Dream it, Plan it, Do it! (Everyday)

This "Dream it, Plan it, Do it!" buzzword, originally from the National Geographic ADVENTURE magazine, has been an all-time favourite of mine for many years, as I dreamt, planned and did many adventure travels around the world.

Sadly, as many of our U.S. american friends across the big pond never had as much vacation time as we europeans are entitled to (hear Lance Armstrong and Robin Williams genuinely discovering this @iTunes), they now spend more time planning their dreams than executing their plans. Now the U.S. dollar uninterruptedly plunging into new depths, and the gas prices skyrocketing, it has been more of a challenge for Americans to realize their dreams, as the rest of the world is getting more and more unaffordable every single day.

Yet our american folks do have a significant triumph card: the vast nature under their own feet!

Urban or rural, smooth or rugged, your first step outside your living space can decide upon the flavour of the jungle you are entering. If you live in a big US city, chances are you are accustomed to the hazards of the steel canyons of downtown, or you may be living in the suburbs surrounded by nearby wilderness even in the most (and densely) populated areas such as in southern California.

This setting may not be too distinctive throughout the world, though its core uniqueness lies, in my opinion, in the acquaintance of the locals with the wild life surrounding them. Not every american is aware of his or her surroundings, let alone taking full advantage of its amenities, but many do enjoy the pleasures of an active life spent between two (or even more) extremes: mornings in the office, afternoons in the wild!

This shift from "the inside" to "the outside" can be worth a vacation in european terms and help someone to cope daily with the working stress. And when it comes to daily life, this should not solely be an all american phenomenon, but we do love to steal some of the "free" spirit that comes with it.

To get the best of this daily adventure however, you'll need a little bit of planning, and this is universal:

Plan Your Week

For a dedicated outside-inside balance, you'll definitely need to organize your play time and tell others about it, so that you'll not be disturbed at doing it. Seeing you having fun outside does not always cheer up your hardworking collegues at work, so be sincere but reserved about the details. Such remarks as "I had a blast on the trail, again!" or "Gosh, what a ride!" will not boost your appeal among your collegues.

And never tell your collegues about your fun weekends, especially on a monday morning!

Never be late to work!

The guys commuting by car will have millions of chronic excuses for being outrageously late, but as soon as you're the one, who is commuting by a mountain bike to work, you're the ultimative cool asshole who gets the most of play time at others' expenses. Be on time and always smile!

Never show your collegues your great Helm camera movies, the ones you uploaded to YouTube. Do you ever show your office iChat movies to your bike mates? It's not cool.

Do not act small-mindedly

I know you do not smoke, but still, do not take the smoking breaks of others into your own working account. The smoke and steal time, but it is not your business. You'll live longer, and cooler. Do your work, and do it in overtime if you don't not want to leave it unfinished. And so, you don't owe anyone any apology, once your coffee break takes a little longer than usual.

Never ever call in sick. This will encourage arguments in your office, that playing is not as healthy as it sounds for your professional life and we don't want that. If you're injured, come in and show up "all-smiles" with your plaster cast and tell your co-workers what an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime incident you happenned to have survived! This will drive them nuts.

Plan Your Day

Do not overload your day and never plan any meetings after 3 PM. Always opt for that meal, the others love so much, but avoid in favour of their ongoing diets. Show your co-workers, that you're tough, hardworking and resilient, but never expose readiness to anything ad hoc after 5 PM. 

15 Minutes prior to closing time: Start dreaming!

Commute by bike!

It's not cool to transport bikes on expensive cars. So, leave your expensive car home and bike to work.

All Your Stuff

If you don't have it with you, you'll not do it. So bring all your gear with you, your clothes, accecories and your gadgets. Load your iPod with music or podcasts, your GPS with waypoints and your bottle with fresh water. 

You may leave your daily clothes in the office for reuse, but you should consider the smell factor if you intend to wear that white shirt unwashed more than twice!

Tip: Check the batteries of your gadgets right after you come into the office in the morning, or better right after you come home at night. 

Laptop

If you do have the new MacBook Air, it weighs almost nothing, so, take it with you. If you have something bigger or heavier, sell it and buy the MacBook Air, or a Blackberry or better, an iPhone. For me 4-5 Kilos (app. 9 lbs) is the limit for a daily bike commute, so your overdimensional 17 inch MacBook Pro will not fit any of your expensive bike backpacks.

If you want to keep your laptop, keep it there, where you'll need it the most. I leave mine home or give my messenger bike to my wife, who happens to work nearby my office, so she shuttles it daily.

Get Out of Bed early

If you want to have fun, get up early and claim your bathroom rights* and breakfast space against your kids. Thus, you will get the "cold" milk for your cereals, and a fresh coffee, before they play "demolition man" in your kitchen!

Combine it with Treats

There might be a Starbucks on the corner of your office, or "Paul's Coffee Shop" (for notorious Starbucks haters). So, combine your daily ride with a Latte and most importantly, drink it there, not in front of your iMac in the cubicle (uhmm.. Venti = 250 Kcal). You might even have some time to read the daily news, chat and interact with others and cool down a bit. This might not be very appropriate though, if you're on your fastest lap or it is a typical rainy day on the trails, keep in mind, there are absolutely no showers at Starbucks. Sit there, where you can spot at least a small portion of your 3000 $ unlocked bike.

Log it!

You bought all that gear, so use it. Keep a road book, write everything down, online or on a Moleskine diary: the course, distance, time, calories spent, all the relevant heart rate information and of course your own impressions about the ride. Take pictures on the road, post them online, and if you have the time, blog about it.

A friendly advice

Never tell your wife how fun it is to work and play everyday like this, she will cut your tongue while you are sleeping (the ultimative nightmare phenomenon for husbands). Oh, again, that's not too bad, you may still ride or run, and listen to your iPod without your tongue cut off, so keep hoping that she doesn't cut your ears or worse, your legs or your ..uhmm..

(*) European Measurement: 1 american house = 15 bathrooms, 1 european house = 1 Bathroom