100 weekday walks
Because the best thinking doesn't happen on a screen.
Last Thursday was Outdoor Office day. By definition, a perfect day to organise an event or at least practise what I preach and later post about. I had even received a few messages from others suggesting that it would be a good day to tap into.
In reality… my calendar was back to back calls all day.
I had planned to head outside at 2pm for lunch but a call overran and a trip to the pharmacy meant all my best laid plans went out of the window.
I know that for the majority of people this is their everyday and they wouldn’t blink twice. A recent conversation with a Chief People Officer at a financial services firm in London reminded me that despite the importance of nature and other environmentally-driven programmes to their organisation’s mission, many employees arrive at 7am and leave at 7pm and do not think twice about it. What motivated them was money.
Perhaps unsurprising but it got me thinking again about one of my core beliefs: the best thinking doesn’t happen on a screen.
I know how true this is for me, and I believe it’s true for a lot of others. I’m better when I’m bouncing ideas off other people in a room. If I’ve got a problem to work through, it’s always better solved on a walk. More broadly, I sleep better and work better the next day when I’m off screens after 9pm, and time in nature is an absolute must for my nervous system.
This is not me extolling the virtues of a completely analogue existence - that’s not the world that we live in and I need my laptop as much as the next person with Claude and Granola becoming firm favourites in my life. It’s more that I believe that we need to reimagine the way we work and live in order for us to actually have the potential to thrive in this modern world, not just exist.
And evidence says the same. A 2024 study of 159 sustainability professionals found nearly 70% struggling to stay motivated, and 62% experiencing burnout in the past year. Which brings me back to that conversation in London. If you work in climate or sustainability, I take it as given that you know time in nature matters, not just for wellbeing but for the benefit of the work itself.
After a bout of severe anxiety and heart palpitations in 2022 and 2023, I’m motivated by a healthier work-life balance now. But it took hitting a low to step off the hamster wheel. That’s the part I can’t answer on my own: does balance motivate other people the way it came to motivate me, or do most of us only change once we’ve hit the bottom?
As I contemplated these questions and their implications for my business with my coach, Ellen, we landed on an idea that not only avoids the screen-filled calendar clogging mentioned above, but hopefully might surface some key insights to the questions that have been going around my head over the last few weeks. So I’ve set myself a new challenge and am inviting you (or anyone you might think is relevant to join me) on a weekday walk. I’ll aim for 100, consecutively.
The first goal is for myself: make sure I schedule a walk during the working day for 100 days. At the beginning of each week I will schedule at least 20 minutes in my calendars (both for Nula and for my contractor role) and will report back how I fare with sticking to them. There are a few hazards that might trip me up, namely train travel. However, regardless of the destination, I’m determined to fit something in. It will be my own version of a Duolingo streak.
The second part is where you come in. If you work in climate, sustainability, nature, social impact work or just care about the state of the world, I would love to walk and talk with you. I want to understand what motivates you, what your biggest challenges are, what stops you getting away from the screen, and what helps you do your best work. I’ve got my own thoughts, but I’d rather hear yours, especially if they’re nothing like mine.
A lot of us doing this work are the only ones in our organisation who actively push for sustainable change, and there’s rarely anyone to talk it through with.This is why this challenge matters so much.
If you fancy a walk or know someone who would, hit reply or fill in the form and tell me roughly where you are or fill in the form below. Bristol or London in person, or a walk and talk on the phone if you’re further afield. I’ll get back to you and we’ll find a weekday that works.
Join the waitlist for the next Green Time cohort. If you work in climate or sustainability and your a people leader looking for a different way of doing things, it's a chance for you or your team to get outside and reset alongside people who get it. If you want to talk it through first, I would love to chat. Book a call here.