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Get Outdoors

When the festive season has got you glued to your desk, stepping away for a quick walk might feel like the last thing you can afford—but it’s actually the best productivity hack going! A short stroll in the fresh air boosts blood flow to the brain, giving you an instant lift in mood and creativity. It might feel like sneaking off, but a brisk walk will get you back to your ‘to do’ list with a clearer head.

Try this experiment

Reframe a daily walk at work as a crucial Promenade of Productivity!

Set your phone alarm for your lowest ebb in the day: end of the morning ennui? Post-lunch slump? When the alarm goes, so do you – out the door! 10 minutes. See how you feel afterwards. (10 times better, we bet…)

Why it works

Most of us spend more time sitting than sleeping (9.2 hrs v 7.7hrs). But we evolved as hunter-gatherers – our body and brain thrive on physical activity. Walk for just 10-20 minutes a day and you give yourself –

• improved cardiovascular fitness, stronger muscles, and better joint mobility
• increased endorphin levels, which lift your mood, and improve focus by boosting blood flow to the brain.
• an amazing boost to your creative thinking: When Stanford Uni researchers split a bunch of participants, sending half for a short walk, the walkers scored higher in subsequent creativity tests than those who’d stayed sat on their butts!

The trick is to give yourself permission: get out the diary, and structure in a stroll.

WANT TO WALK WONDERS? TAKE A COLLEAGUE WITH YOU!

Walking and talking is brilliant for ‘out of the box’ thinking. It prompts frank talk, and diffuses tension (hard to lock horns when you’re walking side by side!). See how we at TCX have been taking meetings outside for a blast of fresh thinking.