We are often in the throws of an intense patch of work, a scrum around a tough product roadmap, a tech stack issue, a go to market timeline, or a funding funnel that's proving to take longer than usual. These patches can be tremendously taxing, sometimes exhausting, and often lead to team blocks that are hard to break through. You know, you've been there.

Instead of doubting the value of changing your environment or simply staring at a screen, get outside, now! Run don't walk. Walk it out, ride, hike, play tennis, surf, hit the climbing wall, do something to alter your consciousness and free up endorphins!

WHY we like these depending on your surrounding:

1. If you are in the city, gather one or two team players and F the office. Hit the streets, and let your core concerns, issues come out naturally. Don't force the discussion, just walk, talk, wave your arms, breathe through it! Don't sugar coat the issue, get right to what's really worrying you, drop the office talk, dump politics between teams, let it out.

2. If you're lucky enough to have access to great hiking like Mt. Tam or Diablo in the Bay Area, grab a couple team mates and hit the mountain for a solid hike to jump start your mind. Think of it as a micro dose of natural creativity. I've done this more than anything else, it truly works, and you'll be glad you took the 3-4 hours to do it!

3. Sometimes the issue is inter-personal so take two or up to 10 people and do a mtn. or road ride. This is team building du jour in the BayArea, as founders, partners team members love to challenge each other on long road or mountain bike rides. Just beware, the goal is to get out and charge the endorphins, not prove your dominance and kill your partners or colleagues. Leave your ego behind, but challenging the team is never bad.

4. One of the cooler mind/physical things we like is an app called Actionbound, it's a GPS mobile adventure app that you can customize to your immediate area and create a scavenger or "discovery hunt" for team building or personal enjoyment. I used to do this the old fashioned way but this is truly cool these days, super smart, fun, and team building for sure.

5. Rock wall climbing is another du jour way to burn anxiety, build trust (with a belay partner), and accomplish something indoors in 90 minutes. It's is almost universally accepted as a cool way to refresh a team, so go as partners, go by yourself if need be. This is a zen exercise, helps focus, sharpens and builds trust in a very simple way.

Everyone says this kind of stuff is obvious, well you'd be amazed at how few teams actually do it. It's easy to hate on the obvious but if you don't do it then you're just more negative drag in the mix. Working through conflict or keeping intense startups aligned and focused isn't just about intensity, it's about taking the pause and putting it to good work! Get the F out and breathe. It might just remind you why you are all here?