Solvitur Ambulando, Clarity doesn't come from sitting still.

A number of years ago I came across the phrase Solvitur Ambulando — it can be solved by walking.

At the time, it felt true. Now, I know it to be one of the most reliable ways I find clarity.

My best thinking has never happened at a desk.

Not in meeting rooms, not staring at notes, and certainly not when I’m trying to force an answer.

It happens when I step away out onto the Downs, into space, into movement.

There’s something about being outdoors that shifts things. The openness, the air, the rhythm of walking it clears the blockages. What felt stuck or tangled starts to loosen, and thinking that felt heavy begins to move again.

As I walk, everything starts to settle.

The noise quietens. The pressure lifts. The thinking simplifies.

And the question itself becomes clearer.

Not: What should I do about all of this? But: What actually matters here?

Once that’s clear, the next steps tend to follow quite naturally.

I’ve sat in countless “thinking” sessions over the years — rooms full of ideas, energy and urgency, but often very little clarity.

Too many moving parts. Too many perspectives. Too much trying to solve everything at once.

And not enough space to think.

Over time, I’ve learnt that clarity doesn’t come from pushing harder.

It comes from stepping back. Creating space. Letting your thinking catch up with you.

Walking is simply one of the most effective ways I’ve found to do that.

As your body moves, your mind settles. As the environment opens up, your thinking does too. As distractions fall away, what really matters becomes easier to see.

This is something I now use very deliberately daily.

Not always literally walking with clients although I do love to when it’s possible but creating the same conditions:

Space. Perspective. Calm thinking.

People I work with are nearly always sitting on something they know would work.

They can see the potential but they haven’t found a clear way forward. No defined path, no sense of where to start or what comes next, especially alongside everything else they already have going on.

It stays open. Unformed. Not quite moving.

That’s where clarity comes in.

For me, it often feels like being out walking when the path isn’t immediately obvious, but as you move, it starts to reveal itself. One step leads to another. Options become clearer. Direction begins to take shape.

You’re not forcing the answer you’re finding it.

For me, that often starts with a walk. For the people I work with, it starts with a conversation.

The principle is the same.

It’s not about doing more or adding complexity. It’s about creating the space to decide what actually matters, strip away what doesn’t, and see what to do next.

And when that becomes clear, things move quickly because clarity creates momentum.

If you’re sitting on something that feels important, but not quite moving it might not need more thinking.

It might just need space.

Where do you go when you need to think clearly?