Earlier this month, I went on an adventure. It was amazing. I learned a lot about new and interesting topics, and also about myself.
If given the choice, I’ll choose hiking above other activities, and there was great hiking on this trip. Hiking provides time to think, and I realized that many lessons learned from hiking can be applied to life and to organizing, as well. Here are a few things I learned:
Many small steps often work better than fewer larger steps (especially for short people like me). My hiking guide was much taller than me (most folks are!) but still took the trail in small steps sometimes. Smaller steps help control your exertion, keep your muscles from over-stretching and allow for more certain foot placement. My habit is to take long strides. That works on flat Illinois and Michigan paths but not so well on rocky and uneven steep climbs. Expect to change up your stride, and you will go far.
The Right Pace makes all the difference. Recognize that in hiking and in life.
Don’t jump down onto loose gravel. I might even state, don’t Jump Down ever, since you don’t know if the trail is loose or not. Strategic foot placement keeps you from slipping (much!).
Even cloudy days hold their own beauty. (see right!)
Save enough energy for the hike back. Some of us start out moving really fast but then burn out our energy early. Better to keep moving, even slowly, than to have to stop or turn back. Slow and steady really does win the race.
Conversely, we are only hiking out for half the trip. The other half is hiking home. This was a very good reminder when UP the hills was getting tough. For every tough UP climb, there is a corresponding gentler DOWN climb.
Our own breathing sounds very loud to us. But our fellow hikers are only hearing their own breathing, as well. I felt very self conscious about how hard I was breathing, then I realized my fellow hikers couldn’t hear me over their own breathing. The point is for us to focus on improving ourselves, and let others focus on working on themselves.
Wear layers. Pack Enough but Pack Light.
My biggest hiking adventure was a half-day canyon hike. We started out at 9 am at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The sun warmed the canyon, we climbed above 4,000 feet and then a cold front rolled through. There were many layers shed and then put back on. Hiking wisdom says “Plan for Cold” if you want to Pack Enough, because you can always take off layers as you heat up. But no matter what you bring, you are stuck carrying it, either on your body or in your backpack, so pack light.
Pack Enough but Pack Light can be good advice for life, too. Carry and have what you need but not too much more.
Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. And always bring a snack.
The really great views require effort.
My hiking guide Kevin reminded me of this as we gazed out over the valley. If you want the really good views (aka, the tough and amazing outcomes), you have to be ready to work hard.
Recovery time is essential. Very often, in hiking and in life, I forget to factor in recovery time. Hard work, either physical or mental, is good work but it also uses our body’s resources, and those resources need replenished. I hiked A LOT on my trip, and by the third day, my legs reminded me they needed to slow down a little and take a break if I wanted them to continue to operate in good form. So day 4 was a slower day, a recovery day. And then I got back to it on day 5. The point? If you want you and your body to operate well, factor down-time and rest into your busy schedule.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my adventure and photos with you. I hope you learned a few things from my hikes, too!
and education (and never to show off!) To shake things up and remind me why I write, lets start out with this week’s conclusions and suggestions:
weekly recurring tasks for home and business in the last few months. For example:
Let me be the little voice in your head this week, urging you to make the good and healthy choices even when life gets hectic or when you’re on the road or adventuring. That is when we need the consistency and self care the most. Stick with those Routines, especially when you don’t want to!
my handout copies, promotional pens to share, water bottle and a few visuals. That was easy to put together and then set by the door.
carry a go-bag with me every day. (OK, she called it a diaper bag though I don’t have a small child). But I do always care it with me and it is indeed always packed. It contains my small charger bag with all my cords plus a power bank and a multi port charging station. I also carry a back up shirt in there in case I get grubby at a client appt, a small bag of snacks for just 
in case, a small bag of toiletries like a toothbrush and toothpaste, and the keyboard for my IPad. These is plenty of room left over, too, in case I want to toss in my Ipad, bullet journal, book, etc.
all the time with anything you would need to go to the beach or the pool: beach sheet, frisbee, swim goggles, sunscreen and bug spray, diving toys, etc. That bag is always packed and ready to go.
let’s face it – some days may eat up those 20 minutes. But the Habit and Focus and Routine still matter!
other clutter), turn off the porch light and open up the curtains to let in the sunshine. (Elapsed time 2 minutes)
down those specific tasks that need to be completed! “Clean Garage” isn’t specific, but “break down cardboard boxes flat”, “tune up bicycles”, “winterize snow blower”, “hang peg board” or “go through drawers in work bench” surely are.
unclaimed and unfixable items, the unused and unwanted stuff, the plain old rubbish.
cardboard can be inviting to bugs and rodents, and can harbor dust, dampness and mold.
all on the same daily to-do list. Obviously, the scope of the guitar task was far beyond the other two simple tasks. And not surprisingly, “learn to play the guitar” was too broad and too vague to really allow any progress towards the goal!