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After walking to and from work for 5 years along the same route, I found that I prefer walking without listening to anything on headphones. Just thinking incre

After walking to and from work for 5 years along the same route, I found that I prefer walking without listening to anything on headphones. Just thinking increases awareness of my surroundings, allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs, and connects me to the people I would inevitably see on a semi-regular basis. Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and have moved on to deeper topics.

danielvaughn 4y ago
When I lived in NYC, my commute was about 45 minutes. As much as everyone hates long commutes, I found that to be a very ideal amount of time to decompress from work. It's different when you don't have to drive; standing or sitting on a train is much more relaxing.
- agumonkey 4y ago
  Driving is very stressful, and inherently risky (most people a cramped up in their car). Also, 45 minutes of walk is near ideal to get endorphins (AFAIK). I try to double fork my commute, either explore some new path or do some groceries so the 45minutes are not just walk/train. Right now I do bike - train - bike (but, surprisingly, trains are unreliable this month .. they're the one making me late :)
  - mrtweetyhack 4y ago
- SnowHill9902 4y ago
  It’s a mental interregno.
- citizenkeen 4y ago
  I started biking to work (only 3 miles) and after a year I switched to walking because I found biking wasn't giving me enough time to separate "home" from "work". Even during Covid, my wife would kick me out of the house for thirty minutes after work so I could decompress. The difference between "coming down stairs" and "coming home from work" were night and day.
dkersten 4y ago
I agree completely. I used to listen to music and stuff a lot while walking or even commuting but a few years ago I decided to give up on most idle listening, preferring to listen to music or podcasts with intent now: eg to enjoy some music, not just passively. I used to walk a lot (I still walk a good bit but because I work from home I don’t walk to work each day anymore) and I found the quiet time to be the best time to come up with solutions to problems, to reflect on my life or day, to just wind down and switch off, to enjoy nature (when I walk to walk, as opposed to walking to reaching a destination, I typically walk along a river near my home). I think we are overstimulated far far too much and some quiet time and boredom is good for the brain and certainly it’s good for creativity.
- stevesearer 4y ago
  When you set out do you have a mental agenda or do you find that your mind gravitates toward worthwhile topics once you're walking? I'm more a mind wanderer, though for a season I tried to mentally prepare myself for the transition from being at a controlled work environment to walking into a house with two young kids at the end of the day.
  - dkersten 4y ago
    Unless there’s something specific on my mind beforehand (eg I’m trying to solve a problem I’m working on or having), no, my goal is generally not to purposefully think about anything and let my mind wander instead. I found often my best thoughts come in their own, when I’m not actively trying to think them.
- lupire 4y ago
  > > process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs > I agree completely. > preferring to listen to music or podcasts with intent now: eg to enjoy some music, not just passively. That's the opposite of what parent suggested.
  - stevesearer 4y ago
    How I read what they wrote is that instead of mindlessly listening to anything just to listen to something as the default, they prefer to instead be selective if they decide to listen to something.
munificent 4y ago
> allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs This can't be stressed enough. With phones and the Internet today, most of us consume way more information than we have time to really process, organize, and reflect on. It's like we do a shopping spree every single day and never spend any time in our house unpacking any of the grocery bags. Our minds are a chaotic mess of piled up worries, news, unmade decisions, etc. Walking (without audiobooks or other media) is the single best solution I've found to give my brain the idle time it needs to run a defrag and work through that backlog.
- flybrand 4y ago
  I’ve gotten to this same point recently too. Cut down on the bonus time - get more music, more silence.
- serial_dev 4y ago
  What I like to do sometimes is spend the first 10-ish minutes listening to a book or podcast to plant some ideas, then let these ideas percolate, let my mind wander, and if I get to somewhere interesting and actionable, I take a note.
  - mmmpop 4y ago
    Same. I start with a book/podcast and if my mind likes it, I keep it on. But often my mind wanders (may it be a distraction or inspiration from whatever it is in my headphones) and I'll go ahead and operate sans audio.
- balaji1 4y ago
  There is a benefit of re-listening to certain audiobooks, lectures or podcasts. If there was a sophisticated way to just have content on-repeat, that would be cool. New content all the time is over-consumption, while repeating could be used for learning. Also if walking alone, people should try calling friends and family. It's a great way to reconnect and stay connected with friends. Handsfree, heads up, it's good fun. I also feel much more chatty when on a walk. Anyway, walking commutes are the best.
FpUser 4y ago
I do 2 hours of activity per day (cycling, walking, swimming, etc). More in a summer. Since in winter it is more or less routine I just work when I do it. Usually solve some design / programming / planning task which I will implement later when at my desk. Over many years it has become a habit. Sometimes when I come back home for a walk I can't remember a thing about outside because my legs were doing on work and the brain was busy with the other.
bradlys 4y ago
> Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and have moved on to deeper topics. I find this kinda pointless for myself. Most of the time I just revisit the same subjects over and over and come to the same conclusions no matter how I try to solve it. Once I’m done with the menial tasks - the “deeper” topics just make me upset to think about because they make me realize how hopelessly fucked I am. I’d rather not focus on that and instead do a bit of hedonism while I can.
- stevesearer 4y ago
  Interesting, the way I think I think while walking/hiking is much less wrestling one specific topic to come to a conclusion and more bouncing around between many things. Maybe I don't even really conclude things but instead just move an idea along.
  - uuyi 4y ago
    Been hiking for a long time and do really long hikes. Eventually an epiphany or moment of self realisation will appear out of the blue. I had one at the weekend which was somewhat life changing.
  - nicbou 4y ago
    It's a good time to let thoughts resurface on their own, consider them for a moment and let them go. It gives me time to zoom out, to untangle my feelings, to make sense of them. It's a sort of personal retrospective slash backlog grooming session. We need that idle time. When I go on long motorcycle trips, I return with a clear head and a much better idea of what I want to do next.
- stonewashed 4y ago
  This, very much. I need to keep myself distracted, otherwise I get very upset.
  - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
jxm262 4y ago
I've been taking a walk every day since covid. Part of my daily routine now, early as soon as the sun comes up. It's usuallly 30(ish) mins, but your comment just made me change tomorrow's time to 90 mins. Just wanted to say thanks, ill seriously give this a try.
presentation 4y ago
I've been the same lately, I already think so much at work so I don't need more things to think about. However I did have a great time learning Chinese and Japanese via audio courses while taking long walks - without that time it's hard for me now to find the time to do the same.
LeftHandPath 4y ago
For the past year or so, I've walked between 1 and 6 miles a day at my local park (weather permitting). Putting headphones on never struck me as an idea, which is strange because I had them in basically constantly when I was wandering the UF campus all day a few years ago. I enjoy listening to the animals / birds / insects, and tossing friendly hellos to the people walking by. (Actually, maybe that's why -- at the park where I walk, headphones would feel slightly antisocial)
throw1234651234 4y ago
I actually have trouble thinking while I walk. I have heard quote about it a thousand times, but I think better sitting down. I can't think at all when I run (yes, long runs).

danielvaughn 4y ago

When I lived in NYC, my commute was about 45 minutes. As much as everyone hates long commutes, I found that to be a very ideal amount of time to decompress from work. It's different when you don't have to drive; standing or sitting on a train is much more relaxing.

agumonkey 4y ago
Driving is very stressful, and inherently risky (most people a cramped up in their car). Also, 45 minutes of walk is near ideal to get endorphins (AFAIK). I try to double fork my commute, either explore some new path or do some groceries so the 45minutes are not just walk/train. Right now I do bike - train - bike (but, surprisingly, trains are unreliable this month .. they're the one making me late :)
- mrtweetyhack 4y ago
SnowHill9902 4y ago
It’s a mental interregno.
citizenkeen 4y ago
I started biking to work (only 3 miles) and after a year I switched to walking because I found biking wasn't giving me enough time to separate "home" from "work". Even during Covid, my wife would kick me out of the house for thirty minutes after work so I could decompress. The difference between "coming down stairs" and "coming home from work" were night and day.

dkersten 4y ago

I agree completely. I used to listen to music and stuff a lot while walking or even commuting but a few years ago I decided to give up on most idle listening, preferring to listen to music or podcasts with intent now: eg to enjoy some music, not just passively. I used to walk a lot (I still walk a good bit but because I work from home I don’t walk to work each day anymore) and I found the quiet time to be the best time to come up with solutions to problems, to reflect on my life or day, to just wind down and switch off, to enjoy nature (when I walk to walk, as opposed to walking to reaching a destination, I typically walk along a river near my home). I think we are overstimulated far far too much and some quiet time and boredom is good for the brain and certainly it’s good for creativity.

stevesearer 4y ago
When you set out do you have a mental agenda or do you find that your mind gravitates toward worthwhile topics once you're walking? I'm more a mind wanderer, though for a season I tried to mentally prepare myself for the transition from being at a controlled work environment to walking into a house with two young kids at the end of the day.
- dkersten 4y ago
  Unless there’s something specific on my mind beforehand (eg I’m trying to solve a problem I’m working on or having), no, my goal is generally not to purposefully think about anything and let my mind wander instead. I found often my best thoughts come in their own, when I’m not actively trying to think them.
lupire 4y ago
> > process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs > I agree completely. > preferring to listen to music or podcasts with intent now: eg to enjoy some music, not just passively. That's the opposite of what parent suggested.
- stevesearer 4y ago
  How I read what they wrote is that instead of mindlessly listening to anything just to listen to something as the default, they prefer to instead be selective if they decide to listen to something.

munificent 4y ago

> allows me time to process existing thoughts as opposed to consuming more inputs This can't be stressed enough. With phones and the Internet today, most of us consume way more information than we have time to really process, organize, and reflect on. It's like we do a shopping spree every single day and never spend any time in our house unpacking any of the grocery bags. Our minds are a chaotic mess of piled up worries, news, unmade decisions, etc. Walking (without audiobooks or other media) is the single best solution I've found to give my brain the idle time it needs to run a defrag and work through that backlog.

flybrand 4y ago
I’ve gotten to this same point recently too. Cut down on the bonus time - get more music, more silence.
serial_dev 4y ago
What I like to do sometimes is spend the first 10-ish minutes listening to a book or podcast to plant some ideas, then let these ideas percolate, let my mind wander, and if I get to somewhere interesting and actionable, I take a note.
- mmmpop 4y ago
  Same. I start with a book/podcast and if my mind likes it, I keep it on. But often my mind wanders (may it be a distraction or inspiration from whatever it is in my headphones) and I'll go ahead and operate sans audio.
balaji1 4y ago
There is a benefit of re-listening to certain audiobooks, lectures or podcasts. If there was a sophisticated way to just have content on-repeat, that would be cool. New content all the time is over-consumption, while repeating could be used for learning. Also if walking alone, people should try calling friends and family. It's a great way to reconnect and stay connected with friends. Handsfree, heads up, it's good fun. I also feel much more chatty when on a walk. Anyway, walking commutes are the best.

FpUser 4y ago

I do 2 hours of activity per day (cycling, walking, swimming, etc). More in a summer. Since in winter it is more or less routine I just work when I do it. Usually solve some design / programming / planning task which I will implement later when at my desk. Over many years it has become a habit. Sometimes when I come back home for a walk I can't remember a thing about outside because my legs were doing on work and the brain was busy with the other.

bradlys 4y ago

> Personally, I have found that 1 hour + is a good threshold to aim for for some really quality thinking. After about an hour I've already processed normal stuff about family or work and have moved on to deeper topics. I find this kinda pointless for myself. Most of the time I just revisit the same subjects over and over and come to the same conclusions no matter how I try to solve it. Once I’m done with the menial tasks - the “deeper” topics just make me upset to think about because they make me realize how hopelessly fucked I am. I’d rather not focus on that and instead do a bit of hedonism while I can.

stevesearer 4y ago
Interesting, the way I think I think while walking/hiking is much less wrestling one specific topic to come to a conclusion and more bouncing around between many things. Maybe I don't even really conclude things but instead just move an idea along.
- uuyi 4y ago
  Been hiking for a long time and do really long hikes. Eventually an epiphany or moment of self realisation will appear out of the blue. I had one at the weekend which was somewhat life changing.
- nicbou 4y ago
  It's a good time to let thoughts resurface on their own, consider them for a moment and let them go. It gives me time to zoom out, to untangle my feelings, to make sense of them. It's a sort of personal retrospective slash backlog grooming session. We need that idle time. When I go on long motorcycle trips, I return with a clear head and a much better idea of what I want to do next.
stonewashed 4y ago
This, very much. I need to keep myself distracted, otherwise I get very upset.
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago

jxm262 4y ago

I've been taking a walk every day since covid. Part of my daily routine now, early as soon as the sun comes up. It's usuallly 30(ish) mins, but your comment just made me change tomorrow's time to 90 mins. Just wanted to say thanks, ill seriously give this a try.

presentation 4y ago

I've been the same lately, I already think so much at work so I don't need more things to think about. However I did have a great time learning Chinese and Japanese via audio courses while taking long walks - without that time it's hard for me now to find the time to do the same.

LeftHandPath 4y ago

For the past year or so, I've walked between 1 and 6 miles a day at my local park (weather permitting). Putting headphones on never struck me as an idea, which is strange because I had them in basically constantly when I was wandering the UF campus all day a few years ago. I enjoy listening to the animals / birds / insects, and tossing friendly hellos to the people walking by. (Actually, maybe that's why -- at the park where I walk, headphones would feel slightly antisocial)

throw1234651234 4y ago

I actually have trouble thinking while I walk. I have heard quote about it a thousand times, but I think better sitting down. I can't think at all when I run (yes, long runs).