Huge agree on the "ban leaf blowers" movement. I get so sick of hearing them all day this time of year, and I'm not entirely convinced they are more efficient than a rake. I think they are efficient in the context of much larger swaths of land needing to be cleared, but a rake or battery-powered leaf blower will work just fine for most residential areas. Also, can we please get people to stop bagging leaves? Why are we putting organic, biodegradable material in plastic bags to fill up landfills? Mowing them is way easier and the mulch it creates is great for your lawn and insect life buried beneath the dirt.
Love this. Obviously, as long as I'm not the presenter on a call, I love getting out with my laptop and kettlebell in backpack. I like the idea of rucking with kettlebell, jump ropes or gymnastic rings in pack as when call ends I've got a gym in a bag to pull off a workout or get in some exerciser snacks.
I’ve been on calls with my boss while we were walking our dogs. But like others have said, I’m mostly drowning in Zoom meetings where screen-shares and being on camera are expected. (I think Leah has it figured out TBH.)
Also, make sure everything is recharged and ready to go - from phone to earbuds. Just walked and talked myself recently and realised my noise cancelling earbuds were at 10% with another 45 minutes to go.
Per the comment about people opening up when you're outdoors with them, one of the social media posts I made for our local F3 is a picture from GTE-40, with the large text saying, "Men who feel uncomfortable talking face to face will often talk shoulder to shoulder." Some of the best conversations I've had were during group rucks.
I'm a bit surprised that it seems many on here seem to have a lot of voice calls. Nowadays the majority of my work calls are video. Rucking in a video call seems awkward. Do you have your camera on? How would you position it? But for voice calls I completely agree. Even for calls with friends I enjoy this.
My approach: For video calls where being on video is key (e.g., a presentation), I stay in my sad, four-walled office.
But for the majority of video calls I use my cell phone, pop in on video for the first minute or two and tell the person I'm on a walk, then I go to video. Usually I can avoid this altogether if I just tell the person I'd prefer phone because walking while I talk makes me think better—which is totally true.
I refuse to turn my video on unless it’s explicitly stated in the call invite or requested by the call organizer. There is a lot of research showing on camera video calls hurt productivity and drain your mental battery - not to mention having the unintended side effect of chaining people to their desk all day if you have several video calls. I ruck/walk with my video turned off and no one is the wiser.
That is really interesting. I had always preferred video as I like seeing body language and feel closer to my colleagues. Then again I am the weirdo who prefers being in the office so maybe Im in the minority. What does the research say? I cant imagine it being more draining than in person. Maybe because you are also seeing yourself and are more concious about that? Does the research say anything about why video is worse and how it compares to in person?
TLDR is that being on camera but not in real life can put your brain in hyper focus mode, working overtime to try to read unconscious body language and other non-verbal signals present when you share space with someone, but that is not readable on a small screen shot of someone’s face. There are also issues related with staring at yourself on a string of meetings, which is not something you do when meeting in an office setting. In my office there are a mix of people who prefer camera on, camera off so we’ve made it optional. I have some clients who request it and so will do that when asked, but based on this research and just knowing how I feel at the end of a day spent on Zoom it’s not for me. I do believe everyone is different and the only right answer is what is right for you. If you do work in an environment that requires hours and hours of on camera meetings, the researchers recommend establishing group Zoom norms, minimizing or hiding the self view, and muting when you are not speaking. If you can take breaks away from the screen between meetings that will help give your brain a break from hyper vigilance mode, which triggers your stress response.
Love the idea! I'd say my two biggest obstacles are the expectation that my face should be shown - we do a lot of Zoom meetings and how to follow along with the conversation when there's screensharing going on.
Thanks, Michael. I'm new here and this is very inspiring. I have a few questions: (1) do you ever need to take notes during calls? How do you handle this? Transcription could be an answer if Teams (which we have to use for work) had it; (2) do you recommend any particular headphones/earbuds? I take most calls with a wired headset with a boom mic at the moment but it might feel awkward to walk in ... ! (3) any recommendations for what to do in video calls?
As far as note taking, if I'm listening on a call I just jot down relevant info on my Notes app. But, to your point, lots of meeting software now sends AI summaries of meetings, and you can always read the transcript later.
Do you only do this for regular calls or also for video calls? If you do it for video calls, do you turn your camera off? I sometimes walk during calls with a lot of people (where most people have their camera off), but with a smaller group I always feel like having my camera off (especially if everyone else had theirs on) gives the impression that I'm less engaged or attending to something else.
I think the over arching message is sneak in some exercise while engaged in a phone meeting. There are limits on what exercise you can do (I tried cycling once…not good). Rucking is simply one alternative…after all, Michael is a master rucker!
I agree wholeheartedly with your second statement. I was at the airport recently trying to enjoy some (relative) peace and quiet and this guy sitting quite aways from me was talking loudly on the phone like he was the only person in the building. I finally got up and moved as far from my gate as I felt comfortable. However, I have been in meetings where I was invited to listen and not participate, so fuck that, I am going to do something to relieve the boredom (so I ultimately retired!!!).
I think you got my position in your first reply, Dom.
My message isn't "swap your normal time outdoors with ruck meetings." It's "swap sitting in the office and taking a meeting with ruck meetings." The idea goes back to the Two Percent concept ... modern life is designed to make us inactive. How can I find clever ways to weave activity back into my everyday life in a way that helps me? And then, of course, how can I take that Two Percent mindset and apply it to other areas of my life to grow and improve?
Huge agree on the "ban leaf blowers" movement. I get so sick of hearing them all day this time of year, and I'm not entirely convinced they are more efficient than a rake. I think they are efficient in the context of much larger swaths of land needing to be cleared, but a rake or battery-powered leaf blower will work just fine for most residential areas. Also, can we please get people to stop bagging leaves? Why are we putting organic, biodegradable material in plastic bags to fill up landfills? Mowing them is way easier and the mulch it creates is great for your lawn and insect life buried beneath the dirt.
BAN LEAF BLOWERS.
Love this. Obviously, as long as I'm not the presenter on a call, I love getting out with my laptop and kettlebell in backpack. I like the idea of rucking with kettlebell, jump ropes or gymnastic rings in pack as when call ends I've got a gym in a bag to pull off a workout or get in some exerciser snacks.
I’ve been on calls with my boss while we were walking our dogs. But like others have said, I’m mostly drowning in Zoom meetings where screen-shares and being on camera are expected. (I think Leah has it figured out TBH.)
Likewise about Zoom. I can't find the comment from Leah, who has it figured out, though. What did she recommend?
Also, make sure everything is recharged and ready to go - from phone to earbuds. Just walked and talked myself recently and realised my noise cancelling earbuds were at 10% with another 45 minutes to go.
Great advice!
Per the comment about people opening up when you're outdoors with them, one of the social media posts I made for our local F3 is a picture from GTE-40, with the large text saying, "Men who feel uncomfortable talking face to face will often talk shoulder to shoulder." Some of the best conversations I've had were during group rucks.
I've found that to be true. And I think it makes sense. For most of time, people chatted while walking and working together.
I'm a bit surprised that it seems many on here seem to have a lot of voice calls. Nowadays the majority of my work calls are video. Rucking in a video call seems awkward. Do you have your camera on? How would you position it? But for voice calls I completely agree. Even for calls with friends I enjoy this.
My approach: For video calls where being on video is key (e.g., a presentation), I stay in my sad, four-walled office.
But for the majority of video calls I use my cell phone, pop in on video for the first minute or two and tell the person I'm on a walk, then I go to video. Usually I can avoid this altogether if I just tell the person I'd prefer phone because walking while I talk makes me think better—which is totally true.
Thanks for the great tip!
I refuse to turn my video on unless it’s explicitly stated in the call invite or requested by the call organizer. There is a lot of research showing on camera video calls hurt productivity and drain your mental battery - not to mention having the unintended side effect of chaining people to their desk all day if you have several video calls. I ruck/walk with my video turned off and no one is the wiser.
That is really interesting. I had always preferred video as I like seeing body language and feel closer to my colleagues. Then again I am the weirdo who prefers being in the office so maybe Im in the minority. What does the research say? I cant imagine it being more draining than in person. Maybe because you are also seeing yourself and are more concious about that? Does the research say anything about why video is worse and how it compares to in person?
Late on the reply, but sharing an MIT study on Zoom fatigue here: https://direct.mit.edu/pvar/article/doi/10.1162/pres_a_00398/117346/The-Shortcomings-of-Video-Conferencing-Technology
TLDR is that being on camera but not in real life can put your brain in hyper focus mode, working overtime to try to read unconscious body language and other non-verbal signals present when you share space with someone, but that is not readable on a small screen shot of someone’s face. There are also issues related with staring at yourself on a string of meetings, which is not something you do when meeting in an office setting. In my office there are a mix of people who prefer camera on, camera off so we’ve made it optional. I have some clients who request it and so will do that when asked, but based on this research and just knowing how I feel at the end of a day spent on Zoom it’s not for me. I do believe everyone is different and the only right answer is what is right for you. If you do work in an environment that requires hours and hours of on camera meetings, the researchers recommend establishing group Zoom norms, minimizing or hiding the self view, and muting when you are not speaking. If you can take breaks away from the screen between meetings that will help give your brain a break from hyper vigilance mode, which triggers your stress response.
Do you have a recommendation on noise cancelling headphones or earbuds?
Honestly, Apple AirPod Pros have seemed to do best and stay connected. They pair really well with iPhones.
Love the idea! I'd say my two biggest obstacles are the expectation that my face should be shown - we do a lot of Zoom meetings and how to follow along with the conversation when there's screensharing going on.
Thanks, Michael. I'm new here and this is very inspiring. I have a few questions: (1) do you ever need to take notes during calls? How do you handle this? Transcription could be an answer if Teams (which we have to use for work) had it; (2) do you recommend any particular headphones/earbuds? I take most calls with a wired headset with a boom mic at the moment but it might feel awkward to walk in ... ! (3) any recommendations for what to do in video calls?
See above for my answer on video calls.
As far as note taking, if I'm listening on a call I just jot down relevant info on my Notes app. But, to your point, lots of meeting software now sends AI summaries of meetings, and you can always read the transcript later.
edit: "ever need" rathen than "even need"
Michael,
Do you only do this for regular calls or also for video calls? If you do it for video calls, do you turn your camera off? I sometimes walk during calls with a lot of people (where most people have their camera off), but with a smaller group I always feel like having my camera off (especially if everyone else had theirs on) gives the impression that I'm less engaged or attending to something else.
See my answer above!
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I hate the idea of ruck meetings. I have zero interest or desire to mix my time enjoying the outdoors with work.
I think the over arching message is sneak in some exercise while engaged in a phone meeting. There are limits on what exercise you can do (I tried cycling once…not good). Rucking is simply one alternative…after all, Michael is a master rucker!
I get the general idea, there's just too much focus on ruck meeting for my liking lately.
Also, people need to consider how being on the phone outside may disrupt others' enjoyment of the outdoors.
I agree wholeheartedly with your second statement. I was at the airport recently trying to enjoy some (relative) peace and quiet and this guy sitting quite aways from me was talking loudly on the phone like he was the only person in the building. I finally got up and moved as far from my gate as I felt comfortable. However, I have been in meetings where I was invited to listen and not participate, so fuck that, I am going to do something to relieve the boredom (so I ultimately retired!!!).
I think you got my position in your first reply, Dom.
My message isn't "swap your normal time outdoors with ruck meetings." It's "swap sitting in the office and taking a meeting with ruck meetings." The idea goes back to the Two Percent concept ... modern life is designed to make us inactive. How can I find clever ways to weave activity back into my everyday life in a way that helps me? And then, of course, how can I take that Two Percent mindset and apply it to other areas of my life to grow and improve?