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Feeling stuck? Work and brain feeling too busy?
Take yourself for a walk. It’s great for the body, and a boost for positivity and creative thinking. Take a conscious step outside, and turn an ordinary walk into an adventure of curiosity.
THE EXPERIMENT
Schedule a short stroll into your working day. The twist: challenge yourself to notice three things on this walk you’ve never paid attention to before.
Shift Your Focus Forget looking at your feet/ scrolling on your phone/ worrying about the next meeting. Today, you’re going to actively scan your surroundings!
Engage Your Senses Tune into colours, sounds and scents. Is there a pattern in the pavement? A birdcall you’ve never noticed?
What stands out? Why did these details catch your attention? How do they make you feel?
WHY TRY IT
Curiosity acts like a workout for your brain By stepping away from routine – and engaging with your environment – you activate mental pathways that boost creativity and reduce stress.
Mindfulness boost Focusing on your surroundings draws you into the present moment, calming a busy mind and lowering cortisol levels.
Novelty sparks joy New stimuli trigger dopamine release, heightening feelings of satisfaction and curiosity.
Increased Creativity Studies from Stanford University show that walking—especially outdoors—stimulates divergent thinking, the kind that helps you solve problems and generate ideas.
MAKE IT STICK
Mix It Up: Take a different route each time to discover new details in familiar places.
Involve Others: Invite a friend or colleague to join you and share what you each notice—it’s a great way to bond and expand perspectives.
Capture the Moment Snap a pic of something intriguing (or from a fresh angle) every walk. Create a collage that expresses the wonder of your (immediate) world.
It doesn’t take much to turn an everyday walk into a mini-voyage of discovery!
CURIOUS FOR MORE?
Check out what we’ve been doing with outdoor meetings at TCX
Still curiouser? Check out Wanderlust: A History of Walking. Rebecca Solnit explores how walking has inspired countless thinkers, from Wordsworth to Steve Jobs. The connection is striking: walking clears the mind and opens the senses to new ideas and possibilities.