If the great outdoors is so great, then why don’t people enjoy it more? The answer is because of the time trap, and I will tell you exactly how to beat the time trap.
For many, the biggest problem is finding the time to go, whether it is camping, hiking, fishing, boating, backpacking, biking or even just for a good drive in the country. The solution? The answer is to treat your fun just like you treat your work.
Consider how you treat your work: Always on time? Go there every day you are scheduled? Do whatever it takes to get there and get it done? Right? No foolin’. Now imagine if you took the same approach to the outdoors and having fun.
The secret is to schedule your outdoor activities.
For instance, I go fishing every Thursday evening, hiking every Sunday morning and on an overnight trip every new moon (when stargazing is best). That guarantees at least 115 adventures a year. Add in a three-week expedition and you’re up to a minimum of 146 days. Do another and you’ve got 178.
Just like going to work, I’ve scheduled it. Note that I don’t always need an entire day to get what I’m going for. Sometimes it just takes an hour or so in the evening.
The same approach works with longer adventures. The only reason I was able to hike from Mount Whitney to Tahoe, or about 30 other major expeditions, was because I scheduled the time to do it. In a good year, I’ll hit about 200 adventures of all kinds.
If you get out your pocket calendar and write in the exact dates and places you are going, commit with a friend to go, then you’ll go. If you don’t, you won’t.
Suddenly, with only a minor change in your life plan, you can be living the life you were previously dreaming about.
This really works.
Feel great in the next 24 hours: Hike. Bike. Camp. Fish. Boat. Wildlife watch. Explore.
For my book California Camping, go to http://74.220.215.219/~tomstien/books/california-camping/
Photo of Sierra fern grotto by Michael Furniss
Tom,
I read you article on making time to do outdoor activities and definitely agree with what you are saying. Planning activities is the only way my dad and I make time to go on adventures. We should schedule one between all of us for this summer, I think that would be quite enjoyable.
Hope all is well with you Tom,
Alan Evans
Hi Tom,
I was just looking at your column and had the thought that you would be a great person to contact about our organization’s volunteer trip to Torres del Paine in Patagonia. We are a small nonprofit dedicated to conservation and preservation of some of the world’s greatest landscapes and cultural sites. In December, Conservation Volunteers International Program will be leading our next volunteer group to Torres del Paine National Park, where we will assist Park Rangers with trail maintenance. These trips are a great way to really get to see this beautiful park, to be able to give back to the outdoors which we love, and to enjoy the company of other people who love the outdoors. Our website at http://www.conservationvip.org has a lot of information about the trip, as well as about our organization. Also, I’d also be happy to talk with you by phone if you are interested. I live in the East Bay, and can be reached at (925) 228-5946.
By the way, I first became involved with Conservation VIP a few years ago when I signed up as a volunteer after reading an article in the newspaper about one of their trips to Torres del Paine. My husband and I love hiking in the Sierra, and we tend to get low altitude sickness in the winter. When we realized we could extend our hiking season by going to Patagonia in the winter, we got hooked.
Hope to hear from you,
Chris Braunlich, Director
Conservation Volunteers International Program