Finding Balance with Outdoor Escapes
To Be More Efficient, Maybe We Should Work Less
I love computers.
And it’s a good thing too, because between client work and side projects and even passions like music production, I end up spending a lot of my life basking in the warm glow of blue light as I toil away in front of computer screens at different stations in my weekly routine.
It’s quite a miraculous and marvelous thing that we can do so much and be connected to almost the entirely of the known world through the neon portals that we all peer through in our daily lives.
And with onset of remote work as a result of those capabilities, it is easier than ever to make money and socialize with friends, family and strangers around the world while we pursue dreams of creativity, all within the walls of our own homes.
I am completely all for it.
As a long time computer nerd and probably all too comfortable spending time alone introvert, it is the kind of scenario that I would have dreamed of when I was young.
But, even I have my limits.
Blue Light Burnout
Call it cabin fever, remote work burnout, self imposed seasonal affective disorder, or even just stir crazy, as human animals we weren’t really meant to spend the majority of our waking hours hunched over at a desk peering into a 2D glowing square.
Now, don’t get me wrong, as a self professed, and mostly unapologetic workaholic, I’m not criticizing the endless pursuit of optimizing hours in a hustle headed effort to achieve more in less amount of time, it’s the American way (or Western capitalist way), after all.
And again, so much is now capable with computers, the internet and this new era of emerging opportunity with AI, opportunity should absolutely be pursued with all vigor possible.
I am, however, acknowledging that until our physical evolution results end in our eventual form of slugs with oversized eyes and brain plugged into a computer interface, or likely sooner, Neuralink or similar tech integrates directly into our brains for a Matrix-like existence, then we need to acknowledge the broader beings that we currently are and honor the physical side.
After countless hours and days planted and mentally ramped up, but physically unstimulated, our bodies tend to sap our motivation as our productivity wanes and the fruits of our efforts start to fade with diminishing returns. Days of same blend together and we more easily lose track of why and what we are pushing for in the first place.
So, it seems, in order to maximize our potential, we need to in fact force ourselves to be more human and actually take breaks to get out and be a part of this world.
Truth told, I love nature and the outdoors and part of the inspiration to work on my pursuits is to hopefully, maybe, one day as a result, create more time to enjoy such things.
But, we all know that borrowing time today in hopes of a potential future can be a risky bet, so we must find harmony in our everyday endeavors.
Like so many things, it comes down to balance, and, for me at least, a walk, a hike or a weekend away makes has a huge effect on restoring and recharging my mental and motivational capacity.
The trick it seems is to remember and convince yourself to do it. Perhaps more difficult for some than others.
Environmental Inspiration
I’m sure everyone has experienced the feeling of getting stale while working on a task for a long time, maybe stuck on a problem, or tapped out of creative inspiration, only to finally break for a short walk to clear your head which then brings new perspective and a resulting solution to the previously insurmountable task.
Or perhaps after a long day of working on a challenging task, banging your head as you push for completion, you resolve to rest for the night and pick up in the morning, only to have the solution come to you instantly in the daylight hours.
The guaranteed reset and replenishment of inspirational energy for me has always been a destination vacation where new experiences and cultures, whether locally or distant, reveal new perspectives and spark creative thoughts and inspiration. The longer the better, but even only a day or two away on a weekend escape has always served to restore me and put me back on track.
In that somewhere is the key to life I think.
Along with close relationships, new experiences and achievement through work round out a fulfilling balance to life, for me at least.
I’ve always loved the idea of traveling to different locations and taking in the unique energy of that place as creative inspiration to see what it produces. A cabin in the woods perhaps with the feeling of peaceful solitude amidst nature; what thoughts and feelings does that conjure in contrast to a busy city center in a foreign country?
I still dream of being able to travel more and test that technique with prose, vlogging and songwriting inspired by the energies of different cities and natural sites across the country and world.
Perhaps one day, but short of that I’ve often thought that it is a necessity to break out of your routine and experience something new every four to six weeks to keep a minimum level of balance. It could be out in nature or visiting a new city and might only be a weekend, but ideally away from the normal routine for at least a couple nights.
Creatively speaking, how can you possibly have anything to write about without living the experiences of life about which you can write?
Joshua Tree
This past week, for my first time after a very busy first four months of the year, I finally took my own advice and took a weekend trip out to Joshua Tree, one of my favorite spots for creative inspiration and escape here in Southern California.
I was way overdue and had long been feeling the effects of blue light burnout, but it definitely served it’s purpose to renew and recharge my motivational energies.
I definitely wish it would have been more than the two nights that I stayed, but in a place like that, so far away from the routines of the city in both energy and geography, a couple days can have a huge effect.
Growing up in the Mid West, I always thought desert areas to be like those of the Sahara that you see in the movies, just endless dunes of sand and desolation. But out here in Joshua Tree there is such beauty in the unique geography, vegetation and even wildlife that defines the area.
There is way more flora and fauna out in the desert than I would have initially thought, and combined with unique rock formations and supposedly even measurable levels of magnetic fields, the energy of the area is quite uplifting.
Here are some photos from the trip. They barely do justice to the feeling of actually being there, but you can get an idea.
As expected, I’ve felt renewed energy since being back and am excited to continue on working on music and progress with the Niche Creator app.
Client work has been pretty cool lately too, as we’re wrapping up a golf course creator app for Amazon Web Services and the PGA Tour which should be launching in the next couple weeks.
As I type that, I realize that its a lot to take on in a weekly routine, I’ll need to keep tabs on my motivation and energy.
I think I’ll need to plan another getaway in four to six weeks.
~ Michael
Exciting Tech of The Week
All Trails
Ok, this isn’t really “tech” per se, but it is a website with data that might encourage all of us overachieving laptop lovers to get out and be a part of this beautiful, natural world that we were born into and are lucky to still have.
They have hiking locations all across the country and most of the world with great community input on hike difficulty and conditions as well as other recommendations.
My sister and I used this app to find the amazing 12,000 foot summit hike at Mineral King in King’s Canyon near Sequoia a couple years ago.
There are much smaller local hikes all over as well for any level you can imagine.
Highly recommended.
My Creative Updates
I stayed true to my goal of finishing a new song for the house party performance that I played last weekend! For a persistent procrastinator like me, it feels really good to follow through, especially on a subjective, creative goal like finishing a song.
It’s always been a life goal of my to become prolific at translating emotions and expressions into music, and I feel one step closer by following through 😃
This past week I’ve also been working on getting together training data an initial prototype for an AI chatbot for Niche Creator. It’s been a great exercise that has made me realize the breadth and potential of tech in our current era. I’m really excited about what is possible as we continue to make progress.
Looking forward to sharing more progress on music and tech projects in the near future.
