"I'm not saying that going for a walk will solve all your problems, I'm just saying there's no problem that's going to be made worse by going for a walk."

- Ryan Holiday

I sat down to write this week's Peptalk and found myself going down rabbit holes. My problem was this week's topic was a BIG one.

 

The topic is the one thing I'm most passionate about when it comes to mind health, wellbeing, and generally living a good life. It's what I see as the crucial life skill we all need to learn, practice, and get good at if we want to feel, be, and do our best.

 

The problem wasn't that I was stuck for ideas.

The problem is too many ideas.

 

I've spent so much time learning about and practicing this particular skill, I'm challenged with how to communicate it in a way that articulates its life-changing importance. (I know the words "life changing" are cringy, but there's no other way to describe it) This skill is also the topic of the next course I'm working on. 

 

Halfway down another rabbit hole, I remembered the advice I learned a while back from two writers I follow. They're two guys who talk a lot about productivity, focus, and formulating ideas >> Dan Koe & Ryan Holiday. 

 

The advice : When stuck in a mental rut, go for a walk. 

 

Just so happened it was a beautiful day outside, so off I set. 

 

Less than a minute into my walk I was reminded why this is such great advice. 

 

The "me" of the recent past wouldn't have taken this valuable advice, because I would have told myself I was "too busy".

 

Instead, I would have stayed rooted to my desk chair in my mental rut, continuing to go round in circles, because, I must get this done! And the only way I believed I could do that was to knuckle down and apply brut force. 

 

I've now learned, through experience, that when it comes to creativity, "forcing it" does not work. I may eventually get the job done, but it won't be my most effective work. What's more, there's little enjoyment in painfully wresting something to the ground. Whether that something is a writing assignment or any of the many problems, decisions, challenges we face every day. 

 

Going for a walk is great advice for any type of creative thinking required to solve any life problem, big or small. 

 

We all have problems, right.

 

There's no shortage of them. There are the big hairy dramas we sometimes face, but more commonly there's the smaller daily problems like figuring out the logistics of juggling your week ahead, or what you're going to say in a hard conversation you need to have. 

 

We all know walking is good for us physically. I don't need to delve into why that is. 

 

Less commonly accepted is how golden walking is for us mentally.

 

In Ryan Holiday's quote above which I saw in an online post,

 

"I'm not saying that going for a walk will solve all your problems, I'm just saying there's no problem that's going to be made worse by going for a walk."

 

He goes on to say,

 

A walk doesn't solve my problems... But it does give me the clarity and perspective I need to start solving them. Going for a walk is like a reset button for the brain. It clears out the clutter and helps me focus on what's important. 

 

Here are a couple of the comments on Ryan's post to further convince you of the pearls of this problem-solving strategy that you may think is too good, or too simple, to be true. 

 

Stephen Parato said, 
Every step untangles the mind a bit.

 

And Sam Jenkins said, 
Perhaps the single most underrated activity on earth. Nearly every decent thought or idea I have is conceived on walks.

 

Dan Koe, in his blog post titled, "The Power of Long Walks (15,000 steps a day changed my life)" starts out by saying : 

 

If you're bored, go on a walk.

If you're stressed, go on a walk.

If you're uninspired, go on a walk.

If you're overweight, go on a walk.

 

Most, if not all of your problems can be relieved, if not solved, by going on a walk. 

 

I headed to Google to check if there was any science on this, to support the anecdotal findings of the highly creative, effective, and successful people I've heard singing the praises of going for a walk. And indeed there was.

 

I found one study that was published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, led by Marily Oppezzo in 2014. I'm sure there's more research now. In this study, they ran a series of experiments testing participants' creative thinking abilities while resting or walking. 

 

They found that simply walking does improve creativity for everyone, during the walk, and even immediately after the walk as well. 

 

Oppezzo said,

"A lot of people think of creativity as a trait. But we found that everyone can improve their creativity with this simple strategy." 

 

 

My tip when using walks to think more clearly and creatively, is to take this must-have walking companion with you. No, it is not a dog, as nice as they are to take along (they also make great listeners). 

 

It's a very handy phone app called Otter.

 

Ideally, you would go walking without any distractions; your phone, for example. However, I tend to walk with my phone because when I have a great idea, thought, or remember something I have to do, I want to get that down, so I can let it go, and relax my mind again, knowing I won't forget it later.

 

I used to use the voice recorder on my phone, but then that meant when I got home I had to take the time to listen back and write it down.

 

Then I discovered the Otter app.

 

As I walk, I speak into Otter. It records my thoughts, ideas, and mental notes, and transcribes my verbal ramblings into written notes. Super handy!

 

I highly recommend you install Otter on your phone and take it on your head clearing, problem-solving walks.

 

So, what about the topic I was going to talk to you about today? Well, I'm leaving that until next week. I need a few more clarifying walks to figure that one out!

 

See you next week for : 

 

The topic I'm most passionate about when it comes to mind health, wellbeing, and generally living a good life, and what I see as the crucial life skill you need to learn, practice, and get good at if you want to feel, be, and do your best.

 

My walking shoes are at the ready! I hope yours are too 🤸‍♀️

Nadine xx