Outbound Collective logo

7 Tips For Balancing Work, Life, And Getting Outside

Never come down with another case of the Mondays.

By: Rachel Davidson + Save to a List

There’s this great romantic divide between being a worker bee at a booming tech company and being an avid outdoor adventurer. Your work life and weekend life complement and contrast each other. There are commonalities between both and there are many, many differences.

Hike the Tenderfoot Trail | Photo: Christin Healey

It’s a fun challenge to maximize the 2 days of the week you get to spend away from your desk. Here are a few ideas to help:

1. Leave the stress at the office

Don’t let your weekends feel like work. There’s nothing worse than beginning an outdoor getaway by shouldering a heavy backpack with the added weight of guilt, worry, or stress leftover from a weekday dilemma. No matter how serious the issue seems between 9 to 5, a weekend adventure should give you the opportunity to momentarily lapse in these responsibilities and enjoy your time outside.

2. Unplug

We’re wired in all day - on standby to respond to emails, messages, phone calls, and more at the tap or swipe of a finger. So when you get the chance to disconnect from all of the buzzes, ringtones, and notifications that absorb your working life, take it.

Distraction-free adventures begin with a simple selection of the “Airplane Mode” function on your smartphone. You’ll still be able to capture the moment with your camera, without letting a text interrupt the perfect sunset shot. Plus, you’ll be conserving the battery life on your phone for up to a couple of days, which could be the extra safety measure that gets you back to your work desk in one piece.

3. Keep good company

Find a group of like-minded folks who are also driven to spend their weekends outdoors. It’s easier to look forward to a weekend full of faces you won’t see every day during the week. Plus, more people means more gear, trail stories, and camp food to share.

For the lone explorer, make your weekend time your “me time.” You spend every other moment during the week fostering connections and creating new ones - use your weekend as a chance to wander alone on a solo outdoor adventure.

Raft the Grand Canyon | Photo: Kevin Kaminski

4. Do something that scares you

You challenge yourself at work, you’re a go-getter, and your boss knows that you kicked ass on that last quarter-end project. But one thing you don’t get to do behind a desk every day is climb on the side of a cliff or scale a mountain. Let yourself get a little breathless on your weekends, add an edge to the Sunday scaries.

Whether it’s something that truly scares you, or just an activity that momentarily jars you from your everyday routine, it’s good to do something that makes you feel alive and vulnerable once in awhile.

5. Never stop looking for new hobbies

Just like in your job, you’ll get bored if you’re performing the same task or visiting the same park weekend after weekend. Maybe you’re comfortable with the trails you know or pitches you’ve scaled, but without moving forward you won’t make any progress. You can explore all kinds of new activities and amazing places to do them on The Outbound, so find something to get your imagination running during the workweek and be ready to push your limits by Saturday.

Cross Country Skiing the Rendezvous Huts | Photo: Jason Zabriskie

6. Help your office be eco-friendly

It will be that much easier to return to your desk Monday morning when you’re working for a company that does good. Ask your team about their corporate social responsibility principles or see where in your office you could improve recycling or electricity preservation. Work for a company that inspires greatness in their employees and feel better about your workplace and the time you spend there.

7. Find a flexible job that suits your lifestyle

This is the most important part of balancing your life outside of work and your career; with a job that makes sense for you. Find a field job that lets you take on flexible hours, work at the crack of dawn so your afternoons become yours, or try to pack in your weekly hours into a couple of days to snowball your weekends.

When it comes down to it, money pays the bills, buys the gear, and funds the adventure. So find a job that suits you and what’s important for you, so you can keep exploring.

Please respect the places you find on The Outbound.

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures. Be aware of local regulations and don't damage these amazing places for the sake of a photograph. Learn More

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Do you love the outdoors?

Yep, us too. That's why we send you the best local adventures, stories, and expert advice, right to your inbox.

Related

Hiking in comfort: a review of Danner Mountain 600 Evo boots

Meghan White

A peek through God's window

Heather Arnold

A golden happy hour on the California coast

Hannah Sibley

Lake Tahoe's trifecta: 3 Days of adventure at Zephyr Cove

Ranz Navarro

10 Ways to make camping in Yosemite National Park even better

Meghan White