Paul Nicklen
How the National Geographic photographer and co-founder of ocean-conservation agency SeaLegacy manages his mind and keeps his priorities in check
5.30am Don’t Touch That Phone
Nicklen and his wife have an ‘ongoing dispute’ about what should happen first thing. ‘She rolls over to get her phone, and I see my phone as the devil.’ It infringes on ‘my time, my life, my energy and my mental freedom’. Once they get up, he makes coffee and does ‘everything in my power not to touch a phone, computer or anything’.
7am Get A Hit Of Nature
Nicklen’s mind isn’t ready to work until he’s had time outdoors, often walking with his dogs, kiteboarding or mountain biking. The fresh air helps energise him for the day ahead. He does his best thinking after ‘oxygenating my brain’, as he puts it.
11am Tackle Pending Problems
Nicklen surrounds himself with a core team – about half a dozen strong – to help keep all the details in line. He doesn’t delegate management duties, though. Every day, he sets aside time to talk through any issues his team may be having. His tactics: gather those involved, be bluntly honest (but not aggressive), never leave the conversation with unresolved feelings and lighten up with some humour.
12pm
Grab A Snack
‘I eat when I’m hungry,’ he says, sometimes just munching on a bag of nuts he threw into his backpack. Unless he’s having dinner with friends or his wife, he says, ‘time is too precious to sit around just sort of staring at a plate’.
2pm
Say Yes To ‘No’
‘My favourite word is no,’ Nicklen says. His priorities are to protect both the planet and his personal freedom. To determine which activities and projects are worth it, ‘I use the barometer of excitement’, he says. That means yes to being immersed in nature but no to having a film crew follow him to make a movie about his life.
4pm
Hold On To Hope
‘Ultimately, our planet is dying – we’ve lost 69% of biodiversity on earth in the past 50 years,’ he says. When he starts feeling ‘down and defeated’, he connects with other conservationists. ‘I find out very quickly that they’re striving, pushing ahead and trying to make a difference. I find a lot of hope in that. And the only emotion bigger than fear is hope, so I pursue that.’
6pm
Play
An ideal day for this former competitive table-tennis player finishes with a beer and a game of ping-pong.
9pm
Burn Your Fuel
If his eyes don’t immediately close upon hitting the pillow, he knows he didn’t ‘live hard enough that day’, and he plans to programme a little more ‘life’ into the next.