When faced with a complex issue at work, you might sit at your desk, stressing over the solution. After ten minutes of intense focus, you still come up blank. What should you do? If you were Steve Jobs, the answer was simple: get up and take a walk.
“Taking a long walk was his preferred way to have a serious conversation,” writes Jobs’ biographer, Walter Isaacson. Legendary designer Jony Ives also recalls, “So much of our time together was spent quietly walking.” It’s evident from various accounts that Jobs spent much of his time walking barefoot, whether he was deep in thought or discussing business strategies.
Jobs’ habit of walking wasn’t just about enjoying the outdoors or staying physically fit. He had an intuitive understanding of something science is now beginning to prove — walking helps the brain function more efficiently. Specifically, it aids in solving complex problems that often seem impossible to crack while sitting still.
As neuroscience suggests, walking shifts the brain into a mode that allows for creativity and problem-solving, which is why modern experts recommend adopting the “10-minute rule”: If you haven’t found a solution within ten minutes of focused thinking, take a walk.
Your Brain Isn’t a Muscle
This advice comes from Mithu Storoni, a neuroscientist from the University of Cambridge and author of the book *Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work*. On a recent HBR IdeaCast podcast, Storoni shared several strategies for improving brain efficiency, one of which is the 10-minute rule.
“I have some clients, and… one managing director has adopted a rule of, if he’s sitting in front of his computer with a problem that he hasn’t managed to solve for 10 minutes, he leaves his desk, he goes for a walk,” says Storoni.
She explains that unlike muscles, the brain doesn’t respond to more effort in the same way. If you’re doing a physically repetitive task, like working on an assembly line, pushing your muscles harder can yield more results until they tire out. But when the brain is your main tool, simply trying harder often leads to diminishing returns.
For tasks that are routine and don’t require much creativity, such as going through emails, focused effort works well. You can sit down, concentrate, and power through. However, when the job requires generating new ideas or solving a tricky problem, you need a more relaxed, open mental state where your mind can explore possibilities and make connections that weren’t immediately obvious.
Sitting in frustration for long periods doesn’t produce these “aha!” moments. Instead, trying to force ideas leads to mental exhaustion, blocking the creative process. Storoni emphasizes that instead of brute-forcing your way through a mental block, it’s better to coax your brain into a state that fosters innovative thinking.
Why the 10-Minute Rule Enhances Brain Function
So, how does stepping away from a problem after 10 minutes and taking a walk help your brain reach the right state to solve it?
According to Storoni, how you move your body affects how your mind functions. Taking a walk keeps your mind alert, but not fixated on one particular idea. “It keeps you in the right alert mental state, so you don’t just drift off, you don’t just fall asleep, or feel lethargic, or [look] at your phone,” she says. At the same time, walking keeps your attention moving because your surroundings are in motion. This constant yet gentle shift in focus allows your mind to wander, encouraging it to explore different solutions to the problem you’re working on.
Walking, she explains, prevents you from becoming overly focused on any one thought. “You can’t ruminate, because your attention can’t stick to one problem for too long because you also have to pay attention to where you’re walking,” Storoni adds.
In simple terms, as you walk, you have to navigate the physical world around you, avoiding obstacles like streetlights or uneven sidewalks. This physical movement mirrors a similar mental process where your mind lightly skips between ideas without getting stuck. It’s this fluid mental state that allows new ideas to form and breakthrough solutions to emerge.
The Power of Walking: Supported by Great Thinkers
If you’re wondering whether this technique is truly effective, consider the achievements of Steve Jobs. His creative genius and problem-solving abilities are legendary, and he regularly used walking as a tool to enhance his thinking. But Jobs isn’t the only one who relied on walking to sharpen his mind. Many other influential figures, from Charles Darwin to Mark Zuckerberg, have also advocated for walking as a way to unlock creativity and innovation.
The connection between walking and cognitive function is backed by both anecdotal evidence and scientific research. According to various studies, moving your body not only improves physical health but also boosts brain activity, particularly when it comes to tackling complex problems. When you feel stuck, continuing to sit and struggle at your desk may only deepen your frustration. But by getting up and taking a walk, you shift your brain into a more conducive state for creative thinking.
Applying the 10-Minute Rule to Your Own Life
The science and real-life examples are clear: if you’re stuck on a problem and haven’t made progress after 10 minutes, it’s time to get moving. This doesn’t mean giving up or abandoning the task; rather, it’s about shifting how you approach the challenge. Walking provides a change of environment and pace, which nudges your brain into a mode better suited for idea generation.
If you’re still skeptical, give it a try next time you encounter a mental block. Set a timer for 10 minutes of focused work. When the timer goes off and you haven’t cracked the problem, stand up, go for a brief walk, and allow your mind to wander. You may find that when you return to your desk, the solution you were struggling to find comes to you naturally.
Ultimately, the 10-minute rule isn’t just a technique for clearing mental roadblocks — it’s a philosophy that acknowledges the importance of working smarter, not harder. Whether you’re in the midst of a high-stakes project or trying to think creatively about a new initiative, taking a break after 10 minutes of frustration might be the key to unlocking your next big idea.