Earthing, grounding, Shumann’s Resonance, negative ions, sunshine, photovaltaic effect, moving like a hunter-gatherer, fresh air–all the nice sounding incredible experiences that could calm you down, supercharge your mitocondra, make your creative juices flow like water down a mountain stream, preserve your DNA, build muscle mass and make you into the ultimate super human– a paleo bad ass–if ONLY you could get outside more.
Have you ever had a beautiful day, the sun shining down, just the right temperature. The blue sky beconing you to call in sick, so you can go on a long bikeride or walk in the park? You are walking into the office, closing the door with a tinge of regret, reminding yourself you have responsibilities and bills to pay?
I did too. And since I am an inventor/designer, I thought about what was keeping me from enjoying the day AT THE SAME TIME I was getting my work done? I mean, with a laptop and cell phone, essentially I could work anywhere I could get a cell phone signal. So couldn’t I just go to the park or my patio and tackle my projects and talk to my clients?
A few other design challenges presented themselves. You can only work so long without
some kind of furniture to hold the keyboard and screen where they need to be, otherwise you end up in a pretzle position, whether you are lying on your tummy with shoulders crunched into your neck, or sitting on the ground slouched over like a nerd. Very bad for your paleo image. You also need something to sit on, to prop you up so your body is relaxed and in a good position to reach your laptop. And most of us would assume, this would mean something big, like a picnic table and bench.
Okay, so even if you find a picnic table and bench, you actually have just re-created some
of the hazards lurking inside your indoor office. You have, again, put yourself into a C-Shaped Slump position, which will whack your breathing, circulation, and alignment. Again, not so good for that Paleo-Super-Human you are aiming for. See What’s Wrong WIth the Chair?
Paleo  (hunter/gatherer) cultures worked on the ground (and still do). They didn’t/don’t use laptop computers, but they do tasks like food prep and tool making that aren’t a far cry from our modern tool we call the ‘computer’. So what kind of prop or set of props would allow sitting on the ground working comfortably all day long? Also, how could this be portable? See Outstanding in Your Field, or Squatting, Kneeling or Perching.
I spent the past couple of decades researching and tinkering with ideas. The keyboard has to be where you can comfortably work it, and the screen has to be where you can see it without straining your neck. Otherwise you will end up going right back inside to your familiar desk and chair that you were trying to avoid.
Barefoot Office Kits™ to the rescue! –a floor-based stool and desk combination laptop work station which comes apart and knocks flat for easy traveling. It puts you in either kneeling, squatting, or perching positions which you can alternate as you like. Kit #2 is a Floor Lounge Chair.
Today, as many days, I packed it into my panniers along with laptop, daypack and thermos I would fill at my local coffee shop. I brought my piece of brain-tanned, deer-hide, buckskin for a groundcoth. I biked along the Carrier Park Greenway along the French Broad River in West Asheville, North Carolina until I got to my favorite spot–a grassy hill overlooking the river toward the famous Biltmore Estate. Before I hit the Greenway I stopped at my favorite coffee shop and loaded up my thermos. To my coffee I also added a generous chunk of butter and a few raw eggs, then gave the thing a good shake.
So I get to my ‘happy place’ on the grassy hill and take my pieces of wood out of the panniers and assemble them and–wa la–I am in business. There’s no reason I can’t do this. There’s nothing wrong with 47 degree weather when you are bad ass paleo guy eating tons of raw eggs, fresh meat, and fat. When you expose yourself to cold and eat a diet in tune with climate and local, the body generates plenty of heat. This was my office and I was turning what would have been tedious desk work into an all day fun experience.
I have cracked the code. Instead of finding some kind of ‘outdoor career’, I spent years researching the biology of human locomotion and somatics and then proceeded to design my way outside. I didn’t just think outside the box– I designed my way outside of the box. This freed me to pursue other work, without compromising my lifestyle.  I was basically doing so many things here no one would notice unless I pointed them out.
Click here for more info on Barefoot Office Kits™
So here’s the list:
1–Earthing (grounding) (when is the last time you sat on the ground, for how long?)
2–Toning, (active sitting is engaging core muscles which aren’t reached in the traditional workout.
3–Photovaltaic Effect. Exposing myself to natural daylight which synchs up circadian rhythms. among other things.
4–Shumann’s Resonance 7.83 hurtz which relaxes every cell in the body and allows entrainment to counteract the negative effects of spending time indoors in in a sea of Electromagnetic Pollution.
5–Breathing. Chest and abdomin are opened for maximum air capacity. The air is full of delicious negative ions. Life is good.
6–Happy. I can look at the sky when I need a break, get up and walk around or hit my hacky sack awhile, and meet people walking, jogging, or roller blading.
7–Maximize inspiration, creativity and productivity/focus. (a.k.a. Job Satisfaction, Employee Moral).