Moving to a new location to boost your productivity is not a new concept, but understanding why certain locations have particular effects can help you find motivation when it’s sorely lacking.
Photo by Oscar Ramos Orozco (via The 99 Per Cent)
Elizabeth Grace Saunders, writing for productivity and creative thinking blog The 99 Per Cent, notes that there are four things that have a profound affect on your work environment:
When you leverage the fact that you have emotional and mental responses to specific places, you can dramatically increase your productivity. Each person’s optimal environment will look a bit different, but I’ve found that you need to consider these four elements as you set up your backdrop for success: [the right reminders, tools, distractions, and surroundings.]
The idea is pretty simple: when you find yourself working productively and staying focused during the day, consider the aforementioned elements in your location as well as the location itself. Why is it helpful? What’s keeping you motivated to get your work done? What’s helping you do that work efficiently? Of course there are other elements that’ll make a big difference, such as sleeping sufficiently, eating well, and taking care of your body (e.g. exercising), but assuming you’re doing all of that you should pay attention to how your environment helps or hurts you. If you work really well in a coffee shop, figure out what elements help you and then try to transplant those to your cubicle as much as possible. If you get a burst of creativity from a given location, see if you can visit it for a moment if you’re lacking in motivation that day.
This is just a basic way to help use your environment to keep you productive, but Saunders offers several other useful (and more specific) suggestions in her full article. Be sure to check it out if you want to explore how your location can have a profound effect on your work.
Setting the Scene for a Productive Day [The 99 Per Cent]
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