For many of us, ‘real work’ means sitting at a desk for long stretches of time. Head down, screen on, body still. If you’re not doing that, it can feel like you’re slacking, distracted or somehow not working properly.
I see this all the time with clients. They’ll tell me they know they’ve lost focus, but they stay glued to the chair anyway. Waiting and hoping concentration will come back if they just sit there long enough. Often, a sense of guilt and failure adds to the stress, which makes it harder to concentrate the longer they sit.
But for a lot of brains – especially neurodivergent ones – staying still is often the problem.
Movement isn’t a break from work – it’s part of work
We tend to treat movement as something you earn after work: Go for a walk when the task is finished. Stretch once you’ve done enough. Move your body in the evening, not during the day.
For many neurodivergent people, this doesn’t reflect reality at all.
Research consistently shows physical activity supports brain function across ages and populations. Exercise — even light or moderate forms like walking, yoga, or coordinated movements — can significantly improve cognition, memory and executive function (the skills involved in planning, attention and task switching).
In fact, people with ADHD showed greater improvements in executive function from physical activity than other groups in large reviews of multiple studies, reinforcing that movement isn’t just good for you – it’s especially beneficial for neurodivergent brains. (Click here for the science)
The myth that you can only be productive when sitting at a desk
There’s a persistent cultural belief that you can only productive when sat down, still and with your eyes fixed on a screen. Anything else feels like avoidance or not ‘proper’ work.
“I can’t leave my desk, I haven’t done enough yet”…“I’ll go for a walk once I get my focus back”…“If I stop now, I’ll lose momentum”
For self-employed and freelance clients, this belief can be even stronger. There’s no manager watching, but there is an internal one driving a pressure to prove productivity, especially when your income is uncertain.
Sitting at a desk while your brain spins, freezes or drifts isn’t discipline. It’s just wasted time and energy.
You may move less when you work for yourself
In traditional employment, movement is often built in without us noticing – walking to meetings, commuting, talking to colleagues, moving between spaces. When you’re self‑employed or freelance, those natural interruptions disappear. The day can quietly turn into one long, unbroken stretch of effort.
Movement can act as a gentle boundary in a work day that otherwise has very few.
For example:
- standing up between client tasks to reset
- walking after emotionally demanding work
- moving your body before admin or decision‑heavy tasks
- using movement to mark the end of the workday
But when you’re working for yourself, you can easily spend many hours sitting in front of a laptop with no natural prompts to get up and move. Even though physical activity has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress and support emotional regulation – all essential for people managing their own businesses.
What ‘movement’ actually means
This isn’t about fitness routines, exercise plans, or forcing yourself to enjoy the gym. Movement can be small and woven into your day:
- standing and stretching
- pacing while thinking or talking
- walking while listening to a voice note
- changing position on the sofa or floor
- doing simple household tasks between work blocks
- stepping outside for a few minutes
Think of movement as a support strategy rather than a reward or time off work. Just like using a planner, body‑doubling, or noise‑cancelling headphones, movement can be part of how you work with your brain instead of against it.
This is especially important when you’re self‑employed and already using a lot of executive function to plan, prioritise, switch tasks, manage uncertainty and regulate motivation.
How to build more movement into your work day
When you notice your focus has gone – instead of sitting and waiting – stand up and move for two to five minutes. Then see what happens when you come back. Try this for a week.
It probably won’t feel dramatic, but with practice you may feel it’s easier to get back into work when you return, less guilt about taking a break or not being able to concentrate and find it easier to detect signals from your body that it’s time to get up and move.
Good luck and let me know how you get on!
If you’d like my help to build more healthy habits into your working day, please take a look at my services page or drop me a message below.