This 1974 gem from Robert Palmer perfectly evokes the ennui of the modern professional worker. The lyrics describe the frustration of being stuck, with no way forward but the slog.¹ The tempo and Palmer’s buttery vocals add a tangible feeling to the song’s intentionally depleted energy. Best of all, Palmer offers the perfect antidote:

Get outside.

• Outdoor time counteracts the negative health impacts of prolonged sitting and Vitamin-D deficiency (two markers of office work). ²AsapSCIENCE, “What if You Stopped Going Outside?”
• Observing nature counteracts what psychologists call “directed attention fatigue.” When you return to your desk, you will be less distracted, less irritable, and less impulsive. ³Rebecca Clay, American Psychological Association, “Green Is Good for You.”
• Time observing nature correlates with improved attention to detail. ⁴Rebecca Clay, American Psychological Association, “Green Is Good for You.”
• Nature walks decrease activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for brooding. ⁵Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, “How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain.”
• Time in nature correlates strongly with enhanced creative problem-solving. ⁶University of Utah, “Nature Nurtures Creativity.”

1.	↑
2.	↑	AsapSCIENCE, “What if You Stopped Going Outside?”
3.	↑	Rebecca Clay, American Psychological Association, “Green Is Good for You.”
4.	↑	Rebecca Clay, American Psychological Association, “Green Is Good for You.”
5.	↑	Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, “How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain.”
6.	↑	University of Utah, “Nature Nurtures Creativity.”
7.	↑	Sometimes a pun just calls out to you.