Why rest should be part of work.

There’s a story I often tell. It’s from the days when I was working in a radio production company. A friend of mine — a rookie producer — was tasked with coming up with some ideas for radio shows. So he asked his boss if it was okay for him to go and sit by a lake for the day. His boss laughed at him and told him to get back to his desk. That was twenty years ago. Today I hope most creative companies are much smarter about working practices.

Because — OF COURSE! — you’ll have more creative ideas away from your desk. My friend knew he’d be most productive by the lake. Ask any executive where they have their best ideas and you can bet the answers will include “on my morning run”, “on the train”, “in the shower” and “on holiday”. That’s no surprise. But I still think the world of work has some way to go with its attitude to away-from-the-office time. Yet why aren’t more organisations factoring that reality into employee’s work lives?

Because I know how it is for many senior executives. I have seen their screens displaying calendars full with back to back meetings. Their days mapped out weeks in advance, their calendars full of meetings, day in, day out. There is no breathing space. I don’t envy them.

The world of work is changing. We’re going to work into our seventies and eighties. At the same time, stress is on the increase, there is more awareness about our mental health and the detrimental effect of our ‘always-on’ connected lives. Things need to change. Our working practices need to become more human. Perhaps executives’ work lives will need to mirror those of the independent, free-spirited and nomadic self-employed consultant? Corporations may find their future organisational cultures need to embrace more flexibility.

Nilanjana Roy wrote a lovely column in FT Weekend ‘The case for rest’. She explained how a New Year’s break in Gwehri — above an Indian national park — had not only refreshed her but also rebooted her:

“My mind feels on fire; all of last year’s tiredness is blown away like clouds driven by the high mountain winds.”

She reminds us how some of the greatest writers, architects and artists made time for creativity-boosting breaks. “They viewed time off with the same seriousness and thought that they brought to their work…”

Nilanjana goes on to ask a really smart question:

“Could the art of rest be as important as the art of productivity?”

I love that feeling when my mind is on fire. Like Nilanjana, I often get that on holiday. But I also aim to create that feeling in my working week. One of the joys of carving out my independent work life has been making space for thinking and reflecting. On the face of it, it may look like I’m resting — a walk in the park, or sitting in my garden (above) — but these moments are vital. This is where the magic happens.

This is how I like to do things:

• I rarely work in the same environment all day, instead I enjoy mixing it up in a variety of spaces, punctuated by coffee shops and travel time. The resulting blend drives both my productivity and creativity.
• Walking around London gives me time to segue from one meeting or project to another, to reflect and review. It’s amazing the clarity you find on an urban walk (opposed to being sandwiched in a tube carriage).
• When I’ve had a book to write, I’ve always gone on journeys to cities such as Paris, Amsterdam and Nice. These trips bookend the writing process: I head somewhere to start writing, I go somewhere else to finish it. There are times where these trips blur between ‘work’ and ‘leisure’. But I always return with the work done.
• When I have become stale in my work life, I’ve taken trips to refuel me.

I have now incorporated some of these approaches into my work with individuals and organisations. In my workshops for the BBC, I send attendees out into the streets to get them thinking outside their bubble. In my walk-and-talk coaching sessions, I get people fired-up by fresh air and the changing streets around us. When I meet with teams in organisations, I sometimes take them for a walk to the coffee shop. I’ve seen the benefits this away-from-desk-time yields.

The future of work is not sitting at a desk every day from 9–6. It’s designing a human-centered working life with away-from-desk-time that best suits the employee. Whether it’s sitting by a lake, a lunchtime run, a morning walk around an art gallery, or switching the boardroom for a walk-and-talk, it won’t only create happier employees, it will make for better organisations.

Let’s give stressed executives a day off when they need it (not to work at home or from a coffee shop, but to go walking in the mountains or to spend a day chilling on the sofa. I am sure they’ll return not only in better mental health but also with a notepad of ideas). Let’s create a culture where an exec going for a 9 a.m. walk is not seen as skiving. Let’s not measure loyalty and productivity by hours shackled to a desk. Let’s create some white space in our calendars. Let’s send employees outside. If we want the best out of people, let’s give them a rest.

I’m a creative consultant, storyteller and coach who helps organisations, teams and individuals get fired-up at work. iansanders.com