I'm naturally curious. Some may say I'm creative but I prefer to use the term curious instead. As a result monotony bores me. That's a lot different than a rhythm or routine. I work best on a schedule personally and even when it comes to staying active ... Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are gym days. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends are for riding. However, even within that I need to constantly spice things up.

I've learned to mix up my routine (keep in mind I don't abandon a routine) throughout the year. Seasons seem to be the best times to do so. Summer and fall find me spending more time out on the trails while the wet winters and springs find me spending more time on my gravel bike and climbing hills. I find that unless I mix it up like this I'll get dreadfully bored with mountain biking. (GASP!)

Call me a fair-weather rider and non-committed, but for me I need to actually take a break from doing what I love (mountain biking) otherwise what I love will turn into something I dread.

This doesn't just happen in mountain biking, but it spans all other sports and life in general. I listen to my son who's a skater as he talks about getting bored with skating the same skate parks over and over each week. So today he and my other son are putting away their street decks and grabbing their longboards and are currently at a slide jam. Gotta keep things fresh.

While adding variety is essential for mountain bikers or skaters (and everyone else) I do the same for how I brew coffee at home. Usually every couple of months I switch my brew methods. I normally rotate between a pourover, aeropress, or drip. Even within that I'll switch from using a Hario v60 to a Chemex or with an aeropress I'll use different recipes to continue experimenting how I enjoy brewing and drinking coffee. The bottom line is to keep mixing it up to not only add variety, but protect something I love (coffee) from being monotonous.

How do you mix things up whether with your riding or coffee brewing?

Words by Sean Benesh, Loam Coffee Founder and Brand Manager. Photo by Grant Benesh.