My problem with leveling up in FFXIV.

[Nedkel]

You dont have to do any side quests at all, these are just fillers which you would like to do just for fun.
However i do recommend checking them, because some of them give you a nice rewards which will help you out on getting better gear.

Also dont ignore quests with + on them, because these unlocks content and are pretty engaging, you should do these all.