Approx. reading time: 6 minutes

In late 2016 I decided to quit the rat race and redesign my life in a way that was more satisfying, interesting and adventurous both in my personal and professional life. I didn't even know how to accomplish the large and vague objective of "living better", although I know it meant being more entrepreneurial and spending more time outdoors!

Here is an update on the journey so far.

As the halfway point of the year comes ever closer, it's kind of startling how many times I have changed my description on social media. You know, those few words, casually tossed next to your profile picture, perfectly and concisely summing up what an interesting, complex and charming individual you are, capturing all your idiosyncrasies in just a handful of characters. Sound familiar? No, not for me either.

On my Twitter and Instagram this "micro bio" has gone through so many iterations that it is now clearer than ever that my personal development plan is erm... far from clear.

I think a friend of mine has got it about right. His twitter profile simply reads "No-one ever gets this right, do they?". But, he is obviously not as insecure as me. I have a need for an identity, something I never really thought of, but something that I realised during my recent chat with Dave Cornthwaite... but more on that here.

It seems that as I go through my own personal metamorphosis so do my social media accounts and so has this web site. Cathy O'Dowd (celebrated mountaineer and motivational speaker) quite rightly questioned the direction and scope of this site when I spoke to her, back in late 2016. At the time I commented that I was embracing the chaos that is The Armchair Mountaineer. It’s changing face - and therefore mine - is very much part of my journey.

Listen to me discuss my journey on the Join Up Dots Podcast.

This remains true but I have also started to expand it with a clearer eye on monetisation at a future date. I am glad to say that amid this life (r)evolution I have stuck to a few things that I had pinpointed as being key to making my existence happier. They are:

Managing My Time Differently
Being Creative
Learning More
Spending More Time Outdoors
Accomplish One Huge Challenge

Here are a few words on each, together with some examples to illustrate (for better or worse) the effects.

1. Managing My time Differently

The format of "normal" working life, the 9 to 5 that slips quickly and easily into a routine of 7 to 7, was not for me. I am happy to "put in the hours"- I am after all writing this at midnight on a Saturday - but I knew I wanted to experiment with managing my own time flexibly. I wanted to have the opportunity to apply certain rules to it that would enhance my well being and shape the way I work into a more focussed template.

Examples:

I now write a journal first thing in the morning, in order to record moods, useful realisations and set an agenda for each day.
As a general rule, I now only check emails in the morning. This greatly increases focus on whatever I have scheduled to do in the afternoon, such as longer creative writing or research for a work project.
I do some work that requires greater focus late at night or early in the morning, when the rest of the world sleeps.
I am now able to take a more involved role in home life, sharing more time with my wife and daughter.
But it is not all perfect, it has been hard to limit the work I do and learn to say no to people, in order to focus more closely on the projects that I believe will ultimately be most "fulfilling" - whether that means more enjoyable or more profitable.
Working from home has also had some negative impact which I touch upon here.

2. Being Creative

I knew I wanted to be creative; partly just for the sake of it but also by embarking on a variety of interesting work projects which allow me to learn more.

Examples:

I am writing every day. Whether in my journal, my articles, this blog or ideas for more than one book.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Without a steady stream of income I have taken the opportunity of allowing my mind to think of new creative business ideas. This kind of thinking I can really recommend - we are probably all entrepreneurial, given the right kind of environment and a little confidence.
As a result of brainstorming business ideas I am involved in a number of exciting work projects with positive and creative people.
One such is HD Outsourcing which connects talented outsourced IT resources to a UK & US business audience.
I have also been working on an augmented reality mobile app, of which there will be more in the future.

3. Learning More

Long before deciding to quit the rat race I think I had stopped learning in the workplace, I was managing people's expectations and not stretching my mind. Yes I was stretching my patience, my capacity to deal with an ever changing environment, even my tolerance for stress, but not really my mind. I was not learning new skills.

Yesterday, I completed an exercise which I have taken to doing from time to time. I wrote down the things I have learnt, just in the last month. 1500 words flowed easily and quickly - amazing!

Examples:

Online projects such as this web site, HD Outsourcing as well as researching other ventures, or articles to write have made me learn about:
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Social Media Promotion
- Video Editing
- Affiliate Marketing.
- Inbound Marketing
Working on my own, from home has taught me new disciplines such as organisational skills, understanding my own strengths and weaknesses better, schedules that work for me and helping me to recognise who I am and what I want.
Whether prepping a new site, researching a new business, or finding out best practice for landing pages, hands on experience has taught me a multitude of things about which I knew little previously.
It really pays to approach and to ask people for advice. I owe a debt of gratitude to Simon Spyer at Conduit and Aires Loutsaris, award winning SEO consultant, for sharing their wisdom.

4. Spending more time outdoors

I have tried to actively engage in the outdoor community that thrives on social media and it has been a pleasant experience. I have stepped up my blog, my writing has improved and as the traffic to it increases I have also had some very nice comments from readers.

My favourite #blog post I've read this year https://t.co/Tu8UpwE2WP @ACMountaineer @townsendoutdoor #story #hero #adventure #hiking
— Sarah Venturer (@sarah_venturer) May 4, 2017

Most importantly it continues to keep me connected to mountains and nature. I am happy to say that my enthusiasm for the outdoors grows. And with this enthusiasm my day-to-day happiness also increases.

I am out every week; walking or paddling. Something I dreamt of when I was younger and seldom actually did.

Example of a few related Articles or Blog Posts from the last few months:

5. Accomplish One huge Challenge

Early on I set myself the challenge of accomplishing one huge challenge in 2017, as part of my life redesign. This was done partly to see what I was capable of achieving on my own and partly as an exercise in building self-confidence - the two being linked. I settled ion an ultra marathon to marry my love of running and the outdoors.

Unfortunately these athletic dreams have gone up in smoke and, with the news from last week's MRI scan that I may have some meniscal damage, I am having to carefully manage what I do. Earlier in the year I had the pleasure to speak to Ali Young and Alison North (two respected runners). Their advice remains in my mind and committed to paper, to be used next year if all goes well. My resolve to run a long-distance event is unbowed, if a little delayed. I will get their one day!

the small print (There is still a long way to go).

I suppose its appropriate, like my desire to train for and run an ultra, this journey of redesign is also a game of patience and a question of trial and error. It has not been perfect; for one I am earning money only sporadically which, whilst not causing any alarms at present, is disconcerting for your average mortgage payer!

I still lack self belief, but jumping in the deep end is a great way to change this. I have no regrets about my decision to use 2017 to redesign my life. I can really recommend it. I am happier than I have been in a long time and I retain optimism for my own future, professional and personal. Bring on the next seven months! You should try it too!

If you want to know more or talk about your own experiences in redesign your life, please feel free to comment below or contact me here on Facebook or Twitter. You can listen to me discuss my journey on the Join Up Dots Podcast.

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Cleveland Way - Scarborough to High Hawsker

In October 2020, my friend Dave and I walked a section of the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire over a couple of days. We started from Scarborough and walked to Ravenscar (18 km). The next day we walked to High Hawsker (15 km).

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Packrafting the River Tamiš

In July 2020, in a brief respite from the worries of the covid pandemic, I had the good fortune to be able to escape for a little adventure, spending 3 days paddling down the Tamiš river in northern Serbia, in my packraft.

Interview with Emily Woodhouse - Founder of Intrepid Magazine

I recently had the pleasure to interview Emily Woodhouse, someone who is well known and someone who has been somewhat of a pioneer in giving a voice to many women in the adventure / outdoor sports world.

In this interview Emily gives me some insight into her whirlwind entrepreneurial journey and how much there is to learn from diving into a (business) adventure.

Not only has Intrepid Magazine provided something that was missing in the outdoor space but it is doubly satisfying to know it was the vision of someone who cares passionately about the subject matter, saw the importance of it and had the courage to go through with it… although I am not sure Emily herself see it as “courage”. As she says in the interview: “I looked at the hole in the magazine world and thought: I can do that”.

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Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the wallaby)

The loch was like a mirror as we set off from Luss on Friday to explore. Having walked to the high point on Inchtavannach to admire the views, and paddled around Inchmoan, watching the deer come down to the water’s edge, we agreed to spend the night on Inchconnachan for no other reason than it appeared absolutely idyllic as the sun began to sink and the evening light bathed the lake in a silvery light.

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Weekend Adventure - From lying in the sun to crying on a plane

I have mentioned a few times that my daughter is neither naturally sporty, particularly active or indeed fearless. She is perhaps the opposite. So I was especially proud that she decided on the Saturday morning, as we dithered whether to have an hour in the water at Buzz Active Cuckmere, that this was indeed the ideal opportunity for her to go solo in a kayak for the first time.

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Canoeing the Wye: Happiness V Social Media [Video]

I had so much fun this weekend that I didn’t tell anyone about it. Imagine that! The moment was way more important to me than broadcasting about it. Yes, I know it should be, but if we are honest with ourselves, it isn’t alway, is it?

I spent Friday and Saturday canoeing down the Wye with my 7 year old daughter, from Hoarwithy to Symonds Yat. It is the first time either of us has done this kind of trip and to share this adventure together was the sort of experience that makes me go all mushy and emotional…

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Wild Night Out 2019: The Whining

Travelling in ultra lightweight style (we only carried four cricket stumps instead of the full compliment of six) Emma and I marched along the coast path, over the dunes and onto the vast sands of our beautiful coast for a perfect Wild Night Out 2019, until the high-pitched whining started…

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30 Days Wild: Suburban Springwatch

One thing I decided to do this year was leave one corner of the garden wild. I don’t know how long it will last as pressure builds from within the family to “do something” with that corner but while it does last it has had a positive effect in terms of wildlife.

Perhaps the best aspect of this experiment is the fact that every night around 9pm we have a fat hedgehog who comes through our front gate, wanders through the garden to this unkempt patch of land and roots around for a couple of hours before waddling off to check out what the neighbours have to offer.

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30 Days Wild: Freshwalks: Networking in the Outdoors

This filthy-wet month, I am trying to spend time outside in nature during my working day as part of the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild. I cannot pretend it has been as easy as last year’s sun-drenched June when gently swaying flower meadows and deserted Norfolk beaches called out to me.

However, recently a client of mine drew my attention to an innovative and inspiring initiative getting business people into the outdoors, for Freshwalks. The benefits of which might surprise a few…

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30 days Wild: Welcome to my office

“Can you repeat that please sir?” I could hear a slightly exasperated tone on the other end of the line.

This morning, a few days into June and woefully short of what I hope to achieve during 30 Days Wild, I ventured out into the meadow to make a few phone calls. I took my office outdoors! The helpful assistant from Barclays Business Banking went off for a few minutes to find out some information, and probably to curse me as my microphone was buffeted by the breeze, that bent the tall flowers surrounding me and repeatedly flicked my hood over my head.

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30 Days Wild: Switch off with Nature

We are just a few days away from June and the start of 30 Days Wild; the Wildlife Trusts amazing initiative to get people outside, enjoying and appreciating nature.

This year, as part of 30 Days Wild I will be focussing on how nature can help alleviate the stresses and strains of work and how to get more of it into the working day.

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Do you want to live more adventurously?

The decision to change my life and live more adventurously was utterly instinctive, borne of exasperation, a last resort. I was burnt out, suffering from anxiety, depressed.

How I got to the point of changing the direction of my life was a couple of years of mental wrangling and torture, until I stumbled across some inspiration.