Get More Adventure In Your Life

Is it time to get out of your comfort zone? Learn to climb your own mountain.

If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal, said novelist Paul Coelho. Yet in our post-pandemic, Trump era world, who couldn’t argue that routine isn’t deliciously comforting.

Increasingly we are creatures of habit, dining at the same restaurants, shopping at the same boutiques, taking the same exercise classes and addicted to our Netflix/Apple/Stan lifestyles. A recent Deloitte study showed we consume more than six hours of digital entertainment a day, or 44 hours a week.  Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, authors of Make Time: How To Focus On What Matters Every Day have termed this always-available, always-new entertainment an Infinity Pool. “It’s a place that just sucks up time with, in the end, very little to show for it,” they say.

Research by the University of Kent found time spent on social media also eats up time we could devote to our own adventures – time seems to speed up when we are scrolling, they say.

True, some of our scrolling may be devoted to adventure – looking for unexplored destinations, for example. Statistics show we’ve returned enthusiastically to overseas travel.

The number of Australians returning from overseas trips rebounded to pre-COVID levels in 2023-24. In fact, it was 32 per cent higher in 2023-24 than in 2022-23.

However, despite clocking up a few more frequent flyer points, for many of us our daily lives follow an eerie predictability which, when you consider the tumultuous global landscape, seems on the surface to be a reasonable compromise.

“There is a definite relationship between innovation in lifestyle and a sense of safety,” says Andrew Dawson, Chair of Social Anthropology at the University of Melbourne. “The more insecure you feel, the more likely to are to seek out routine because it’s about controlling your environment.”

Rising prices, global conflict and political insanity breed anxiety; familiarity is like breathing into a paper bag.

“Naturally we are all hardwired to have a negative bias to keep us safe, small and hidden,” says organisational psychologist Simi Rayat, author of Productivity Joy. “So, we are programmed to seek out comfort whenever we can.”

Partnering with our sense of unease to rob us of the urge to do things differently, is a culture that glorifies constant busyness. Overflowing inboxes, stuffed calendars and endless to-do lists compete for every second of waking time, say Knapp and Zeratsky, with little time left for adventure.

“According to the Busy Bandwagon mindset, if you want to meet the demands of the modern workplace and function in modern society, you must fill every minute with productivity.”

If you ever wonder what you really did yesterday, or daydream about projects and activities you’ll get to someday, you’re not alone.

Slave to the clock

Unquestionably, one of the benefits of the Covid lockdown has been the splintering of the 9 to 5 regime. The fact that flexible working arrangements have handed control of time back to us should have been a golden opportunity to create a new-look daily life that excites us.

In reality, employers have seized on the increased productivity of an employee who can eliminate commuting and talking around the water cooler from their day.

Pressured by career commitments, many of us have slid into a 24/7 availability for work, eating lunch and even breakfast at our desk, checking emails or sending work texts in “leisure” hours and sacrificing many of the benefits that came from working at a group office such as interacting with new people or having access to distractions (and already being dressed for them.)

“Prior to capitalism and the industrial age, time was thought of in a different way,” says Dawson. “It was dictated by seasonal rhythms.”

Unfortunately clock time, including being on the clock, watching the clock, or clocking out, has a strong relationship not to adventure but to profit. People who adhere to a predictable routine are more reliable employees.

“A central technique of control is routinisation of a person,” says Dawson. “But flexible working can give you the opportunity to take responsibility for the organisation of your own day.”

Alternatively, relentless attachment to staying on top of every email and Zoom meeting will suck the life out of your day faster than you can say Groundhog Day.

Slowing down time

If you need motivation to shake up your everyday life so your week is packed with novel experiences, consider how predictability affects our perception of time.

Scientific research has shown that unrelenting sameness makes if feel as if time is speeding by because the brain bundles repeated experiences together.

Novelty is the yardstick by which our brain measures our sense of time, says neuroscientist Matt Johnson. The more novelty we experience, the more we feel that we’re taking in, and the slower or fuller time feels.

In other words, if life has become a little dull, expect to remember less of it.

Adding even a little bit of daily adventure won’t only slow time, it can give us a mental and physical boost because our bodies release the neurotransmitter dopamine, says Rayat.

Break out of your routine for simple delights, such as a walk in the moonlight, an Italian lesson, or even dinner at a restaurant you’ve never tried, and you literally produce happy hormones.

Do something really radical such as quit your day job and turn your side hustle or passion into your career, and you will be both terrified and thrilled.

Stretching our comfort zones

It is possible to stretch beyond your comfort zone with research showing even micro changes can build resiliency, adaptability, and confidence and boost levels of excitement and energy, says Rayat.

If it feels too difficult to break up with your habits, Dawson believes having a strong sense of community can empower you to be more adventurous in your daily life. “In a place of alienation, it is harder to launch yourself out there. Having a friend willing to try something new with you supports change.”

We’re also inspired by the company we keep, so having a role model or a mentor you admire – someone who treats everyday as an adventure – can help.

Begin, suggests Rayat, by identifying what is working well and what could work better in both your daily life and environment. Next envision how you want to show up for the day.

“What is the energy you want; how can you connect more with people, or yourself?”

If you’d like to shake up your 9-5 and screw with the algorithm, follow different types of content on Insta and conduct different Google searches and get ready to be inspired.

You could even ask ChatGPT to curate a more exciting week, with suggestions for new eats, classes, or experiences woven into your routine.

Know too that you don’t need to climb mountains or conquer the world to live an adventurous life. It’s the little moments that surprise or challenge us that help you feel most alive.

“Take control of your day as soon as you wake up,” Rayat advises. “Instead of being autopilot, practice intentionality.”

Yes, it really is true. Life is a daring adventure, or nothing at all.

This article by Helen Hawkes was originally published in Winning Magazine.