favorite
Choose the prompt you most enjoyed and do a different version. Look for another postcard detail, follow a new question, or create something using the same materials.
Finish: note what you'd keep or change next time. At home: repeat any indoor version. Keep: one idea for a future free afternoon.
Make a record that takes less than a minute
| Prompt | Your note |
|---|---|
| What did you try? | Name the activity |
| What caught your attention? | Save one detail |
| Would you do a version again? | Yes, no, or with a change |
If you enjoy scoring, use the optional DIY rules in how to gamify your life. Those personal points are separate from the SideQuest app. Recording a day without awarding points works just as well for this challenge.
Choose what comes next
Continue with 21 real-life side quest ideas, plan one of these activities with friends, or choose a solo afternoon adventure. You can also explore SideQuest's Quest worlds, including Tiny Adventures and Taste of Somewhere.
