What you forget to ask your colleagues about
“What are you doing?” the alternative to “How are you doing?”

I have learnt this lesson as a Ph.D. student, but it probably works for other positions, especially any problem-solving job. So bear with me, and tell if it works for you!
As a Ph.D. student, I often spent time either being stuck on complex problems or bored with tedious tasks. So I needed a break. (I had good times too, finding creative solutions, going through coding frenzy to build an exciting feature or running cool analysis, but then I didn’t need any break.) So, if I was not productive I had a break and see other Ph.D. students. Not to have a drink, not to chat about sports results or the last movie I had seen, but to ask about what they were doing. That were the best breaks I had and I will tell you why. This even leads to being one of the co-authors of an article first-authored by one of my fellow Ph.D. students.
“What are you doing?”
What are people doing when you disturb them to have a break?
Let’s assume they are not on Facebook or Youtube, and if so you can disturb them without any problem.
But most of the time, their occupation can fall into three categories (the same I was talking about in the first paragraph):
- They are in the zone!
- They are stuck up.
- They are bored.
How do I know this? Apart from my personal experience as a chronicle disturber, as you go into someone’s office, you have more chance to see them doing something that takes time. 1) The zone: it is their main tasks/job, they are good at it and spend much of their time doing it to bring value to the group. 2) They are stuck up on something they do not know how to solve. So it just takes time, and they won’t let go. So you have great chances of finding them staring at their screen determined or hitting their desk with frustration. 3) They are doing some tedious tasks, that take ages but that needed to be done to allow them to do cool stuff. Once again, it takes time and you have great chances on interrupting them on this one.
(They could also be doing emails, or having meetings, but either you notice it and find someone else to bother or you are probably doing the same and not having a break. So let’s ignore that, and focus on the core of their job.)
So, now that you know what they might be doing when you break into their office full of energy, where is the value in this kind of break compared to a huge cup of coffee?

The value of asking “What are you doing?”
The learning — teaching break
- What are you doing?
- Give me 30s and I tell you.
If they are in the zone, they might not be inclined to have a break. But they can take a short one — after a without a look at you “Give me 30s to write this function down and run my test script.” — that will still be valuable for both of you. In this case, you cannot help them but then can explain to you what they are doing. First, it allows you to better know what they are doing, to discuss with them later and build a friendly environment. This also gives you to know their expertise, and have someone to ask for help if you need this expertise. Second, they could teach you something that they've discovered, a cool method they are using or what they have read in a recent paper. Finally, it makes them feel good talking about all the progress they have made. And it can even give you some energy by the power of the emulation. They feel good, you have learnt something, they are happy, you are too.
The problem-solving break
- Hey, what’s up? Doing something cool?
- Yeah, but I’m kind of stuck… Maybe you can help!
These are my favourites. When someone is stuck onto something, I can’t help but try to help them. Solving problems always feels good. First, you help a friend, and he/she is grateful for it (it feels always good to help others). Second, you may overcome or help overcome an intellectual challenge and you feel smart/useful when it is solved.
So, in some cases, the problem they are stuck up onto are not in their field of expertise. So you can help them if you have the answer (in the context of a Ph.D., statistic analysis often fall in this category) or if you can direct them to someone that knows how to solve it. The problem is solved, they can do funnier stuff, they are happy, you are too.
This type of exchanges led to a friend and fellow Ph.D. student to come and ask for help about statistical analysis. He discovered my interest in statistics during one of these breaks where I asked for the method he was using to answer his particular research question. After multiple exchanges on how certain type of model work, and the differences between the types of effects in linear models, I was a co-author of his article soon to be published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal.
But you won’t always be able to solve their problem as they are often complex ones requiring a specific expertise. In this case, letting them explain it to you may still help resolve the issue. You can also bring a naïve view or a fresh perspective on the problem and bring alternative paths to a solution. The problem may not be solved, but they are not stuck any-more, they can continue to work, they are happy, you are too.
The breathing break
- Hi! Are you doing something interesting today?
- God no! I can’t bear this, it’s so annoying.Thanks for the break. And you, what are you working on?
- In fact, I’m stuck onto something, maybe you can help.
Sometimes, people are just doing boring stuff they have to do. In this case, a short break is always welcome. It won’t last long but will allow them to breathe and they are happy, you are too. It is also a chance for you to connect with them (see this video on how Oprah Winfrey connects with people).
(Now) they are certainly happy to help
But don’t forget, you had a reason for this break. While most people are always happy to help, they are even more inclined to do so if you have helped them before-hand. Lucky you! You just did, thanks to one of the situations above. So now, you can ask them for help if you are stuck, or have a short breathing break if you are doing boring stuff (see above to see what they can bring you).
After a break like this, you are good to go! It is certainly better than just a cup of coffee, even if I admit that sometimes you just need this extra help.
Unconditional benefits from active breaks
These breaks have unconditional benefits, whatever how the end up.
- you better know your colleagues’ competencies/skills and can they help you if needed;
- you know them better, connect with them, build empathy, better communication and a better work environment;
- you will certainly learn things, people are pleased to explain what they do (especially in academia);
- you develop problem-solving and understanding abilities.
If you are having a break, don’t hesitate to ask your colleagues what they are doing!
Are other types of break beneficial for your work? Can sport-chat breaks help? What do you think?
You can read another lesson from my Ph.D. experience here: I should have made a prototype first.
