#332: Taking Ten Walks a Day Helps Me Keep Creative Block Away
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October 10, 2020 — Ten walks a day sounds like a lot, but even going out for two minutes at a time can break up your day and refresh your focus. It’s like the Pomodoro technique but out in nature!
The Pomodoro technique is a productivity hack that involves working for half an hour and then taking a five-minute break.
I tried it for a couple of months, and it was OK, but there were a few problems that kept bugging me…
- Alarms: Half-hour alarms are obnoxious because they never come at a good stopping point.
- Remembering: I was always forgetting to reset my alarm, which defeated the whole purpose.
- Environment: My breaks always happened inside, so I wasn’t getting far enough away from my work to relax.
Eventually, I went back to a free-flow workday.
But this wasn’t great either because I’d get into a creative rhythm and spend hours glued to the computer.
Tip: Promenado
What I’ve been doing lately is the love-child of Pomodoro and free-flow. I call it the “Promenado technique.”
Here’s how it works…
- Work (30 min): When I finish a decent chunk of work or I start to feel computer burnout, I stop.
- Walk (5 min): I take a stroll around the house and unfocus myself until I feel my thoughts slowing down.
At first, I was worried that breaking my day up like this would mess with my creativity.
But it’s the OPPOSITE!
When I sit with my work too long, my field of vision starts to narrow. It’s getting AWAY that allows my brain to expand and return to a playful state.
I’m so addicted to creative walks now that I’d need to be a centipede to take them all.
Call me a “pencilpede.”
p.s. You can find this article on fthelines.com, along with other stories about #creativity, #minimalism, and #mentalhealth. Thanks for reading! (: 🖖
