The Opt Out Starter Kit (30s Edition)
A not-so-serious guide for people rethinking work, life, and what actually matters
Ive heard that your 30s can be a strange, transformative time. The rules you followed in your 20s? Well they start to feel a bit… off.
The old markers of success? Not quite hitting the same.
This isn’t a breakdown. It’s a breakthrogh.
Here’s a tongue-in-cheek, dead-serious starter kit for anyone opting out of the normal grind life - whether you are in your 30s or not.
1. A calendar with space in it (on purpose)
You used to glorify “busy.” Now you crave breathing room. Margin isn’t laziness, it’s oxygen.
Do yourself a favour and block out time in your calendar for “free time”.
2. A hobby that doesn’t earn money
You let yourself do something just because it’s fun. No monetisation strategy, no ROI. Just joy.
3. A journal that captures your life - not someone else’s goals
You stopped copying routines from billionaire YouTubers and started asking what you actually want.
Check out the trick to journaling on how to journal easily.
4. A phone with notifications turned off (mostly)
You don’t need to be reachable 24/7. Most of it can wait.
The world will continue on just fine without constant updates.
5. Work you don’t hate, or a plan to get there
You’re either doing meaningful work or actively creating an exit ramp.
That alone puts you in rare company.
6. Two or three ride-or-die friends who ask “how’s your energy?” instead of “how’s work?”
Because the point isn’t status, it’s soul.
7. A clear sense of what “enough” looks like
You’ve stopped chasing more for the sake of it. Now you chase time, peace, impact.
8. A to-do list that includes things like “walk”, “read”, “nap”, or “call mum”
Turns out, these are the actual needle-movers in life.
Your 30s are when the illusions start to fall away and if you’re paying attention, you start to realise you can opt out.
You can unsubscribe from the norm.
You can question the script.
You can build something better.
One decision, one boundary, one unglamorous but powerful “no thanks” at a time.
What would be on your own Opt Out Starter Kit?
Leave a comment and share one thing you’ve added — or removed — in the name of a better life.
One-liner takeaway:
The real 30s starter kit? Unsubscribing from the grind and choosing what matters — even when it’s not what’s popular.