18 ways to be a contrarian in a normal life and find joy (or save money)
Last Sunday, I walked by a popular street laden with hip restaurants and the ones serving brunch had queues like I have never seen in my life. One had an hour and a half wait, I overheard a woman saying and I was in awe by how much people love to live for the trends. 90 mins wait for probably a rushed service and I wondered what if Sunday brunch moved to Tuesday for the non 9–5ers or if you wanted to live like a contrarian for a bit? So, I made a list of things that could be carried out against the norms, saving money or time.
1. Go to brunch on Tuesday, arrive at 10:45 (or just before breakfast service is over). Order breakfast items and then some lunch items as soon as lunch service opens. Here, you go, brunch is served.
2. Do a weekend city get-away on Tuesday and Wednesday — cheaper hotels, cheaper travels, less tourists.
3. Buy your bikini/swimwear in the fall and winter jacket in spring — Money saved, you are welcome.
4. Celebrate Christmas in October — Still cold enough to wear your stockings, no mad rush for Christmas shopping and some guests will be too shocked to show up.
5. Make New year resolutions on your birthday — A new year is nothing more than an illusion of a new beginning, this is why the motivation quota is higher. But then so is your birthday.
6. Have breakfast for dinner. Eat dessert first.
7. Work hard on a Sunday and have a lazy Monday. (Replace Sunday as the day of rest as designed by the Gods).
8. Go grocery shopping just before closing time on a Sunday (Usually fewer people as people are already chilling at home dreading Monday).
9. Make Monday the new TGIM (Thank god it is Monday!) — Either you are too excited about starting your work or if you just want an excuse for happy hour.
10. Ditch your car (not in a dump, I mean leave it at home and forget you have it) and use public transport for a month.
11. Plan a staycation if you are used to traveling abroad.
12. If you are an introvert, engage with 5 different persons within a week (then you can take as much time as you need to recharge).
13. Vice versa, if you are an extrovert take a vow of silence for a day.
14. If you are a risk averse person, take a small risk, see how it feels and take a bigger one
15. If you are risk taker, plan a day full of mundane and routine things.
16. Work hard in the summer, then take the whole winter off and move to a tropical island (where it is sunny).
17. If you eat 3 meals a day, skip one meal and do intermittent fasting (I do it and I am still alive, no you will not starve to death).
18. Do nothing, just stare at the ceiling (My current self-imposed exercise, believe me easier said than done if you are used to getting stuff done!).
Taking the road less travelled is a shock to the system but could spark creativity or you could simply find joy in doing things differently. I am currently following some off my own list and would come up with more as the journey progresses.
