September 16

A Change of Scenery

Your environment matters. Yes, it’s true that a lot of brilliant creative work has been accomplished in miserable conditions, but that is often the exception. (Who knows how much more brilliant work may have been accomplished if the surroundings were more amenable?)

It’s easy to get stuck in “place ruts” as much as we get stuck in cre- ative ones. We sit down at the same desk, with the same tools, drinking out of the same mug, doing the same tasks day after day, and then we wonder why we feel like we’re spinning our wheels. While it’s the job of the pro to perform under any conditions, when you have some latitude to make your environment better or more varied, you should do so.

Today, try something different. Maybe it’s taking your laptop to a park bench to work or even just sitting in the lobby of your building. Or maybe it’s reorganizing your office space so that you are seeing some- thing different when you sit down. By changing your environment, you shake your mind out of its comfortable ruts and can stimulate new kinds of insights.

Be careful not to get stuck in place ruts. Shake up your environ- ment to stimulate new kinds of creativity.

QUESTION

How can you change up your environment today?