Why a change really is as good as a rest

Where do you do your best thinking? Where are you and what are you doing when you get those “light bulb moments” and the resolution to a problem you have been worrying about, or a creative idea for progressing a project, springs unbidden into your mind? It is more than likely you are doing something completely unconnected from the process of planning or thinking through the situation.

My “light bulb moments” usually happen to me when I am in the shower or doing patchwork and my big creative ideas always come when I am walking by the sea or out in the air enjoying time in the country. When I free up my mind by doing something active, I make room for the solution or idea to pop into my head and I give my intuition space to take over from the internal chatter and worry that has been chewing away at me.

Many years ago when I was struggling to revise for “O” level exams, my Mother gave me a very good piece of advice. She told me that “a change is as good as a rest” and suggested “get up, move about, go for a short walk and you will come back to it refreshed”. When the focus of my energy moved away from my brain and into something physical it seemed to create a sense of freedom and release and after a short rest my brain cells were much more effective!

This is why I have introduced a “Walk and Talk” coaching option for my clients. We agree to meet somewhere scenic, and then talk through coaching issues while we walk, rather than being restricted and confined by our surroundings. I have been amazed at the solutions and inspired ideas my clients have come up with while they have been more relaxed. When the inner dynamo kicks in and the blood starts pumping, clients are filled with “positive vibes” and become more dynamic in their thinking.

If popping out for a walk is out of the question, there are other ways of creating the same sense of freedom and release. When working with business managers I recommend a good dose of “managing by wandering around”* rather than sitting in executive isolation in the “ivory management tower”. By this I mean moving into a different space or perspective, perhaps joining staff and customers in their environment or rolling up sleeves and pitching in to help with production or even making everyone a cup of tea. Not only do managers achieve a break for themselves, but also there can be many knock on benefits from getting back in touch with customers and staff in such a positive way.

With my personal clients, I do not make home visits. Instead, I urge them to meet me away from their usual environment, to take a step away from routine, comfort zones or problem zones and to join me somewhere new or different from the norm.

A change of scene or activity can work wonders. It can create different thinking and different perspectives. By simply creating change, movement and positive action in one small aspect of your life, you can trigger a “snowball” effect of momentum and possibility that carries over into other areas.

When a client is over-worrying or routinely doing a great deal of thinking and planning, it can be useful to help them identify an “antidote activity” they would enjoy doing, either creative or physical, which can disperse the energy from the head to the hands or feet and give the “little grey cells” a much needed rest. My “antidote activity” is helping a friend at her beach café. We are so busy that there is no time for me to think or plan. I leave my worries and ideas behind for an hour or two and enjoy the flurry of activity and the banter. When I get back to my office I am ready to concentrate and re-focus with renewed energy.

So, why not do something different today? As Susan Jeffers ** puts it “If you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got”. Why not build some small, positive changes into your routine and see what happens.

· * Adapted from an idea by Tom Peters and Nancy Austin in their book “A Passion for Excellence”.
· ** Susan Jeffers, Author of “Feel the fear and do it anyway”

For more information about Walk and Talk Life Coaching in Devon see: www.blueskylife.co.uk