Like beauty, productive workspace is in the eye of the beholder. And for Dave Jennings, SPHR, CAE, it’s in the bland, gray stairwell of the 12-story building where he works in Falls Church, Virginia.

Jennings is vice president of the Community Associations Institute, which occupies one floor of the office building. The stairs are a great way to avoid desk-jockey inertia and to get in some prime thinking time.

“I walk the stairs three or four times a day for short exercise breaks. It’s great when you don’t have time for a full-blown workout in the middle of the workday,” says Jennings. “I typically walk up and take the elevator back down. I pause on some landings to catch my breath.”

And what’s good for the body can also clear the head. “I use the time to transition between projects, think about something, or even read Associations Now—yes, it’s possible while going upstairs,” he says. (We love the creative ways people find to read AN, but watch your step there, Dave.)

Jennings confides that the best benefit of this unconventional “workspace” may be that it offers a brief getaway from the buzz of the office. “The stairwell contains two special items,” he says. “Solitude and silence.”