Aristotle and the Art of Walking
How a Modern Peripatetic Solves Problems
Monday afternoon, and I’m already completely exhausted. Several meetings and appointments are behind me, and my to-do list is still outrageously long. I’m seriously considering just calling it a day. But instead of giving in to my desk—and my sofa—I decide to try a different approach.
The Walk
I knew I needed to get moving. Sitting all day takes its toll. My brilliant idea: walk from Babelsberg to my wife’s studio on the other side of Potsdam—7 kilometers, no less. That should do the trick, I thought. I can get back to work tomorrow because today, I’m calling it quits. Time to get outside, stretch my legs, and clear my head.
The Breakthrough
After just 2 kilometers—still far from my ambitious goal—it suddenly happens: The knot unravels, the fatigue lifts, and my mind is clear again. I suddenly feel astonishingly light, as if someone had pressed the reset button. Who would have thought a simple walk could make such a difference without completely wearing me out? #LessIsMore
The Club of Peripatetics
As I keep walking, I think of Aristotle, that old Greek who taught his students while walking—they were called “Peripatetics.” Maybe the man really had a point. Or maybe he just had a thing for relaxed walks outdoors?
The Research Findings
Invigorated by the fresh air and inspired by the Peripatetics, I decide to cut my planned 7-kilometer walk short and head straight back to the office. There, I start looking for studies that support the “Walk and Talk” principle. And sure enough, I find some: Researchers have discovered that “Walking Meetings” can boost creativity by an impressive 60% [1]. No wonder companies like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn have long embraced this concept. Even Steve Jobs was reportedly a fan.
My coaching colleague Markus Brehler shares from his own experience how helpful movement can be—whether it’s hiking or just walking around. He has found that teams not only engage in better conversations but also tackle complex topics particularly well in a “Trilog”—a three-person conversation. Movement gets not just the body but also the mind moving.
Conclusion
My little outing not only refreshed my body and mind but also solved my problem—faster and easier than I expected. Instead of the planned 7 kilometers, I had my aha moment after just 2 kilometers. It turns out that it’s not always about big achievements or sheer endurance but sometimes just about taking the first step—in the truest sense of the word.
Let's have our meetings on the go more often. Who knows what brilliant ideas we might come up with?
[1] Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40(4), 1142–1152. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf
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Related Articles:
Forbes Business Council. (2023). How leaders can hold walking meetings successfully. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/02/15/how-leaders-can-hold-walking-meetings-successfully
Knight, R. (2015, August). How to do walking meetings right. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2015/08/how-to-do-walking-meetings-right
