A walk in the park
Dwight Schrute from The Office (US version) is possibly not the professional example most of us would aspire to, with his aggressive oddness, superhuman levels of pettiness and obsession with beets. Thankfully, the actor who plays him, Rainn Wilson, seems like a much saner and more likeable individual. Last year, he wrote a guest essay for the New York Times with the eye-catching title, What I Learned at a Fire Ceremony With King Charles.
As well as writing about the fire ceremony in question, he also mentioned the “20-5-3” Outdoor Formula. This was developed by neuroscientist Rachel Hopman-Droste as an easy way to commit to spending time outdoors in nature with all the manifold benefits that brings in terms of physical and mental and possibly even spiritual wellbeing.
Hopman-Droste’s “20-5-3” rule recommends:
20 minutes at least three days a week in a nearby natural setting, such as your back garden if you have one, or any other green space, even a row of trees on a local walk.
5 hours a month in semi-wild nature, such as national parks or National Trust land.
3 days a year in “true wilderness,” such as camping or hiking or staying somewhere remote where you can go offline.
I for one am determined to spend more time outdoors in 2026. If you’re interested in doing the same and even having a coaching conversation at the same time (you can see more on the benefits of that here) then please get in touch or on Linkedin.
