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Movement while thinking

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Summary

  • Worth trying. A movement may help some people but do nothing or hinder others. Judge task results, not feelings.
  • Classroom studies of toys such as fidget spinners have mixed results; some worsen attention.
  • Choose movement others cannot see or hear, such as gently pressing a foot down under the desk.

Ways to apply

  1. On your own

    Free, no special equipment to buy

    1. Pick a recurring task with checkable results, such as reading a document or attending a meeting.
    2. Choose a quiet movement needing no watching or hands used for work, like a foot press under a desk.
    3. Check for missed information and unfinished work. Feeling more focused is not enough.
    4. Repeat the same task several times without movement. Compare results and keep the better option.
    5. If movement needs watching, makes noise, or touches others, make it smaller or change it.

Classroom fidget toys have mixed effects; some worsen attention

Research-backed

A study included 60 preschoolers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); 48 received fidget spinners. Using them worsened classroom attention(Graziano et al., 2018). Among 233 elementary school students, spinners worsened math and listening performance regardless of ADHD symptom levels(Driesen et al., 2023). A Fidget Cube did not improve math performance either(Croley et al., 2023).

Across 10 classroom studies, average learning and behavioral gains from tools such as ball chairs and handheld toys were near zero(Schoenen et al., 2024). But after usage rules were taught, 3 students with ADHD spent longer focused in one study; grades were not measured(Aspiranti & Hulac, 2021).

Whether movement helps varies by person; task results matter

Research-backed

While cycling on a desk bike, 9 children with ADHD responded faster on a test of resisting interference. Children without ADHD showed no significant change(Hoy et al., 2024). Among 18 adolescents with ADHD, cycling during a memory test did not significantly change overall scores(Ruiter et al., 2022). In another study, girls with predominantly inattentive ADHD performed better at resisting interference while sitting still(Hoy et al., 2025).

When trying a movement, task results matter: missed information and unfinished work, rather than feeling more focused.

Choose movement others cannot see or hear

Proposed in research

In a study involving 4,100 people, about one-third reported varying degrees of aversion to watching others repeatedly shake a leg or handle objects(Jaswal et al., 2021). Movement should therefore be quiet and, ideally, out of others’ view.

Rotz and Wright, authors of Fidget to Focus, advise avoiding movements that disturb others, such as humming or tapping a desk. They also advise avoiding harmful habits, such as biting nails or picking the surrounding skin(Rotz & Wright, 2005). Gently pressing a foot down under a desk or squeezing a small object in a pocket meets both criteria.

When movement is not an option, the book suggests gum, water, or company

From a book

Rotz and Wright’s fidgeting includes various sensory inputs while working: body movement, chewing gum, sipping water, and background music. They also suggest working alongside someone to help sustain focus and increase accountability for finishing the task(Rotz & Wright, 2005).

The book notes that no method works for everyone. A method may stop helping for a while, then work again later(Rotz & Wright, 2005). Several options can be kept for use in rotation.

Free movement produced more new ideas in one student experiment

Proposed in research

An experiment had 32 general school students aged 11–12 try two conditions: sitting still on an ordinary chair, or moving freely on a wiggle stool. Free movement produced more new ideas; memory test results did not significantly improve. A second experiment included 43 general school students aged 12–13 and found no attention test improvement. Pairwise comparisons of seating conditions also found no significant differences in new ideas(Oppezzo et al., 2025).

Free movement could be tried during tasks such as brainstorming, then checked for any benefit to results.

Taking notes outperformed doodling in one lecture experiment

Research-backed

In an early experiment with 40 people, those who doodled while listening to a boring recording later remembered about 29% more(Andrade, 2009). Two later experiments involved 222 people. In the first, after a boring lecture, participants listened to voice messages and recorded key points, with doodling or no activity in the breaks. The second compared doodling, taking notes, and just listening during a lecture. Doodling did not reduce mind wandering or improve attention or memory. In the second experiment, those who only took notes had the best attention and test scores(Spencer-Mueller & Fenske, 2024).

For keeping hands occupied in classes or meetings, recording key points offers more benefit than drawing.

Evidence

References (13)
  1. Cohort studyTo Fidget or Not to Fidget, That Is the Question: A Systematic Classroom Evaluation of Fidget Spinners Among Young Children With ADHDGraziano PA, Garcia AM, Landis TD (2018). Journal of Attention Disorders
  2. Cohort studyTools or Toys? The Effect of Fidget Spinners and Bouncy Bands on the Academic Performance in Children With Varying ADHD-SymptomatologyDriesen M, Rijmen J, Hulsbosch AK, Danckaerts M, Wiersema JR, Van der Oord S (2023). Contemporary Educational Psychology
  3. Cohort studyThe Effect of the Fidget Cube on Classroom Behavior among Students with Perceived Attention DifficultiesCroley KE, Drevon DD, Decker DM, Hixson MD, Radley KC (2023). Behavior Analysis in Practice
  4. Meta-analysisA Meta-Analysis of Fidget Devices as Academic and Behavioral InterventionsSchoenen EC, Alsip BS, Martinez JC, Grekov P, Aspiranti KB, Hulac DM (2024). School Psychology Review
  5. Cohort studyUsing Fidget Spinners to Improve On-Task Classroom Behavior for Students With ADHDAspiranti KB, Hulac DM (2021). Behavior Analysis in Practice
  6. Cohort studyHyperactivity in ADHD: Friend or Foe?Hoy BA, Bi M, Lam M, Krishnasamy G, Abdalmalak A, Fenesi B (2024). Brain Sciences
  7. Randomized trialEffects of Desk-Bike Cycling on Phonological Working Memory Performance in Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderRuiter M, Görlich E, Loyens S, Wong J, Paas F (2022). Frontiers in Education
  8. Cohort studyIndividual Differences in the Neurocognitive Effect of Movement During Executive Functioning in Children with ADHD: Impact of Subtype, Severity, and GenderHoy BA, Feehely M, Bi M, Lam M, Abdalmalak A, Fenesi B (2025). Brain Sciences
  9. Cohort studyMisokinesia is a sensitivity to seeing others fidget that is prevalent in the general populationJaswal SM, De Bleser AKF, Handy TC (2021). Scientific Reports
  10. BookFidget to Focus: Outwit Your Boredom: Sensory Strategies for Living with ADDRotz R, Wright SD (2005). iUniverse
  11. Cohort studySit Still or Move More? The Impact of Fidgeting on CreativityOppezzo M, Schwartz DL, Aikens R, Moore JB, Langford J, Baiocchi M, Gross JJ, Dohmen I (2025). Journal of Educational Psychology
  12. Randomized trialWhat does doodling do?Andrade J (2009). Applied Cognitive Psychology
  13. Randomized trialNote-taking for the win: Doodling does not reduce boredom or mind-wandering, nor enhance attention or retention of lecture materialSpencer-Mueller EK, Fenske MJ (2024). Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology