Episode 208 | February 02, 2026
How to rethink creative productivity without burning out
Discover how Natalie Nixon’s Move, Think, Rest framework redefines productivity and boosts creativity, innovation, and well-being at work.
How to rethink creative productivity without burning out
Most of us are sprinting through our workdays like it’s a never-ending race—but what if the key to being truly productive isn’t about going faster, but knowing when to pause?
In the latest episode of Insights Unlocked, Nathan Isaacs sits down with creativity strategist and author Natalie Nixon to explore how her Move, Think, Rest framework challenges conventional ideas of productivity and unlocks creative potential in the workplace. As the CEO of Figure 8 Thinking and award-winning author of “The Creativity Leap,” Natalie brings a refreshing perspective on what it really means to work well and lead with intention.
Let’s dive into the powerful takeaways from this conversation and how you can bring more creative productivity into your own work and team culture.
The industrial model of productivity is outdated
“Many people are dying a slow death at work,” Natalie said bluntly during the episode. It’s a powerful wake-up call, and one that resonates with anyone feeling buried under endless to-do lists and back-to-back Zoom calls.
Natalie explains that most workplaces still operate under a first Industrial Revolution mindset where speed, efficiency, and output are the only metrics that matter. This model may have made sense in the 19th century, but today’s work is increasingly cognitive, collaborative, and creative.
“We live in a time where we can work differently because of technology, AI, robotics, automation, which is taking over basic tasks,” she says. “The opportunity now is the ‘so what’ behind all this speed.”
Instead of just doing more faster, Natalie challenges us to ask: What are we cultivating? It’s not just about producing; it’s about nurturing innovation, insight, and human connection.
What is the Move, Think, Rest framework?
Natalie’s Move, Think, Rest framework offers a more human-centered, sustainable approach to redefining productivity. It encourages a rhythm of work that supports creativity and mental clarity—without burnout.
Here’s how she breaks it down:
- Move: Integrate physical movement throughout your day. Movement sparks ideation and supports cognitive performance. Even a 3-minute walk can reset your brain.
- Think: Prioritize both backcasting (reflection) and forecasting (daydreaming, imagining). These slower, intentional modes of thinking fuel innovation.
- Rest: Make time for intermittent rest—from microbreaks to full sabbaticals. Rest isn’t a reward; it’s part of the creative process.
“It’s not that you move, then think, then rest in a neat order,” she says. “They are integrated throughout the day. It’s a new operating system.”
This framework supports workplace well-being, while also driving real business outcomes.
ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
The 2026 Experience Survival Guide: Scaling Human Insight Across Every Team
Creativity is a business imperative, not a luxury
Natalie is clear: creativity isn’t just for artists or designers—it’s for everyone. And more importantly, it’s essential to strong business performance.
“There’s a bold line between creativity and business results,” she says. “Not a dotted one.”
She shared three key ways creativity translates into tangible ROI:
- Inventive thinking leads to new revenue streams: Building creative capacity across teams encourages novel ideas, reimagined services, and more adaptive offerings.
- Collaboration increases efficiency and lowers costs: Long-term collaboration may feel messy, but it challenges assumptions and improves processes.
- Curiosity and problem-finding drive customer loyalty: When teams ask better questions and deeply understand the customer’s problem, they unlock more meaningful, lasting solutions.
This philosophy is embedded in her WonderRigor™ method—her signature approach to balancing curiosity with discipline.
The underestimated power of daydreaming and reflection
Daydreaming isn’t laziness—it’s fuel for creative productivity.
“We need to take daydream breaks,” Natalie says. “Set a timer for 90 seconds. Stare out the window. Let your mind wander.”
She backs this up with neuroscience. Referencing research by Dr. John Medina, she explains how sitting still for too long restricts blood flow, and thus oxygen, to the brain. That means your thinking actually gets worse the longer you sit at your desk.
Whether it’s a quick walk, standing during a meeting, or building in moments to pause, she urges leaders to model and encourage this rhythm across teams. “When we move, our ideas move,” she says.
Burnout isn’t a productivity problem—it’s a signal
One of the most relatable parts of the episode is when Natalie shares her personal story of burnout, while doing work she loved.
She was leading an innovative MBA program, teaching, and speaking widely. But one day, walking back from the photocopier, she heard herself say out loud: “I don’t want to do this.” It was a moment of reckoning.
Her experience reflects what many high-performing professionals go through: the slow creep of burnout disguised as ambition. The solution? Self-awareness and boundary setting, along with permission to follow your intuition.
“Leadership is increasingly inside-out work,” she says. “You have to monitor your own behavior if you want to lead others well.”
That includes recognizing when your team is overstretched, checking in, and designing healthier rules of engagement.
Intuition is real and it belongs in business
Natalie passionately argues that intuitive decision making is not only valid but vital, especially when paired with data.
“We already blend intuition and data,” she says. “We’re just afraid to talk about it.”
She cites a heartbeat detection study, which showed that people with strong interoception (awareness of their internal state) are better at strategic decisions under pressure. This connection between intuition and performance is powered by the vagus nerve, which literally links the brain, heart, and gut.
So when leaders say, “I just had a feeling,” it’s not all fluff. It’s a form of intelligence. Natalie encourages companies to create space for these insights, and to talk openly about how intuitive nudges often lead to pivotal decisions.
ENTERPRISE-GRADE EXPERIENCE
UserTesting named a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Experience Research Platforms, Q1 2026
AI should be your creative partner, not a threat
Natalie doesn’t see AI as the enemy of creativity. She sees it as a co-creator.
“AI can be an instigator,” she says. “It shouldn’t be the endpoint. It should be the launchpad.”
She draws a powerful analogy: jazz musicians like Herbie Hancock used emerging technology to push creative boundaries, not replace them. The same is possible for modern teams, as long as they still understand the why behind their work.
Her warning? For younger creatives, there’s a risk of skipping foundational learning. “You’ve got to know the rules before you break them,” she adds. Just like Picasso or Rothko, who mastered traditional techniques well before innovating, we must build our own creative baseline.
How to bring this mindset into your team
If you’re a product leader, marketer, researcher, or UX designer looking to operationalize this framework, Natalie suggests starting small:
- Reimagine one recurring meeting: Could it be a walking meeting? Could you shorten it and use the extra time for reflection?
- Prototype new rituals: Try a weekly daydream break, or set a team challenge to take 5-minute walks before brainstorms.
- Shift your KPIs to key performance experiences: Measure how people feel—not just what they do.
- Model healthy boundaries as a leader: Don’t just say “no weekend emails”—live it.
“You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater,” she says. “Just prototype a better way of working.”
Final thoughts
Natalie Nixon’s message isn’t just timely—it’s urgent. As teams grapple with hybrid work, burnout, and rapid technological change, we need new models of leadership and productivity that are deeply human and intentionally creative.
Her book Move, Think, Rest is more than a framework. It’s a call to design work that works with us—not against us.
We’ll leave you with one of her reflections from the episode, "When we slow down, we zoom out. And when we zoom out, we see more clearly. That’s when the real creativity begins.”
Episode links:
- The 2026 experience survival guide: scaling human insight across every team—This on-demand webinar explores how scaling research and customer insight drives smarter decisions and innovation across teams.
- Creative remote research: thinking outside the Zoom box—This on-demand webinar focuses on fostering creativity and imagination in research approaches, especially in remote environments.
- Unlocking audience insights: driving smarter decisions across product, marketing, and UX—This guide outlines how collecting and applying customer insights fuels innovation and informed business decisions.
- Customer‑first innovation and discovery guide—This guide explains how continuous research and innovation can uncover unmet needs and drive product growth.
- The future of customer insights starts in 2026—This podcast episode discusses how AI and human insight are transforming the way teams work and make decisions.
- Design collaboration: how designers lead the modern product triad—This blog post highlights how creativity, collaboration, and insights drive product and business outcomes.
- How user research in product development and design transforms products—This blog post covers how leveraging real user feedback fosters innovation and better design decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Who is the guest in this episode?
A. The guest is Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, author, and CEO of Figure 8 Thinking. She’s known for helping organizations unlock innovation through creativity and design thinking. She’s also the author of Move, Think, Rest and The Creativity Leap.
Q. Who is the host of the episode?
A. The episode is hosted by Nathan Isaacs, senior manager of content production at UserTesting and producer of the Insights Unlocked podcast.
Q. What is the Insights Unlocked podcast about?
A. Insights Unlocked features candid conversations with leaders and innovators shaping customer experience, UX, design, and marketing. Each episode delivers actionable insights to help teams build better, more human-centered experiences.
Q. What is the Move, Think, Rest framework?
A. Developed by Natalie Nixon, Move, Think, Rest is a human-centered productivity model that integrates movement, intentional thinking, and rest to foster creativity, insight, and innovation.
Q. Why does Natalie Nixon say traditional productivity is outdated?
A. She explains that today’s knowledge work demands a shift from constant output to a more intentional, creative, and balanced approach—moving away from Industrial Age thinking.
Q. How does creativity drive business ROI?
A. Natalie connects creativity to tangible outcomes like new revenue streams, improved efficiency, and stronger collaboration—making it a core business driver, not a luxury.
Q. How can leaders prevent burnout on their teams?
A. By modeling boundaries, encouraging rest and reflection, and designing healthier team norms, leaders can detect early signs of burnout and create space for sustainable creativity.
Q. What role does AI play in creativity?
A. Natalie views AI as a powerful co-creator. It can be used to spark ideas and augment human thinking—but shouldn’t replace foundational skills or intuition.
