1. Put it on your schedule
This is probably the hardest one for a lot of people, especially those of you who have young humans depending on you. I’m not going to give you much specific advice because my life is likely very different from yours. What I do: I set aside all day Saturday plus Sunday mornings to be outside.
2. Get ready the night before
It’s astonishing how long it can take to get moving if I have to pack my lunch and gear, put my kayak on the car, and queue up directions and podcasts. Alternatively, if I know where I’m going the night before and have everything prepped, I’m likely to reach my destination at least an hour sooner. That early morning hour is often the very best one.
3. Make sure you’re comfortable
I used to go home once I ran out of food or water or got cold or wet. So now I pack more than I think I’ll need, including a meal and snacks, water, a poncho, a sun hat, plus lots of layers in cold weather. Also, plan bathroom breaks in whatever way makes sense to you.
4. Avoid annoyances
For some of you, mosquitoes or mud are real deal breakers. For me, the biggest thing that pulls me out of the moment is people nearby…tricky since weekends are when many people go to parks. So I get up early and often drive 45 minutes to a lake where very few other people go. That’s my way of avoiding annoyances — what’s yours?
5. Trick your brain into flow
Even if you’re entirely prepared, you still may end up going home early if your brain gets stuck in a rut. My hacks to keep myself on track include:
Mindfulness practice ten minutes a day during my move-quickly-outside time Mondays through Fridays. I pay attention whenever my brain wanders from the present, and that makes it easier to really be where I am when I have more time to spend outside. (I’m in the baby-steps stage of this, but it still helps.)
Quick tricks in the field include reading a chapter on my Kindle or doing a lesson on Duolingo. Both can often knock a thought-train off its rails and remind me of the wonder of where I’m at.
Turning the day into a mini treasure hunt works when I’m really having trouble focusing. The simplest treasure hunt is “take at least a hundred photos.” This year, I’ve instead often demanded that I find at least ten Odonata species.
6. Slow down and look closer
If you’re outside and you don’t immediately see something awesome, it’s easy to say, “this isn’t a good spot; this isn’t a good day,” and just go home. But if you slow down and look closer, you’ll almost always see something great. Don’t see something great? Slow down more and look closer yet. For example, the watersnake above turned out to have a mosquito on its chin (click the image to see!), and the pattern of its scales against beetle-gnawed wood fascinated me.
7. Expand your interests
If all you’re intrigued by is colorful birds and you don’t see any colorful birds in the first hour, you’re likely to go home. However, if you also love jumping spiders and weird plants and water droplets on feathers and the sound wind makes when it moves through trees, then you’re bound to be inspired fast and frequently. The more often your brain feeds you happy chemicals, the longer you’ll stay out.
8. Lower your standards
If your goal for each outing is a new life bird or a Niagara Falls-level landscape, you’re not going to be happy most of the time. On the other hand, if noticing down feathers drifting away from a preening Green Heron makes your day, every moment will be full of wonder.
9. Let yourself immerse
This one probably goes without saying, but turn off phone notifications, put your device in airplane mode, or go somewhere with no reception. The modern world loves to pull you out of the moment.
10. Bask in the beauty
Those of us who love facts can get stuck in the ID rut. “Oh, that’s a Bold Jumping Spider. Moving on.” But if you stop and watch a species you’ve seen several times before, you might notice how the beastie waves its little legs at you and how brilliantly its mouthparts sparkle in the sun. Soon, you’ve spent several minutes with one little creature and have really gotten into the flow.
How about you? I bet you have your own hacks to make sure you spend plenty of time in the field. Go ahead and throw your advice in the comments and I’ll use them on days when I need that extra push to get out the door (then to ignore the pull of couch and home).
Enjoy your time outdoors!
Good ideas
I try the hour a day method.