Simple Habits That Help You Spend More Time Outside at Home

How much time do you spend in your backyard? Do you make good use of it, or is it just a place where your grill and lawn chairs live?

It’s so funny how people spend a good deal of money on their backyards, and then they hardly ever use them. And what’s even funnier (or tragic, depending on how you look at it) is how it’s not the lack of time that keeps people from going outside, but this wrong assumption that you have to have a specific reason for why you’re going into your own backyard.

If you’re having friends over or if you’re gardening, then you’ll go outside. 

But you’ll drink your coffee every morning in the kitchen, even though it’s beautiful outside, and it would do you good to breathe in some fresh air and soak up a bit of sun. 

That framing is the issue, so let me show you how to do things differently.

Easy Ways to Make the Outdoors Part of Your Day

I won’t tell you to put up a tent in your backyard and move there. You shouldn’t feel like you HAVE to go outside, because why would you put that pressure on yourself? But you also shouldn’t feel like you can’t simply step out just because.

No reason other than, “I wanna do that right now.”

Here’s how to make that into a habit.

Take Your Morning Outside

That first hour after you wake up is a bigger deal than you think because it almost dictates how the rest of your day is going to go. Once you form habits for this part of your morning, they tend to stick, so why not carry that first cup of coffee out instead of having it at your kitchen counter?

Your brain will notice that change when you get some sun and fresh air. This tells your body it’s time to wake up, and if you think your indoor lights can do it just as well, think again. 

5 minutes every morning is really all you need.

Eat One Meal in the Fresh Air

You have to sit down to have lunch or dinner anyway, right? 

So, shake things up and sit in a different spot. Having a deck will be a total game-changer here. I didn’t have one until recently, but then I visited my friend in Tennessee. She found such a good deck builder in Orlinda TN, who built her the most amazing deck. 

Naturally, I wanted one, too.

Keep in mind that a deck or a porch isn’t a necessity, though. They’re just really, really nice to have. But all you really need is a flat surface, a table, and some chairs. 

Once you’re outside, listening to the birds and the leaves rustling, you’ll slow down whether you notice it or not.

Bring Your Hobby With You

There’s a lot of stuff you can do outside, and you probably have a hobby or 2. Reading, journaling, solving crosswords, puzzles, yoga, meditation, it can all be done on the patio or even sitting on a lawn. You don’t have to learn anything new or make endless adjustments to make this work. 

It’s insanely simple, you just need to remember to go outside first and THEN turn on your podcast or open your book.

You’ll be surprised at how drinking coffee and solving a crossword puzzle can be a whole experience if you do it outside instead of cooped up in the house.

Move a Little Every Day

‘Exercise’ has a certain weight to it. 

A lot of people avoid it because they don’t feel like doing it, they think it needs too much preparation, and so on. But it’s important to stay active, and that doesn’t mean doing deadlifts every day. Grab a yoga mat and stretch one day, take a short walk around the yard, maybe a bit of gentle gardening, or play with your dog; it’s all physical activity that doesn’t even feel like a workout.

Slow Down Before the Day Ends

As the day starts to end, it’s good to slow down, and it’s even better if you do it in the fresh air. You can spend that last hour of daylight doing whatever. 

Watch the sunset, chat with your partner, read a book, or listen to good music. 

As the light changes, your body will naturally start to wind down, which is a huge thing when it comes to relaxing and getting ready for bed. 

Again, this doesn’t have to take forever; 10 minutes on your porch and you’re good to go.

Conclusion

From all the change-your-life-for-the-better articles online, you have to admit that the ideas you read are among the simplest you can find. You don’t have to go out of your way to do anything; you just have to take the book you read in the living room outside and read there. 

That’s literally all the ‘work’ that’s necessary. 

And since this is all so easy to do, it would be a real shame if you missed the benefits that being outside brings.