Stop What You’re Doing. Go Take A Walk.

Stuck in a creative rut?

Need more exercise but don’t want to go to a gym?

Or maybe you just want less screen time on your phone.

Whether it’s all the above or just 1 of these, I might have a solution for ya.

The solution?

Taking a walk.

There’s only one requirement.

You can’t take your phone with you.

*gasp*

And I know that might be a lot to ask.

But before you freak out at the sheer thought of going anywhere without your phone, lemme explain.

Recently, the dreaded “blank page” has been staring into my soul more times than I’d like to admit.

And as you already know, I’m on this journey, writing my way toward financial freedom.

And if you didn’t know, well, the cat is out of the bag now.

A few weeks back, I was experiencing some serious “Writer’s block”.

If I was Superman, the blank page was my kryptonite.

I got lost in the sauce.

Until one day, I saw a tweet on my feed that changed my entire workflow.

As ridiculous as it sounds, it was a tweet about taking a walk before a writing session.

“Surely the answer’s not that simple,” I thought.

But, seeing as I had nothing to lose, I gave it a shot.

I took my phone and went out for a 40-minute walk.

The intention was to jolt down any tweet ideas, newsletter topics, or even bible study ideas that might’ve occurred to me in the middle of my walk.

It worked…for the first few minutes.

Halfway into the walk, I opened all my notifications, and I immediately started replying to them all.

From there, it went downhill.

But, I didn’t give up.

I wanted to take another crack at it.

This time, instead of taking my phone, I wanted to take a pen and notepad with me.

So, I went out to Walmart and bought exactly that.

This time, I was ready.

The following day, after having my daily quiet time with the LORD (more on that for another time), I took my usual 30-minute break.

20 of which were dedicated to my walk.

And I already know what you’re thinking.

Only 20 minutes?

Yes.

Rant time…

Through experimenting, I’ve found that 20 minutes is enough to help calm my brain down.

Which is what I want before a “focused work” (another topic for another time) session.

I usually take 3 of these 20-minute walks.

And because they’re so quick, by the time I’m done with my work, I already have 60 minutes of walking before noon.

Not bad.

And, not to mention, but walking is low intensity, which means it’s very easy to do and requires minimal effort.

However, if you want to go longer, do it.

Don’t let me stop you.

…okay, let’s get back on track.

Before hitting my walk, instead of opting for my phone, I opted for the pen and notepad.

That’s what was in the pocket of my sweatpants as I silently shut the door and took my first few steps outside.

Not even a minute into my walk, and my brain juices were firing on all cylinders.

“Writer’s block”, gone in an instant.

The ideas stored up in my brain were gushing out like a crack in a dam.

I could’ve stopped it right there, but I had 19 minutes left to go.

As I kept walking, I kept jolting down ideas on my notepad.

7 minutes later and I realized something.

I was present.

I was calm.

I was in the moment.

I saw my usual surroundings in a different light.

It was no longer just “the same old, same old”.

The walk without my phone revealed my environment as a blessing.

Something I’ve never stopped to realize.

I was in awe and couldn’t help but marvel at God’s wonderful creation.

It was at that moment that walks without my phone became a regularly scheduled activity for me.

So, what’s the key takeaway?

Take more walks without your phone.

If you need to move more, take a walk.

If you’re in a creative rut, take a walk.

If you want to clear your mind, take a walk.

…without your phone.

And for whatever reason, if you have to take something with you, just bring a pen and notepad.

You’re one walk without your phone away from having a life-changing moment.

Until next time.

This is your brother, Alex, signing out.