Oli, can you please stop clicking that pen!?
Although the above title is a LOT more polite than usual, it’s something I hear regularly, not just in the current office, but in a lot of offices where I have worked in the past.
I usually have a similar response – “Sorry, but I can’t help it” – and this is true. It’s not something I do consciously. This is why I find it strange that a lot of people (and teachers from my school days) considered me to be lacking in attention if I was fidgeting. I feel it’s the complete opposite, as it takes a huge amount of effort and concentration to NOT fidget.
I feel it helps my concentration to have something to do with my hands, whether that’s clicking a pen, tapping my feet, squeezing a stress ball, or twiddling my thumbs (amongst MANY other habits). I tend to be able to concentrate more on tasks if the above is happening, else my mind can start to wander.
I have never spoken to my GP about fidgeting, as a general rule of mine is; unless there is pain, or a threat to my health, I’d rather not waste NHS time, so I’ll do what we all do – Google it!
Google tells me that the cause of fidgeting can be nervousness, frustration, agitation, boredom, ADHD, excitement, or a combination of these and whilst some of these contradict each other, I have absolutely NO idea which of them apply to me, or even if it’s something completely different that isn’t listed above.
I haven’t been to the gym in a long time, because I struggle to find the time, and I have recently discovered that fidgeting is an excellent way to burn calories! A 2005 Washington Post article mentions a study where it was found that, on average, fidgeters tend to burn around 350 calories a day more than people who don’t fidget.
In that case, I’m not being annoying and loud with repetitive noises, I’m being incredibly, economically savvy and saving myself some money on a gym subscription in these unsure economic times!
