In fact, as I write this, Iâm looking at a flowchart from Fast Company called âA Day in the Life of Your Most Productive Self,â which suggests we get to work early at 8 a.m. and leave at 5:45 p.m. It allots seven hours for sleep (not the eight or even nine that some people need) and an evening window of three hours (presumably for commuting, eating dinner and spending time with family and friends). While itâs hard to see where exercise fits into this picture of productivity, the chart does include one activity-oriented trick thatâs backed by research: it suggests we turn our lunch breaks into walking breaks.
Active Living By Design takes casual Friday to the next level with an hour of physical activity. Whether we play ultimate frisbee, basketball, or invite family to join for a walk, #ActiveFriday is the perfect way to end the week.
A recent walking study showed that âeven gentle lunchtime strolls can perceptiblyâand immediatelyâbuoy peopleâs moods and ability to handle stress at work.â We know that walking improves our long term health, and this study suggests it can also help us improve our productivity, since low stress levels allow us to problem-solve more quickly and creatively.
Here at ALBD, our team relies on midday movement to keep us collaborative and energetic. We walk across the street to grab lunch through rain, snow and shine; we schedule âwalking meetingsâ when the weatherâs nice so that we can problem-solve on our feet; and we use our Active Friday tradition for team building and good old-fashioned fun. Perhaps most importantly, exercise is valued as a vital part of our productivity and wellbeing. If one of us is wrestling with a tough problem or feels a slump in mental clarity, itâs normalâand encouragedâto recharge with an activity break.
For example, the walking study had a caveat: â⌠many [participants] said that they anticipated being unable to continue walking after the experiment ended and a few ⌠had to drop out midway through the program. The primary impediment to their walking [was] âthat they were expected by management to work through lunch.ââ
This all-too-common workplace barrier to walking is compounded by issues that are even more difficult to overcome. Some people work in places without sidewalks or safe streets, or in areas where crime is more a threat to wellbeing than the lack of exercise. Other people work multiple jobs, have irregular shifts, or donât have access to a âworkplace cultureâ at all.
ALBDâs culture is possible because of the policies that structure our day and by the physical environment in which we work. For example, we intentionally chose an office in a mixed-use, walkable place. However, not everyone is able to choose where they work. For those who are able, there often arenât enough walkable places from which to chooseâand thatâs why weâre passionate about helping to build healthier places and coaching communities through that process.
The impulse to link longer work hours with increased productivity will be tough to change because it makes sense; more can be accomplished in three hours than in two. But at a certain point, we must remember to value what humans were doing long before we talked, typed or swiped touchscreens. We walked.