The standing desk I made from boxes

[Hovard]

I can't sit still. I thought this was a problem. Now I think it's information. I need to move.

I built a standing desk. From boxes. Stacked them on my desk. Put my laptop on top. Now I stand when I work.

I walk when I read. I print my articles. I walk around the room. I read as I go. My roommate thinks I'm crazy. I don't care. I remember what I read now.

I pace when I think. I used to sit and stare. Now I walk. I talk to myself. I figure things out. When I sit down, I know what to write.

I take walking breaks. Not 2 minutes. 10 minutes. I walk around the block. I come back. I can sit for 10 minutes. Then I walk again.

I use a timer. 10 minutes writing. 5 minutes walking. 10 minutes writing. 5 minutes walking. I'm not fighting my body anymore. I'm working with it.

My professor asked: “How do you stay focused?”

I said: “I don't. I move.”

He nodded. He didn't say anything else. Maybe he gets it.

 

[Pamela]

Hovard, your professor's nod says everything. He's seen this before. He's probably like this too. A lot of academics pace. A lot of writers walk. The stereotype of the thinker sitting motionless at a desk is wrong. Some of the best ideas come when you're moving. Newton walked. Einstein walked. You're in good company. Keep the boxes. Keep walking. Keep working with your body, not against it.