Living Every Day With Clear Intentions

On a sustainable surfing safari in Southern California, Part II

Nice big swells rolling in from the Pacific Ocean earlier this Saturday morning. Photo: Per Håkansson.

Editor’s Note

Hello,

A week into my road trip to Southern California to work, surf, and meet friends I’m getting into the groove, so well actually, I’m extending the trip a week due to great surf, interesting people, and fantastic fall weather.

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How you structure your day is how your structure your life. Having a clear intention with every day before you wake up makes everything simple. Suddenly time, attention, and creative energy are on your side.

This road trip is designed around work, seeing friends, and spending maximum time outdoors and in the water. One things fuels the others, and when they jam together, I’m experiencing eurphoric daily highs.

The convenience society has made everything immediate and abundant but the real killer strategy is not consumption but simpler planning. The better plan and days can be freed up to focus on the things that really matters.

Since I arrived in Encinitas, California, my daily schedule looks as follows:

5 am – Rise and shine

6 am – Down at the beach with coffee and board, checking the surf as the sun is peaking over the Eastern hills

7 am – Surf and/or kettlebell workout on the beach followed by public outdoor shower and brought breakfast plus refill water bottles

9 am – Four hours of deep work followed by outdoor lunch, often at the local library with view over the Pacific Ocean

2 pm – Beach time walking, reading, or seeing friends for sunset

7 pm – The sun has set and it’s time for dinner and then bedtime

Since it’s a small town it’s easy to get around by foot, bike, or car so very little time is wasted on commuting or gas. But, people do live in different towns so it might take 10-20 minutes to swing by to see friends.

Waiting for the sunrise with the car parked with bike and board on the roof rack. A magic way to begin every day. And it’s free. Photo: Per Håkansson.

The few things I brought have been frequently used and worked out great. My constraints were very effective in doing the job well or identifying opportunities for improvement to increase freedom and save time.

The iPad Air charged too slowly via the USB-A car adapter so I upgraded to an Anker dual USB-C for both iPad and Watch for three times faster charging. It’s 40 shared Watts which is sufficient to maximize both devices.