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The best work doesn't happen at a desk

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Sustain – short essays about work and our relationship to it.

Somewhere in the mountains, Summer 2022

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon. I find myself on a dusty trail through Washington’s Cascade Mountains where trains rumbled through in another time. Now it’s me on my bike rumbling through. At least that’s what I tell myself. It’s more like a gummy bear sugar-aided tootle with heavy breathing.

Many of the train stations and signs still exist. The sweeping train trestles bridge deep gulchs with snow melt creeks roaring below. It’s the type of scene where seeing another human is a jarring experience.

I was far from wifi and my laptop – let alone cell connection.

This trail lined with Lewis & Clark style ‘primitive’ campgrounds also happened to be my office on the occasion of this sunny weekday. It’s my mind’s happy place.

What might look like slacking off to the untrained eye is actually one of the most productive work days I can log.

Let me elaborate.

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I had just started a new role at my company. It was supporting a new venture and we were creating the strategy, process, and every concept from scratch.

My unremarkable WFH routine of rolling out of bed, unloading the dishwasher, making a quick piece of toast, and throwing on the day’s athleisure primes me well for most of my work days.

This is the type of workday where I oscillate between Zoom meetings, Slacks tapping my shoulder throughout the day, and even a little time to put my head down to get sh*t done.

I can hear the rubbing shoulders stans (why has HR not been alerted to the shoulder caressing senior management wants?!?) saying I should come into the office for better collaboration and creativity.

However, I would raise the argument that creative work and work that requires complex problem-solving (which is most corporate and tech work) gets solved in the wrong order. It most certainly does not require touching Beatrix or Manny’s shoulder. It also does not require a broad, unplanned brainstorm as the first step.

That’s where the shoulder canoodling crowd goes wrong.

I often turn to a long, disconnected workday bike ride when I find myself in situations where the work has as many options as leaving the dropoff loop of a major airport. (Why are there so many options?!?) I did that with this new venture, when I just started my new job, and countless other occasions.

This time away from a screen – and seemingly the appearance of doing any work at all – is, in fact, when I do my best work. I develop a point of view. Get my thoughts in order. Then even begin to put the puzzle together. Sitting in front of a computer punching keys should be the last step in the creative and complex thinking process.

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The first step of solving a large new problem is always creating time and space for deep independent thought. Only after you and the team have had time for this should there be a brainstorm or any actual work initiated. Otherwise, you’re primed to get only safe and commodity thinking. That’s not going to get you the edge your management team wants.

This is confirmed by research and studying the creative process of some of the best thinkers.

Decoding dozens of their creative processes, four key stages of thought emerge.

1. Inspiration
2. Framing
3. Prototyping
4. Validation

I would argue that what we think of as knowledge work (i.e. sitting in front of a computer acting as a busy bee or in an uninspired meeting with people half paying attention) doesn’t come into play until the end of step two and into step 3. Dreaming, concepting, and building structure come from your lived world and allowing your mind the best conditions to produce knowledge only you can.

As noted, the best conditions to produce knowledge do not come from exchanging memes and emoji reactions on Slack all day. This is the imperfect way we execute the work that has already been dreamed up.

To do that dreaming you need to get out to experience wonder, move your body, use your hands, and have extended disconnected time to let your mind lead the way. Ideally all at the same time. That’s why long bike rides on protected trails, where I don’t have to worry about getting swiped by a car, is my secret sauce for dreaming. This could also look like walking, gardening, knitting, or anything else that’s your jam.

The computer is often the last step for the best work.
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Grant Gurewitz Full-time corporate type and School of Logging Off Founder

Good vibes only ✌️

Working hard or hardly working? Doesn't matter. Step into nature for a brief moment of awe to escape the crazy at work 😵‍💫