Before I Get Too Comfortable

Category: The Quest Diaries

  • I Let AI Decide My Entire Day. Here’s What Happened.

    I Let AI Decide My Entire Day. Here’s What Happened.

    4–6 minutes

    Check The Intro Video

    I woke up knowing one thing: today was not going to be a normal day.

    No plan. No itinerary. Just a ChatGPT conversation and a promise to myself that whatever it said, I would do it. The concept was simple. The execution? A little terrifying.

    This is what happened when I gave AI full control of my day in Zurich.

    Challenge 1: Ask a Stranger for Their Favourite Coffee Spot

    Watch Episode 1

    I took the train from Kloten to Zurich HB and waited for my first instruction. ChatGPT told me to find a stranger, ask them for their favourite coffee spot, and order exactly what they usually get. No questions. No substitutions.

    As someone who is naturally introverted, this felt immediately wrong.

    I found a group of girls near the station. “Hey, sorry to bother you, I’m doing this challenge where AI is planning my whole day and it told me to ask a stranger for their favourite coffee spot. What’s yours?” They didn’t hesitate. Babu’s Bakery. Matcha and a pastry.

    “A matcha?” I said, like I had never heard the word before. We laughed.

    I walked away, found the place, and ordered a matcha and a cheesecake. It was excellent. Challenge one done. And it was only the beginning.

    Challenge 2: Take a Random Tram to the End of the Line

    Watch Episode 2

    From Bahnhofstrasse, ChatGPT told me to get into the first tram I see. I boarded it with no idea where it was going, rode it all the way to the last stop, and stepped off at a place called Albisguetli.

    What I found was not what I expected.

    Nature. Complete, unplanned, unexpected nature, minutes from the centre of Zurich. The first thing we spotted was a random vending machine standing alone in the middle of nowhere, which felt about right for how this day was going.

    We started walking uphill, then turned around when I spotted a sign reading Panoramaweg, a panoramic path. We followed it. I found dandelions growing along the side and blew one straight at my cameraman.

    We walked past patches of farmland, heard a chicken coop before we saw it, and spent a few very sincere minutes having a one-sided conversation with the chickens.

    Then, between the farms and the silence, we turned a corner and saw Zurich’s skyline. The Prime Tower, perfectly visible.

    “We were so close to the city yet completely removed from it.”

    Walking back down, the streets surprised me again. Rows of trees with soft pink leaves lining the road, not quite cherry blossoms but just as beautiful, and completely unexpected for a random tram stop.

    Then, mid-walk, I heard a cat.

    I am a big animal person, so naturally I stopped everything and followed the sound. Found him on a quiet street, mid-cleaning session, completely unbothered by my existence. I crouched down and waited. He ignored me for a solid minute, full grooming routine, no interruptions, and then, once he decided he was done, walked straight over to me.

    Honestly one of the best moments of the day. Unplanned, unscripted, and completely worth the detour.

    Challenge 3: Walk Into a Restaurant and Order Blind

    Watch Episode 3

    Getting back to the city was its own adventure. We got a little lost, found a train station, took the train back to HB and walked out through Europaallee looking for somewhere to eat (I was starving).

    The first restaurant we tried was full. The second one, a Korean pan-Asian restaurant, warm and dimly lit inside, had a table for us.

    The challenge: no looking at the menu. Eyes closed, finger on the page, eat whatever I land on.

    We sat down. Both our phones had died, which made the QR code menu completely useless. We sat there, slightly helpless, until a waiter realised and brought a physical menu. I closed my eyes, moved my finger down the page, and pointed.

    “Beef bulgogi bliss?”

    It was genuinely good. Rich, warm, exactly what you want after a full day of walking around Zurich not knowing where you’re going. My only note: could have used more meat. Minor complaint for a meal I didn’t choose.

    What AI Actually Taught Me

    Here is the thing about giving up control, it removes every excuse you usually have.

    You can’t say you didn’t know what to do. You can’t say you weren’t in the mood. You can’t say you’ll do it next weekend. AI decided, I showed up, and things happened, a conversation with strangers, a chicken coop and a cat in the middle of Zurich, a bulgogi bowl in a new restaurant.

    None of this was on my usual Saturday. None of it was comfortable at first. And all of it was worth it.

    Your comfort zone isn’t keeping you safe. It’s just keeping you in the same place.

    This is exactly what this blog is about. Not perfectly planned experiences. Not curated itineraries. Just what actually happens when you stop waiting and start going. You find panoramic views you didn’t know existed. You talk to chickens. You eat cheesecake for no reason.

    Wherever you are. try it. Let something else decide for once.

    If you’d like to see a video about my personal experience, come check out my instagram.

    The best things that happened today were the ones I never would have chosen myself

    So, would you do it? Hand over control for a day and see what happens. Drop it in the comments. I want to know. And if you’re already thinking of someone to drag along for the ride, that’s your sign.

    Never handed control over before? Read the manifesto first, it’s where this whole idea began.

    THE MANIFESTO

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  • Paint, Pressure & Lilacs in a Jar

    Paint, Pressure & Lilacs in a Jar

    4–6 minutes

    My first official side quest

    There’s something slightly humbling about willingly signing up to do something you’re not naturally good at. And for me, that thing is painting.

    Paint It Easy Studio – Bederstrasse 94, 8002 Zürich

    I’ve never really been “the creative one.” I like things to look good, but I also like knowing how to make them look good. So, sitting in front of a blank canvas, hoping for the best? Slightly stressful.

    But I had this thought:
    I can’t really have flowers at home (my cat would absolutely destroy them and probably poison herself in the process)… so why not paint some instead?

    The part where I thought this would be serious (it wasn’t)

    I walked into the studio expecting something a bit… quiet. Focused. Almost intimidating. Instead, there was a bar?

    People chatting, music playing, everyone casually painting like they’ve done this before. It felt more like an apéro than a class just with canvases.

    Everything was already set up: brushes, paints, palette, and right in front of me – a blank canvas, plus the “ideal version” of what we were about to paint: Lilacs in a jar.

    So basically: here’s what it should look like…

    Confidence lasted approximately 12 minutes

    At first, I felt fine.

    We started by tracing the outlines, which already felt like a safe start, and I thought: okay, I can do this. This is manageable. Then the painting actually started.

    Background first – soft yellows into white, blending into blue. Very calm, very aesthetic… until I realised everyone around me was moving much faster.

    And I was still… thinking.

    Mixing colours. Re-checking. Trying to make it “perfect.” Classic.

    The comparison spiral (yes, it happened)

    At some point, I looked around.

    Everyone was already working on their flowers. Meanwhile, I was still somewhere between “this might look good” and “why am I still on step two?”

    That was probably the most frustrating part.

    Not because I didn’t understand, but because I wanted to do it right. And doing it “right” was slowing me down.

    Plot twist: slow didn’t mean bad

    The teacher, Jeanette, was walking around, checking everyone’s work, switching effortlessly between German and English, making the whole room feel relaxed and inclusive.

    She hadn’t said anything to me yet. Which obviously made me think:
    Okay… am I doing something wrong?

    Then she finally came over, looked at my canvas – and just went:

    “Oh wow, this is really pretty.”

    And suddenly… everything shifted.

    Because yes, I was slow. But what I was doing was somehow working.

    The moment I stopped trying to control everything

    Somewhere between painting the lilacs (with a brush… and later a sponge – I was the only one who took it, by the way) and adding the final details, I realised something:

    It was never going to look exactly like the reference picture. And that was fine. Actually, that was the whole point.

    Some people were following every step. Others were completely improvising. And somehow, everything still worked.

    That’s when it clicked.

    Creativity isn’t about getting it right.
    It’s about letting something take shape – even if it’s not what you expected.

    The part where I stayed longer than everyone else

    Everyone eventually finished, walked around, looked at each other’s paintings.

    Meanwhile, I was still there.

    Adding details. Asking questions. Fixing tiny things no one else probably noticed.

    Very on brand. But honestly? That’s when it got even better.

    It became less about “keeping up” and more about making it mine.

    So… was it actually good?

    I’ll be honest, during the workshop, I was hard on myself.

    But when I got home and looked at it again?

    It was actually… really nice. Not perfect. Not identical to the reference.

    But mine. Which, for me, is already a win.

    What this one taught me

    This workshop made me realise that creativity isn’t something you either “have” or don’t. It’s something you allow.

    You can be slow. You can overthink. You can even doubt everything you’re doing halfway through.

    And still end up creating something beautiful.

    Would I do it again?

    100% !!!

    This is one of those things that works in almost any context:

    • a date (honestly, such a good one)
    • after-work with colleagues
    • a random Saturday when you don’t know what to do
    • or even alone, if you feel like trying something new without overthinking it

    And the best part? You leave with something you made.

    Not just an experience – something you can actually keep.

    Which, in my case, might be the only “flowers” that survive in my apartment.

    Your turn

    At some point, you stop reading about things and actually go do one.

    Not because you’re “good” at painting.
    Not because you’re suddenly trying to become creative.

    But just to see what happens when you sit down, pick up a brush, and don’t overthink it for once.

    If you’d like to see a video about my personal experience, come check out my instagram.

    👉 Book your own workshop

    And if you do… I’d love to know what you end up creating.

    Drop a comment If you would try this side quest.

    If you’re not sure this one is for you, explore the rest of the list it’s full of creative ideas you can actually try.

    10 creative Experiences

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