GOOD Blog

Day 24: Spend 20 Minutes Outside #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for October? To get healthy. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! Today, we challenge you to:

Spend 20 minutes outside.

It’s 3 p.m. My to-do list has expanded 10-fold since I came in this morning. My emails keep piling up. How did this happen? As my mind races with thoughts of “Oh, crap!” my lovely co-worker reminds me of my challenge and suggests we have lunch on the front lawn. I concede. I hide my list of things to do, shut my laptop down, and gladly walk outside and plop myself on the lawn in front of our building.

We end up talking for 45 minutes about our cultural background and discover how similar our upbringings were. We share a few funny stories of our college years and end up getting to know each other better than we would have at a meeting or on Gchat.

I was only supposed to spend 20 minutes outside today, but instead it turned out to be 45 glorious minutes. The fresh air, vitamin D, and great conversation gave me more energy and clarity than five cups of coffee ever could. Needless to say, I returned to my desk ready to conquer that expanding list of things to do.

-Annie Kuo

Ready, set, go! Good luck completing today's challenge. Share your experience on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook by using the hashtag #30DaysofGOOD, or let us know how it went in the comments section below.

Tomorrow's challenge: Walk and talk instead of emailing.

Day 19: Work on a Hobby You Love #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Work on a hobby you love.

I love doing journalism, but I’m not sure that an activity I get paid for constitutes a “hobby,” even when I’m performing it in much of my “free” time. After working, sleeping, and socializing, I don’t have a lot of hours left for hobbying, but I’ve recently been making some preparations, with the end goal of creating my own wall decorations. Even spending 15 minutes on it every day has helped to relax me and break up an interminable work week.

In my spare time, I’ve been betting on eBay for lots of vintage sewing patterns, picking up stray pieces of wrapping paper at thrift shops, painting some canvases I’ve had laying around while talking on the phone, and assembling a few old maps that I’m unlikely to be using for navigation purposes in the near future. I’m not sure where all of this is going, but I feel like it’s trending strongly in the “hobby” direction. Next time some serious hobbying time opens up, I’ll be ready.

-Amanda Hess

Tomorrow's challenge: Avoid using or consuming chemicals.

Day 18: Turn up the Music and Dance #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Turn the music up and dance.

It is a common misconception that you have to leave your house to go dancing. Most of the best dance parties of my life have taken place in kitchens or living rooms. Or by myself, while I am waiting for the kettle to boil or applying mascara or making dinner. Lately I've been listening to some gay club jams on Spotify, but I also recommend this '90s R&B playlist. If it doesn't get you moving, then nothing will.

-Ann Friedman

Tomorrow's challenge: Work on a hobby you love.

Day 16: Drink Eight Glasses of Water #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Drink eight glasses of water.

Completing this challenge feels almost like cheating, because I drink eight glasses of water every day, at a minimum. It’s important to stay hydrated, blah blah blah—we know. But it’s particularly important for me to keep tabs on my hydration situation, seeing as I drink water almost exclusively in my office, where I sit within 50 feet of a water cooler stocked with cold, fresh water. (I also drink water when it is delivered to me in restaurants).

I pee at work constantly.

When I leave these doors, though, all bets are off. When I say that I drink eight glasses of water “every day,” I mean every weekday. I rarely drink water in the comfort of my home, because I misplaced my Brita when I moved to Los Angeles. While I am not totally averse to tap water, I can only really force myself to drink it when it is really cold, and I am apparently too lazy to a. refresh my ice cube tray or b. buy a new Brita. Often, I’ll fill up a water bottle at work and transport the good stuff back to my apartment. Only when I’m really thirsty—when I’m pretty hungover, or have recently vigorously exercised—will I pour myself a tall glass of the lukewarm stuff. One night, when I found myself particularly thirsty, I just ate a popsicle.

To make this a real challenge, perhaps I should rephrase it as “Drink Eight Glasses of Water on a Sunday. Or Just Buy a New Brita Already. Seriously, You’re 26 Years Old.” As a matter of fact, I’m going to peruse Target’s water filtration options this evening after work. Right after I hit the water cooler. And the bathroom.

-Amanda Hess

Tomorrow's challenge: Deliberately park far away.

Day 15: Take a Siesta #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Take a siesta.

After a bit of research (for those of you who also didn’t know, ‘siesta’ is Spanish for ‘nap’), I realized this is the sort of health challenge I could achieve. Never mind ramping up on exercise or cutting down on alcohol and smoking—“The Breakfast of Champions,” as I like to call it. This task seemed easy, indulgent even.

Take a nap.

That’s it? Sleep? During the day? It’s all I dream about when I’m awake, and all I dream about when I’m asleep too—which quickly devolves into an Inception-esque hell where Carlos Castaneda and I sail in a steampunk zeppelin through Monty Python animation in search of Juno (hey, that’s what my limbo looks like, what can I say).

Well, anyway, no more stalling. I have a nap to take.

Unfortunately my plans to live-blog my nap have been an abject failure. However, the nap itself was an abject success. It turns out that naps have a litany of benefits, from memory and creativity to energy and even lowering heart disease. Refreshed from my sueño (that’s Spanish for sleep!), I’m ready to go out and help a friend celebrate his birthday. But first a little “Dinner for Champions."
-Will Lamborn

Tomorrow's challenge: Drink eight glasses of water.

@GOOD Asks: What Was Your First Job? The Community Answers

Hillary Newman — Thu, 6 Oct 2011 15:00:00 PDT

Yesterday on Twitter and Facebook, we asked our friends: What was your first job?

We pose a question to our Twitter and Facebook faithfuls once a day, so if you’re not yet a @GOOD follower or fan, make sure to sign up and participate in the conversation.

Here's a sampling of responses from our Twitter:

And here is what our Facebook buddies had to say:

Want us to ask the GOOD community something? Tweet or Facebook your question to us.

@GOOD Asks: What's the Next Thing Smart Phones will Be Able to Do? The Community Answers

Hillary Newman — Mon, 3 Oct 2011 11:00:00 PDT

Last week on Twitter and Facebook, we asked our friends: What's the next thing smart phones will be able to do?

We pose a question to our Twitter and Facebook faithfuls once a day, so if you’re not yet a @GOOD follower or fan, make sure to sign up and participate in the conversation.

Here's a sampling of responses from our Twitter:

And here is what our Facebook buddies had to say:

Want us to ask the GOOD community something? Tweet or Facebook your question to us.

Day 3: Log Your Day #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Mon, 3 Oct 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for September? To connect with other people. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! Today, we challenge you to:

Log your day.

Trying to adhere closely to my assignment, I started by diligently marking down all the things I did when I got up. But by mid-morning, I looked at my calendar and it became clear this was going to be a pretty boring type of log: morning meeting, followed by a phone meeting, sandwiched with a client meeting, leading into a meeting with a designer ... snooze. So instead, I decided to log all those moments not in my Blackberry calendar or email inbox. And I have to say, seeing how much better I felt after these little intermissions throughout my day makes me want to set more small goals, like having two walks a day, or trying not to do meetings back to back. Baby steps!

8:45am- 9:10am: Chat with coworker on our carpool to work, not talking about work but home life stuff.

11:51am - 12 noon: With 10 minutes between meetings, take a brisk walk around the block. It's 72 degrees with blue skies. L.A. is awesome!

Noon: Coming back into the office I see one of our office dogs sunbathing; can't help but stop to rub his ears.

2:30pm: Lunch. Instead of eating in front of my computer, decide to read an issue of Los Angeles magazine. Take note of a new restaurant I need to go to.

4:15p- 4:25p: Chat with coworker about cool things to do in New York. Talk about favorite designers.

7:45p: It's a late night, but take a five-minute break to think about what I'm cooking for (a late) dinner. (I like cooking, so this is fun, not a chore.)

8:15p: Skim Facebook headlines and check personal email. Friend sounds a little blue; send her an old photo of us in Yosemite to cheer her up.

8:25p: More chat with coworkers, and more dog petting on the way out.

-Elisa Huang

Tomorrow's challenge: Schedule your next doctor checkup.

Day 2: Try an Alternative Workout #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Sun, 2 Oct 2011 06:00:00 PDT

Try an alternative workout.

About a month back I made a truly stupid bet. Never having lived in Los Angeles before but excited to try it out for 12 weeks, I bet my wiser, three-years-plus-in-the-city friend that I could, and would, bicycle to work everyday for at least two weeks. The prize: a free meal. Which is nothing to scoff at, considering how wonderful free things are.

What I didn’t know: Los Angeles sprawls. To live two neighborhoods away from work is to actually live eight miles away. I should have checked Google Earth prior to gambling.

Lying in a bed of my own making, I had to try the ride at least once. A creature of habit, I see no appeal in trying an alternative workout. Biking is not really my thing; I only bike to cut walking time in half, and the idea of biking without a destination is, to me absurd. I’ll gladly go on a run, up and down a beach, in circles, up hills. So running, yes, but biking for fun? No thanks. The thing about bikes, and more specifically biking in Los Angeles; they’re tippy and the cars you share the road with are more than happy to see you eat it if it means you’ve learned your lesson and are off the roads for good. Plus, California, if you were unaware, is on the edge of certain tectonic plates. These large crashing things create ground ripples called mountains and hills.

Two weeks later, I’ve officially earned my free meal, but I'm still riding. Biking is meditative, it’s calming. There’s something about the sounds of the wheels, the glide atop the pavement. Am I a converted cyclist? Probably not. But it sure is a good way to get to where you’re going.

-Nina Lincoff

Day 1: Substitute Tea for Coffee #30DaysofGOOD

Hillary Newman — Sat, 1 Oct 2011 06:00:00 PDT

Substitute tea for coffee.

I’ve never been an avid caffeine consumer, besides the occasional Four Loko. Sprite is my favorite soda, and growing up, I thought coffee tasted something like dirt soup. During college, coffee served a single and effective purpose of helping me pull procrastination-induced all-nighters. Even one cup makes me shaky and anxious, but I rely on it to get me through days like one I had last week.

I had a lot on my mind, had barely slept the night before, and had the sagging under-eye bags of a hungover owl to prove it. So when I got to work, I dragged my body to the piping hot coffee pot and reached for a cup. But before I poured, the Lipton tea packets nearby caught my eye. I put the coffee down and plopped the tea bag into a cup of scalding water, hoping that antioxidants and tea's bland but soothing flavor would help my mood. Sipping slowly, I took a few minutes to calm down and reconsider my bad mood, and I did feel better. Not feeling a jittery high for the next three hours helped, too.

-Jillian Anthony

#30DaysofGOOD Challenge: Have a Conversation with Someone 20 Years Older or Younger

Hillary Newman — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for September? To connect with other people. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! For the last mini-challenge of September, we challenge you to:

Have a conversation with someone either 20 years older or younger than you are.

At the peak of my competitive fencing career, I spent as many as four days a week training with my coach, a 60-something Renaissance man who taught me more about every subject than any other teacher I’ve ever had.

Since I was 14, making Harold proud has been a huge motivator in my life, whether academically, professionally, or athletically—my 2002 “outstanding fencer” award still sits on my dresser, and the thrill on his face when I showed him my college team’s league championship ring or my articles from The Washington Post is etched in my mind. But since I moved away, it’s been difficult to keep in touch with my mentor. Harold doesn’t use the internet, and though I always resolve to write regular letters, it rarely seems to happen.

So when I got a message from a stranger’s Facebook account asking me to call Harold’s cell phone, I worried that something was wrong. But in fact, he just wanted to catch up—he had asked a student to look me up through the site and send me a note. I told him about my job at GOOD and heard a bit about the goings-on back home. We made plans to meet for lunch next time I’m in town. I hung up the phone beaming.

-Megan Greenwell

You did it! Congratulations. We hope you feel more connected to the people around you. Onto the next one! October's challenge is to get healthy.

Tomorrow's challenge: Substitute tea for coffee.

#30DaysofGOOD Challenge: 29. Settle an Outstanding Argument

Hillary Newman — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for September? To connect with other people. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! Today, we challenge you to:

Settle an outstanding argument.

Here at the GOOD office, we've been prepping for sandwich week for most of September. Despite that, we underestimated how much internal turmoil debates over each state's sandwich could cause.

It started early in the month, when we were asked to nominate our state sandwich. Being a California native, I thought of the good ol' sprout sammie. While it might get a bad rap–the idea of swallowing a mouthful of sprouts sounds terrible even to health nut like me–it's actually a great concoction of ingredients.

To my horror, my coworker Megan Greenwell loudly objected, "California's state sandwich is obviously the fast food burger." I shuddered at the thought of a processed patty between two pieces of white nutrition-less bread representing my state.

There was only one way to settle this: a sammie taste-off. The judging took place in our office, where a set of non-Californian natives were asked which sandwich tasted more "Californian." I am relived to say that the sprout sammie won, but
this only fueled the sammie tension. Disdaining stares were passed and insults were exchanged under hushed breath. It wasn't long before Greenwell posted "Wraps Are Seriously the Worst." In her post, Greenwell declares, "The wrap defies culinary classification. It's barely even food." For a wrap-lover like me, it was a shot across the bow.

Shocked by Greenwell's hatred for the delicious, easy-to-eat meal, I asked the GOOD community how they felt about wraps versus sandwiches. Turns out the GOOD readers think that "wraps are for wimps." Thanks, readers. As for Megan and me, we agreed to disagree. Today, we're going out for salads.

-Hillary Newman

Tomorrow's challenge: Have a conversation with someone 20 years older or younger.

@GOOD Asks: How Do You Feel About Wraps Versus Sandwiches? The Community Answers

Hillary Newman — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:00:00 PDT

Yesterday on Twitter and Facebook, we asked our friends: How do you feel about wraps versus sandwiches?

I usually don't share my opinion in these roundups. But today, I felt the need to stand up for the wrap, especially after Megan Greenwell's roast. There is nothing like crispy lettuce, ripe tomatoes, buttery avocado, creamy hummus, and salty feta cheese wrapped in a thin, malleable, non-overpowering wrap. I am happy to declare that I am a wrap fan.

If you haven't been following along with sandwich week at GOOD, it's not too late to get in on the action. Nominate your state sammie, read an ode to the humble egg sandwich, or learn how Smucker's tried to patent a sandwich.

We pose a question to our Twitter and Facebook faithfuls once a day, so if you’re not yet a @GOOD follower or fan, make sure to sign up and participate in the conversation.

Here's a sampling of responses from our Twitter:

And here is what our Facebook buddies had to say:

Want us to ask the GOOD community something? Tweet or Facebook your question to us.

#30DaysofGOOD Challenge: 28. Email Someone You Admire But Have Never Met

Hillary Newman — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for September? To connect with other people. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! Today, we challenge you to:

Email someone you admire but have never met.

My approach to this challenge was to think big but not too big. To think of someone I really admire, but someone who isn't so popular that they would have a staffer to answer my email. Basically, to think of someone in between my mom and Michelle Obama. My current girl crush, the lovely crafty lady who writes You Are My Fave, a popular blog on all things arts and crafts, seemed like the perfect candidate.

After penning a letter of unbridled approbation explaining why I love her blog and why I kind of want to be her when I grow up, I headed over to her webpage and sent my note through her ‘contact me’ feature.

Shortly thereafter, her site was hacked, and it's been down ever since. So she'll either have a welcome surprise in the form of a complimentary email to welcome her back to a fully functional website, or my note will be lost like a message in a bottle to the online waves.

-Becca Nath

Tomorrow's challenge: Settle an outstanding argument.

@GOOD Asks: How Do You Manage Stress? The Community Answers

Hillary Newman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:00:00 PDT

Yesterday on Twitter and Facebook, we asked our friends: How do you manage stress?

We pose a question to our Twitter and Facebook faithfuls once a day, so if you’re not yet a @GOOD follower or fan, make sure to sign up and participate in the conversation.

Here's a sampling of responses from our Twitter:

And here is what our Facebook buddies had to say:

Want us to ask the GOOD community something? Tweet or Facebook your question to us.

#30DaysofGOOD Challenge: Introduce Two People Who Don't Know Each Other

Hillary Newman — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for September? To connect with other people. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! Today, we challenge you to:

Introduce two people who don't know each other.

For today's challenge, I was asked to extend my friend matchmaking services to two people I know, but who do not know each other. I happen to know at least three people who do not know each other, so I decided to streamline the process and just hook them all up.

Last weekend, I set a friend date for GOOD editors Tim Fernholz and Megan Greenwell with an auxiliary friend, Sarah. Sarah is an editor at another website based in Los Angeles. Perfect, right? They have so much in common! Next step: Alcohol.

We all headed to Tiki-Ti, where the rum was flowing freely, and the friend date commenced. When Greenwell and Sarah began discussing an area of mutual interest, I made a graceful exit from the conversation, then attempted in vain to swallow a pineapple garnish off of a toothpick. "We cut you out for a bit and talked about sports," Greenwell recalls, which she describes as the "ultimate friend matchmaking" accomplishment. "We should hang out again," Greenwell adds. "Unless she hated me."

She didn't. "Megan was fun," says Sarah, who learned an important lesson that night: "Friends of my friends can also be my friends."

Fernholz, too, had a not-bad time. I asked if the experience was awkward for him, but he scoffed at the suggestion. "Since you were there, it was not very awkward," Fernholz says, adding that consuming alcohol "makes things much less awkward."

The more you know: Consuming alcohol can also complicate the matchmaking process. The friend date was almost sabotaged over my unwise choice of Tiki-Ti as a new-friend destination. "It's loud," Fernholz complains. "Terrible. Too crowded," Greenwell piles on, adding, ominously: "$3.50 ATM fees."

When I awoke the next day, I realized I had accepted a $20 bill from Sarah with which to buy her a drink, instantly forgot that I had done so, neglected to return her change on the purchase, then later demanded that she buy me another alcoholic beverage. "Unfriended," Sarah told me when I attempted to apologize for my behavior. "I'm replacing you with Megan." Would connecting my friends cause me to lose one of them? Only time will tell. If Sarah becomes a stranger to me, Greenwell can always make an introduction.

-Amanda Hess

Tomorrow's challenge: Email someone you admire but have never met.

@GOOD Asks: What Is Your Ideal Fall Day? The Community Answers

Hillary Newman — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:00:00 PDT

Last week on Twitter and Facebook, we teamed up with @buzzfeed to ask our friends to describe your ideal fall day.

We pose a question to our Twitter and Facebook faithfuls once a day, so if you’re not yet a @GOOD follower or fan, make sure to sign up and participate in the conversation.

Here's a sampling of responses from our Twitter:

And here is what our Facebook buddies had to say:

Want us to ask the GOOD community something? Tweet or Facebook your question to us.

#30DaysofGOOD Challenge: 24. Go to a Neighborhood Business You've Never Been to

Hillary Newman — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 06:00:00 PDT

Welcome to The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD). Each month, we challenge our community members to do something that will improve the world around us—and our own lives. The challenge for September? To connect with other people. In an effort to help us all rise to the occasion, we're going to assign one small task every day. Each morning, we will post the challenge on GOOD.is and Twitter, along with a testimonial from someone on the GOOD team who's already completed it. We invite you to complete all 30 mini-challenges with us! Today, we challenge you to:

Go to a neighborhood business you've never been to.

I've become one of those girls that's afraid to open up the hood of a car. I don't know how it happened, considering I learned how to change a tire and fix my brakes when I was 16. But having my dad just a few miles away gave me the luxury of being one of those anxious girls who doesn't have a clue where the closest mechanic is.

Thanks to this challenge, I found out he's just a block away.

I got a flat tire last weekend, and, as always, I left it until Monday morning to figure it out. Instead of calling up AAA or my dad, I drove the one block to a place I'd never been: 4Ever's Automotive Services. The name, the classy graffiti on the wall, why had I never been before? They pulled the screw out, fixed the tire, then checked out the rest of my wheels. What service for only $10! The owner was chatty and it looks from their Google page like he'll even show me how to change the oil myself.

Confronting my fears has never been so easy. And maybe next time I walk by, I'll wave hello and ask about the funny sound coming out of my air conditioning.

- Carolyn Sams

Tomorrow's challenge: Call someone instead of texting, or text someone instead of posting on their Facebook wall.