Zooming out

Let me tell you about a great mind-stretching exercise that I have been practicing lately.

My goal was to learn how to think big-picture. I am by nature a detail-oriented thinker, and so am fabulous at defining tasks, breaking them down, and executing. But I struggle with taking a step back and taking in the big picture. Strategy, out-of-the-box five year plans, my mission on this planet... I have a hard time zooming my mind out to think about these things.

Lauren Zander, founder of the Handel Group recommended that I try the following exercise routine, and I am here to say that it works. And it combines mental exercise with physical exercise: what could be better? Three times per week, I go on a 45 minute run. I start with 15 minutes of warm-up. Then for 15 minutes, I run at 70% intensity, where 100% is a sprint and 0% is a slow walk. In this state of focused exertion, I get in a zone. I focus my mind on a big picture question, like "If I were in charge of the Gates Foundation, what would I do" or "If I were elected President, what would be my term goals" or "If I could write an NPR expose about anything, what would I write?" It is a sort of meditation, and by golly my mind wants to wander all over the place, from what I am cooking for dinner to a punchline from the latest episode of The Office. But I keep bringing my mind back and focus on the question at hand. After 15 minutes of this, I feel expanded, creative, and focused. 15 minutes of cool-down, and I am ready to approach the rest of my life from a fresh perspective.

Walking by any gym, you see people working out to TV, music, or a magazine. Why not work out to mind exercises?

Image courtesy of http://thomashawk.com/hello/209/1017/1024/Central%20Park%20Jogger4.1.jpg