Your environment will have as much influence on your success as your abilities, education, or effort. Many people underestimate how much impact their environment has on developing creativity and effective production. Your environment while attending school, working as an employee, or creating your content will affect the quality of the product you create, your desire to work hard, and how well you are able to remain focused.
The Connection Between Environment and the Human Mind
When individuals understand this connection between environment and thinking capability, it then allows them to create an environment and lifestyle that supports their development towards more quality, innovative, and consistent production toward their success.
The environment we live in affects individuals on a very deep level; from how we interact with our colors, lights, sounds, other humans, and even the temperature of a room, all these factors influence our mood, energy level, and mental clarity. When an individual is working in an environment that is frantic and unreliable, their brain will kick into survival mode, which makes it less likely for that individual to complete tasks and think creatively. If the individual is working in a calm, organized environment, their brain will likely have a more open, innovative, and productive mindset. Various studies have been completed showing that many higher-quality ideas are produced by individuals who work in an environment that has a strong support system compared to those working in an environment that is cluttered and chaotic. Therefore, it would be very important for an individual to take the time to shape their environment to achieve the maximum level of creativity.
1. Physical Environment: How Your Space Shapes Your Ideas
The surroundings of a person play a significant role in their creative abilities and productivity. Improving the physical workspace actually has a much larger impact on your work output than many people realize.
Lighting
Proper lighting will enhance energy levels, alleviate stress, and promote creativity. Natural light is particularly effective because it impacts your mood and mental clarity. Working in dark, dimly lit areas leads to extreme tiredness and lack of focus.
When using LED lights to provide bright light due to limited access to natural light, workers will have the ability to focus better and avoid eye fatigue.
Colors
The different colors of your workspace can affect how you feel and how creative you are:
- Blue and Green are colors that create a feeling of calmness, help keep you focused, and encourage the creative process.
- Yellow is a color that will make you feel more optimistic and will promote creativity.
- White and Grey are colors that feel clean, but if used too often, they lead to a lack of inspiration.
- Red is a color that increases alertness, but when red dominates the workspace, it creates feelings of anxiety.
Ultimately, your choice of color in your workspace plays a massive role in your level of creativity.
Organization
Creating a clean, organized workspace will reduce the mental strain on you and increase your creative process. When there is clutter, your brain works harder, thereby reducing your creative potential. Once you have organized your workspace, your brain will be more relaxed, thus creating space for new ideas.
By using simple habits such as clearing your desk each day and putting tools, books, and technology on shelves, you will be able to create a more efficient working environment.
Nature Elements
The influence of nature on creativity and mental well-being can't be ignored. Plants in the workplace provide oxygen and reduce anxiety while elevating mood and creativity. Alternatively, simply viewing nature can stimulate creativity and inspire original thoughts.
2. Social Environment: The people around you influence your productivity
Your social circle — family, co-workers, friends, or online groups — will either impact your personal development positively or negatively. Supportive and encouraging individuals provide you with opportunities to think outside the box and keep you motivated. In contrast, many negative and controlling individuals will sap your creativity and energy.
Supportive Relationships
When you have support from encouraging individuals, it allows you to feel safe to be able to explore your ideas freely, take risks without fear of repercussion, and showcase your creative flair. Supportive environments offer space for collaboration, which typically results in superior solutions and increased productivity.
Negative Influences
Individuals who provide constant negative feedback on your efforts and who continually complain or nitpick their work create an atmosphere of emotional negativity, which makes it more difficult to maintain focus. Reducing the number of people, you associate with who display those types of behaviors will create more mental freedom, leading to continued progress.
Productive Conversations
Engaging in intellectually stimulating conversations with those of diverse backgrounds generates new forms of creativity. Being exposed to a variety of opinions provides new methods for addressing challenges. For that reason, many creative teams include diverse individuals with a wide array of skills and experiences.
3. Digital Environment: Your online world matters
Now that we live in a digital world, it’s important to have a good online environment, just like you would have a good physical environment. The websites that you use to get information, the content that you read, the type of people that you follow on social media, and many other things affect how you think.
Distractions
When you are constantly looking at notifications, scrolling through social media, or using a bunch of unnecessary apps, it ruins your focus and makes it much harder for you to stay productive. The more digital noise there is in your life, the less productive you will be. Digital tools like website blockers and turning off app notifications can help you stay on track and build a habit of being disciplined by scheduling time for taking digital breaks.
Inspiring Content
There are many great creators online who create positive content, and by following them, reading educational blogs, and watching inspirational videos, you can fill your brain with lots of different ideas and inspirations. By being exposed to a variety of ideas, you are able to develop your creativity and cultivate a growth mindset.
Minimalist Digital Workspace
For a very simple digital environment, having a clean phone and computer—files clearly labeled and organized, a simple wallpaper, and only a few apps on your phone—helps relieve some of the mental clutter from your life so you can focus.
4. Emotional Environment: Your inner state shapes your output
The condition of your digital environment affects how well you are creating. If your emotional state is good, you can produce good content. But if you are experiencing emotional stress, it could negatively impact your creativity and productivity, even if your digital environment is perfect.
Peace of Mind
A calm mind is conducive to being creative. Mindfulness exercises such as mindful breathing, deep breathing, and short periods of rest during your workday all help improve your emotional balance.
Confidence
Having faith in yourself can help you create great work. Self-doubt shuts your mind. Believing that you are capable opens up possibilities for exploring new ideas.
Stress Management
Chronic stress inhibits creativity. The most effective tool for managing chronic stress is through utilizing wellness practices (for example, physical activity, journaling, talking with encouraging friends), which gives your mind the proper mental condition in which to think productively.
5. How to Build an Environment That Boosts Creativity and Productivity
✔ Declutter your workspace daily
Regardless of your financial situation, numerous affordable and simple adjustments can drastically enhance your performance each day.
✔ Use natural lighting when possible
For instance, keeping a tidy work area allows for easier access to creative thought.
✔ Incorporate nature
Additionally, a clean working area increases energy and mood.
✔ Surround yourself with positive people
Using plants or decor inspired by nature spurs creative thinking.
✔ Control your digital space
Minimizing exposure to negativity (such as refraining from social media) and nurturing relationships that encourage you to be yourself will improve your overall sense of creativity.
✔ Prioritize mental and emotional balance
Making the effort to cut down on distractions from online activity, while focusing on what you find inspirational, will allow your mind to be at peace with producing quality ideas.
✔ Create a routine that supports creativity
Finally, set aside specific time slots to brainstorm, work, and rest.
Conclusion
Remember: your environment has a tremendous impact on your overall ability to generate and produce ideas and creativity. Your physical space, people in your immediate environment, digital habits, and emotional state all contribute to how effective you think, work, and create. By intentionally establishing an environment that supports your thoughts, you maximize the extent to which you reach your full potential and achieve improved results in both your personal and professional lives. Taking control of your surroundings is critical to taking control of your success.
0 Comments