Friday Action Item: Try something new

An iris grows in Kitsilano. (jby)


On Fridays while the current administration is in office we’re posting small, concrete things you can do to help make things better. Got a suggestion for an Action Item? E-mail us!
Across much of the continental U.S., climate-changed spring is in the air. The president’s flagship legislative project is imploding. (Though it could really use an assist if you haven’t already). Has it really been more than two months? (Yes, it has.)
This is as good a time as any to remember that we’re in this for the long haul. One way to make that haul more bearable: vary the pace and the route. So your Action Item for this week is to try something new. Anything, really, to vary your routine and help freshen your energy. Find a new place for your next run, if you want to take my metaphor about pace and route literally. Break in a new analysis method. Fire up a new podcast while you code. (May I suggest this one? Or this one? Maybe this one? Or even this one?) Stop by a new coffee shop for your morning cup, or make a new recipe for dinner. Maybe try a colorful new (to you) reality show that starts a new season this very night, or have a quieter evening with a new book.
Go forth and refresh yourself, however you most like. Tomorrow’s a new day.

About Jeremy Yoder

Jeremy B. Yoder is an Associate Professor of Biology at California State University Northridge, studying the evolution and coevolution of interacting species, especially mutualists. He is a collaborator with the Joshua Tree Genome Project and the Queer in STEM study of LGBTQ experiences in scientific careers. He has written for the website of Scientific American, the LA Review of Books, the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Awl, and Slate.
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