Problem Solving, Movement and Health
Sitting is the new smoking. Time to get up, not just for health reasons. Problem solving involves the kind of thinking that is aided by movement. Health is more like a fringe benefit.
Not everybody likes to move. One of the smartest, most knowledgeable person I know spends long hours sitting in front of a computer screen. Yes, there are some Nero Wolfe’s. I have worked with guys who only got up to go to the washroom and the food truck. They did their jobs and took their blood pressure meds. Most companies do not encourage movement, other than fingers moving on the keyboard.
So how important is getting up and moving for productivity and health reasons? Ben Greenfield in “Beyond Training” writes:” Never sit for longer than an hour without standing and doing 50 to 100 jumping jacks, 5 doorway pull-ups…or other callisthenic movement”. Not sure how many companies would allow this. Never mind the fact that the dress code of most employees does not allow for jumping jacks or push-ups. Though picturing your fellow office workers doing their 100 jacks, can be entertaining.
Immanuel Kant was famous for his walks. So was Nietzsche. Aristotle founded the peripatetic schools of walking while lecturing. Some Profs walk when lecturing. In her book “A Mind for Numbers’” Barbara Oakley describes different modes of thought that are used for learning, understanding and problem solving. Concentrated and diffused. The diffused mode is used when we bounce ideas around. A little like internal brain storming. Stepping back from the particular problem. Eliminating tunnel vision and looking at the big picture. Finding the real question. Oakley mentions diffuse-mode activators such as going to the gym, playing a sport, walking, painting, taking a shower or sleeping. Talking out loud can help too. None of these activators can be practised while sitting in a regular office. As such, even going outside for a smoke can be productive. Who would have thought?
Concentrated problem solving, brute force or the pit bull method of attacking an issue seem to work as well. Though maybe it is not the actual brute force at work, but the time that passes between starting and finding a solution that gives the brain time to reflect on the issue. Concentrating on solving may just take some of the brain’s resources away and prevent you from finding a solution faster.
Google and other high tech companies provide an environment where people can switch between concentrated and diffused modes of working. Smaller innovative companies increasingly allow for that as well. This is what Freshbooks, a Toronto cloud-based accounting software company, offer in their work environment:
• Dog friendly, kid friendly, bike friendly
• On-site games (ping pong, foosball, arcade machine)
• On-site showers and towel service
• Casual office with no dress code
In other words, they allow people to more actively engage the diffuse way of thinking (oxymoron intended).
Conformity makes people easier to control and companies easier to run, but it does not allow for creativity or problem solving. It takes a special kind of management to develop an environment that encourages employees to muse about how to solve problems. Move for your health, move to better do your job. Having lunch at your desk may show dedication to the job, but could be counterproductive.
Apart from having 3 types of garbage cans in the kitchen area, to show how environmentally concerned a company is, it may just pay to inspire employees to get out of their chairs and move. Have yoyos around. Juggling balls. Have weekly Fitbit competitions. Ensure the crowd at the foosball table does not get too enthusiastic. The mind can come up with amazing solutions when given some autonomy and freedom to range widely. Even for short periods of time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPbwbSBxGi8