Quick Tip – Get Out of the Office

You need a change of scene – Issue #112

I’ve spent decades in the working world. Many of those years were in corporate offices, mostly in cubicles and meeting rooms. Sometimes those rooms had zero windows.

It is hard to think and be creative when you stare at the same walls every day. Sitting in meeting after meeting isn’t great for your physical health either.

I found that I had to escape the office building to recover my energy. I would eat my lunch outside. I would take a coffee break, sit on a bench, and enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes in the afternoon.

Later, I worked with someone who enjoyed walking meetings. We would have our 1-on-1 sessions as we strolled the Embarcadero in San Francisco. It was great!

If you don’t already do this, I encourage you to change at least some of your regular meetings into walking meetings. You could stroll through your corporate campus, walk the streets nearby, or wander into a neighborhood. Find something that works for you.

Walking meetings have many benefits. To list a few:

• You will increase your physical activity and get more steps in every day.

• Walking and seeing new sights (instead of the office walls) increases your creativity.

• Being outside in fresh air and sunlight improves your mood.

• People tend to open up more when they get outside of the office, so it improves your meetings.

• Discussions are less awkward because you’re not sitting across a conference room table staring at each other.

• Difficult conversations are also easier to have when you’re walking side by side.

It’s a new year and an opportunity to change things up a little! Find ways to get out of the office more, and let me know how it works out for you. 😀🚶‍♀️