There’s no such thing as too much adventure but sometimes it does feel like there’s not enough time
Besides potentially feeling a bit achy and forever daydreaming about your next outdoor stint, are there any negative points to filling life with more adventure?
You’re not likely to look back on your years and think ‘hey, what was I doing spending so much time outside having fun’…
Whether it’s a short river swim, a weekend cycle tour or even month-long backpacking trips, fill life with more adventure and you won’t regret it. But perhaps I’m preaching to the choir?
In our recent newsletter survey, loads of readers said their biggest roadblock to getting outside wasn’t confidence, knowledge, lack of motivation or money – they said it was not having the time. Those seconds, minutes and hours are pretty damn precious and it’s exactly the same for us.
The good news is: there are loads of ways you can find more time for getting sweaty and muddy outside.
Even with family responsibilities, a demanding job, loads of personal commitments or even being newly introduced to Game of Thrones… these tips will help you make more time for adventure!
25 Ways to Make More Time for Adventure
1. Keep your bags packed and gear ready
This way, when there is a moment free, you can get straight out the door and not waste time packing.
2. Have packing lists ready
It’s not always possible to keep your bags packed so instead keep a packing list written down so you can get your things together quicker. If you need help with packing lists then our Gear section is filled with resources.
3. Keep adventure ideas in mind
Instead of thinking up an idea during the time you could be outside, have adventure ideas ready. You could plan out things to fit within an afternoon, day, weekend, week etc. and have everything organised to save time.
4. Don’t be reliant on the weather
With a busy schedule it can be hard to chance free days that also have good weather. Get yourself kitted out to go in any weather and you’ll enjoy your free time outside come rain or shine.
5. Make a timetable and scrutinise!
Keep track of how you’re spending your time and see if there are unnecessary bits you could cut out. With a plan of your week/month, you’ll be able to see when you’ve got free and cram in more outdoor thrills.
6. Disconnect and switch off
How much time do you spend watching TV, surfing the web or on social media? However awesome Game of Thrones might be, a lot of this time could be cut down and spent outside doing something epic.
7. Allocate specific time for your outdoor fix
Instead of just ‘fitting in’ adventure, why not specifically allocate time for it? Maybe Wednesday evening could be put aside for an adrenaline fix? Sundays could be time for day trips?
8. Wake up earlier
The earlier bird… has far more time for awesome experiences! Wake up early and you can fit in a whole world of fun before ‘normal’ life even begins.
9. Keep a flexible schedule
Trying to be flexible with your schedule will make last-minute and impromptu adventures more possible. You’ll be surprised what you can fit in with a surprise free afternoon.
10. Look ahead
With busier schedules, you might need to look further ahead in your diary (if you don’t have one, keeping one can also help!). Take a look and see if you can plan an adventure on a free patch, whether it’s days, weeks or months ahead. This will also be useful if you’re planning particularly epic or long outdoor trips.
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11. Tell people about an adventure and commit to it
We got this one from Sean Conway. Once you’ve got a trip or challenge lined up, telling people about it will help you commit to it. In life things always change but having motivation from others will help you stick to plans even if things get sticky closer to the time.
12. Bring your friends, family and animals along
If friend, family or animal commitments are meaning you get out less, why not bring them in on the action? It’ll be rewarding for them and a bonding experience for the two of you.
13. Kid/pet swap with friends
If you’ve got kids/pets and you also have friends with similar interests who have kids/pets, why not arrange some kind of rota where you take turns looking after said kids/pets to allow time for adventure?
14. Embrace local adventures
This is one of our favourites on so many levels. Local adventures are much easier to fit in as well as being more eco-friendly and eye-opening to local opportunities.
15. Have an open mind
Look at ‘adventure’ with an open mind and you’ll find more of it. Maybe month-long expeditions aren’t an option but day trips and half-day exploits definitely could be?
16. Work out how much money you really need
Let’s face it: the biggest time constraint for most of us is work. But, do you really need to work that much or take on that overtime? Take a look at your spending; perhaps you could cut back on hours to make more time for the outdoors?
17. Cut down on spending
Another obvious step is to cut down your spending. Meals out, trips to the pub, monthly subscriptions etc. could probably be tightened which would allow you to work less and adventure more.
18. Tell your work about your hobbies
Perhaps your boss or colleagues have similar interests? Maybe if they saw your passion they’d be more persuadable about you taking time off? At the very least, you might find people you can bond with over your love for the outdoors.
19. Maybe an outdoor course could benefit your work?
Outdoor courses can give so many skills, many of which could benefit your job. Maybe you could speak to your work about doing one? Or what about organising an outdoor team-building exercise?
20. It’s never to late to change fields…
If your work is stopping your outdoor passions, could you try and find a position more accommodating? It might even incorporate the outdoors? Then you’d be on to a winner!
21. Stay healthy
With a busy schedule it can be HARD filling your free time with potentially gruelling activities in grim conditions. Staying fit and healthy will give you the energy to say NO to a cosy night in and YES to a last-minute wild camp!
22. Move closer
If you’ve got to travel for hours to get your outdoor fix then it’s going to be harder to fit in. If possible, why not think about moving to an outdoor town closer to the action? That way you could spend more time outside and less in transit.
23. Go faster and harder!
Sure, casually walking a local peak might take an afternoon but what about training to run it in hours? With this mentality, you can have some crazy experiences and fit in plenty more action!
24. Keep inspired
This won’t give you extra time, but keeping filled with adventure inspiration will motivate you to make extra time. Whether it’s making outdoor buddies, reading adventure books, listening to epic podcasts or even documentaries, keep inspired and you’ll find the time to fit more in.
25. Make it a priority
At the end of the day, the bigger a priority adventure is the more likely it will happen. Plans change and things popup but the higher a priority your time outside is, the less likely it’ll get wiped off the schedule.
