Of the four things on our badge, sun is the easiest. It's free, it shows up every day, and it takes no skill. It's also the first habit to disappear when work gets busy and the days get short.
Here's how we think about it. No science lecture, just what we do and what we notice.
Sun before screens
The simplest version of the habit: get outside before you look at your phone for long. Step out with the first coffee. Stand on the porch for a few minutes. Walk to the end of the street and back.
It doesn't have to be a workout or a ritual. The point is that the first thing you see in the morning is the day itself, not a feed. We find the rest of the morning goes a little differently when it starts that way. That's an observation, not a promise, and you can test it yourself in a week.
If you want a reason to make the coffee portable, that's what our Sun Steak Steel Badge Mug is for. Drink it outside.
Walking counts
Walking gets overlooked because it's not impressive. Nobody posts their walk. That's fine. It's still one of the best ways we know to get outside on a regular basis.
A few ways we fit it in:
- A short walk after a meal instead of going straight back to the couch or the desk
- Phone calls taken on foot when you don't need a screen
- Parking at the far end of the lot, on purpose
- A longer walk on the weekend with no destination and no podcast
None of these need gear, a plan or an app. Shoes and a door.
Short days, same rule
In the colder months the sun comes up later and goes down earlier, and a lot of people commute in the dark both ways. If the only daylight you saw this week came through a windshield, that's worth fixing.
What we do in winter:
- Treat the lunch break as daylight time. Ten minutes outside beats ten more minutes of scrolling.
- Dress for it. A hoodie and a hat make cold mornings a lot more reasonable.
- Do the outdoor errands in the middle of the day when we can.
Use common sense the rest of the year too. When it's bright and hot, shade, water and sunscreen are part of the habit, not a break from it.
Make it boring
The trick with any habit is to make it so ordinary you stop negotiating with yourself. Same door, same time, same short loop. On good days you'll stay out longer. On bad days you'll do the minimum. Both count.
We like that sun is the one pillar nobody can sell you. There's no premium version of a morning walk. You just go.
Start tomorrow
If you want one thing to try: tomorrow, take your first coffee outside, before the phone. Five minutes. See how it goes, and do it again the next day.
Next up on Thursday: bitcoin, and why we accept it.