12 Areas of Life to Embrace "Outside the Box" Thinking
Question everything, friends
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If you want to live a simple, intentional life, you’ve got to think outside the box. It’s part of the deal because society isn’t all that keen on people who live simply and slowly - it makes them harder to sell to.
There are so, so many ways to flip life on its head. Sure, it takes a bit of imagination and sometimes it can be uncomfortable. People might tell you you’re crazy.
The upside is that you will live a life more aligned with what matters to you, not what society tells you should matter to you. Because those two don’t always align.
I’ve thought long and hard about all the ways you could think outside the box and I’ve come up with the following list. Not everything will be applicable to everyone and some of you I’m sure will feel that what I’ve identified as “the norm” is perfect for you, which is very cool (and far easier to execute).
But it’s fun to dream. It’s even more fun to execute those dreams.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve got any other ideas to share.
Housing
The norm
Buy a house - as expensive as your mortgage lender will give you. Move up the property ladder as soon as you can. Renovate often.
Ways to think outside the box
Rent - and be OK with renting. You don’t have to buy if that doesn’t suit your lifestyle.
Live in a house that is suitable for your needs now, not what you think will be your needs in the future. Too many people gamble on what they “might need” and buy too big, too soon.
Embrace the tiny house movement.
Don’t renovate if you don’t need to.
Embrace apartment living.
Embrace #RVlife (thanks to subscriber Linda for reminding me of this)
Embrace house-sharing. Co-living, roommates, and even communes are all viable housing options.
Live with family, not just because you have to but because you want to. That could be parents but it could also be siblings, cousins, aunts, or uncles. It could also be close friends.
Move to different parts of the country or even abroad. Many people live within 10 miles of where they’re born…but there’s no rule to say you have to.
Don’t think about housing in terms of “forever homes”. That’s too much pressure.
Kids
The norm
Have kids. Two or three ideally because only children are “weird.” Live in a nuclear family setup.
Ways to think outside the box
If you don’t want kids then don’t have kids. I have seen far too many people succumb to the pressure of having children when they simply don’t want them.
One child is cool. That weird only-child trope was discredited years ago.
Adopt.
Become a “second parent” to nieces, nephews or close friends’ kids. Teach them stuff.
Live with other families and co-parent.
Cars
The norm
Buy as large a car as you can. Have more than one car per household. Upgrade often.
Ways to think outside the box
Buy a small car, keep it for as long as possible.
Look into car sharing.
Buy second-hand.
Use public transport.
Move somewhere that has public transport worth using.
Rent a car when you need it.
Buy a car outright rather than using an expensive car payment.
Work
The norm
Work in an office. Get promoted. Always move up, never down or across.
Ways to think outside the box
Work in an industry you actually want to work in. Don’t worry if it doesn’t fit in with most people’s ideas of what you “should” be doing.
Become a freelancer, entrepreneur or solopreneur.
Have a portfolio career. You don’t have to have just one job.
Don’t take the promotion if it doesn’t work for you.
Change your career path once, twice, three times, or however many times you want. There’s no rule to say you have to only have one career (personally, I’m on my fourth).
Education
The norm
Go to school, then college then try to find a job that uses your degree. Don’t think about education beyond 21.
Ways to think outside the box
Find courses online to learn a new skill or career trajectory. My husband now creates apps for a living, which he learned through online courses.
Take an apprenticeship.
Embrace lifelong learning - you can learn new skills at any age.
Take the money you would spend on a college degree and use it to make your own business instead.
Join an industry where you can learn on the job and work your way up.
Don’t just focus on academic learning. There are many other practical ways to learn. Skilled trades come to mind.
Home educate your kids or use world schooling methods.
Retirement
The norm
Work until you’re 65 (or more) then retire and do no work at all. Live where you’ve always lived.
Ways to think outside the box
Embrace semi-retirement when you’re younger, working less hard but for longer.
Find a way to work as you age (it’s really good for you and your brain, after all).
Travel during your golden years. Not just vacations but proper explorations.
“Retire” in your thirties or forties using the FIRE movement (I’m not necessarily advocating this, but it’s definitely thinking outside the box!)
Consider using alternative financial investments other than traditional pensions that allow you to withdraw earlier or in a different way.
Travel
The norm
If you’re going to travel, get it out of your system in your early twenties.
Ways to think outside the box
Do like Brent and Michael in last week’s interview - sell your house and travel in your fifties. Or thirties, forties, sixties, seventies…
Embrace the work-from-anywhere movement and combine work and travel.
Travel part of the year, stay at home the other part.
Take your kids with you.
Take a sabbatical, pack a rucksack, and go somewhere you’ve always wanted to go to.
Take advantage of a digital nomad visa.
Relocate to a different country completely.
Possessions
The norm
Buy, buy buy. Accumulate but rarely throw away. Buy bigger homes because your stuff no longer fits in your current abode
Ways to think outside the box
Only buy intentionally from now on.
Jettison excess.
Only upgrade tech as it wears out, not just because Apple has released a new phone.
Only upgrade anything as it wears out.
Consider your online clutter as much as your physical clutter. Digital minimalism is just as important.
How you spend your everyday
The norm
Be busy. Fill your diary with appointments. Fall into bed exhausted at the end of every day.
Ways to think outside the box
Be comfortable with saying you want to be less busy. Know being busy is not an identity.
Say no, even to things you want to do, to safeguard your time.
Reduce the number of activities for your kids. They don’t always have to be doing something.
Use a three-item to-do list.
Downsize. Smaller houses = less to do around said house.
Declutter. Less stuff = less to think about.
Normalise answering the question “are you busy” with “not really.”
Buying food
The norm
Get in the car and go to the out-of-town supermarket. Buy everything there. Or have everything delivered from Amazon or similar. Waste up to 40% of it.
Ways to think outside the box
Buy from smaller farms and markets.
Order a regular vegetable box delivery.
Grow at least some of your own food (if you have the room).
Support independent grocers, wine stores, butchers, bakeries, and fishmongers. Find ones that deliver they’re not close by.
Learn how to cook using The Capsule Pantry method.
Buying clothes
The norm
Shop either online or in-store at large multinational corporations. Wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time.
Ways to think outside the box
Shop in second-hand stores.
Replace, don’t add.
Create a capsule wardrobe.
Buy a small number of well-made items that last.
Use the “decide once” principle - choose brands or styles of clothes that work for you and stick to them.
Giving a fuck
The norm
You give a fuck about far too many things, especially things that don’t matter.
Ways to think outside the box
Give a fuck about far fewer things, especially things that don’t matter. That is what makes all of the above ideas so much easier to execute.
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Wonderful article as ever Charlie. Whenever I read something I want to remember, I paste it into my readwise app (which then sends me a random sample of my saved notes to my email every day). Today I pasted ‘ Normalise answering the question “are you busy” with “not really.”. When this pops up in my email it will be a great reminder to slow down- thankyou! I loved all the other ideas too- many of which we are either trying to implement or already have . Btw- loved the capsule pantry article this week on sauerkraut and kimchi- your recipes are just so darned good!! Keep doing what you are doing Charlie- would love to meet you one day ( whenever I can get myself, my husband and our 3 girls over to Europe!).
This was such a good reminder that my choices in life, while non traditional, have been effective. I’m 52 and laughed at how many of these I did without realizing they weren’t the norm. I didn’t acquire a four year degree. I bought a business. I sold that business and am semi retired for a longer easier 2nd chapter. I purchased a small house .. 900 sq feet and kept it even when my family grew (I rented it out) and now 23 years later we can move back into it and it will be paid for. We bought a basic boring builder grade house and upgraded nothing when we outgrew the small house. We have the car that we brought my daughter home from the hospital in, which she now drives. We have home swapped and camped and acquired little. However,
I do not regret buying a home twice. It’s an inflation proof way to have a roof over your head. Rents rise. Your mortgage is locked. Though it is an enormous expense my renters are paying for my daughter’s education. Otherwise everything you said was truth!