In favor of the fidget
I’d like to share my appreciation for a small, lightweight piece of molded plastic.
I went to a facilitation conference recently, and someone had thoughtfully laid out a pile of fidget toys near the registration desk. I grabbed one almost without thinking. I fiddled with it a bunch during that conference (also without thinking), and just stuck it back in my pocket when it was time to leave.
It’s been a little less than a month, and I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve changed pants since the conference. But that little, hexagonal, Starburst-looking thing has been in my pocket almost every time I leave the house. I’ve used it in meetings. I’ve used it in traffic. I’ve used it while waiting in line at the grocery store.
I’ve found myself more focused and more attentive, and less likely to fall into behaviors I’d rather avoid:
Twirling my pen, or chewing on the cap
Shaking one or both of my legs
Mindlessly reaching for my phone and scrolling
Stress eating
I’d love to trumpet this as some sort of new, profound discovery. But the truth is that my fidget experience has just highlighted something I’ve known about myself for a very long time.
I’m pretty bad at sitting still.
For more than a quarter century, I’ve had jobs that require me to spend the majority of every work day at a desk, in front of a computer.
And yet, If I’m in a situation where my mind or my body doesn’t have anything to do for very long, I get antsy. In fact, I’ve probably been fidgeting on phone calls since I was a kid.
Pen caps aside, my desk is pretty full of fidgets already. I have the Chinese meditation balls I got from a client. I have a block of the mysterious and trendy substance known as Nee-Doh (shout out to my Gen Z daughter). If you’ve ever been a coaching client, I guarantee you something was in my hand, just off camera, helping me maintain my presence during our sessions.
Fidgeting at my desk: not new. Fidgeting while I’m out and about: very, very useful.
Turns out it was a wise decision for Trainers Warehouse to load up that conference table with my Flexygon and other similar things. I’m still using it and talking about it weeks later. And I might just have to leave a few out on the tables at the next meeting I facilitate, and see what happens.