How Space Can Completely Change Your Workday

I’m a recent graduate from the University of Dallas, where we have a section called the Periodicals in the library. It was the spot on campus where you found someone who really needed to get something done, was cramming for a test, or writing the essay due later that day. The periodicals produced an atmosphere of serious, focused work and where as one of my friends said, was the only place on campus where being part of the community meant being silent. At the same time, in another part of the library there is a space with couches and communal tables for “work” - but everyone knew that if you wanted to work well, you went to the periodicals.

This is all to illustrate the point that where you work does actually matter, and like it or not, space affects not only the quantity of work you do but also its quality. We all know the experience of flow: where you are so locked in that things that normally would distract you don’t, and where time seems to pass at the speed of light. This is the most productive state of work: flow is “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.” This could be when you are coding, writing, giving a presentation, conducting analysis, or in any type of work - but maybe a more familiar experience of flow is when you are having an incredible conversation, and all the sudden it’s the early morning.

There has been a lot of buzz around flow and research which has gone into it. A McKinsey study claims “if we could increase the time we spend in flow by 15-20%, overall workplace productivity would almost double.” In every single study and article that I’ve read about getting to and maintaining flow, the importance of your environment is emphasized. We all know it too - it’s really, really hard to focus in chaos. And while your environment is only one of the factors of entering flow, a bad environment can make it near impossible. A good environment doesn’t guarantee that you will automatically enter flow, but it does make it a lot easier. 

There’s a plethora of research about flow and how your surroundings can set you up to be as productive as possible. Here’s a few ways that are scientifically proven to enhance the way you work, and have been tremendously helpful:

Light

There have been numerous studies done showing that exposure to natural light during the workday both increases actual productivity and the quality of your sleep. For most of us, we stare at screens all day, and the staggering amount of exposure we have to screens has led to an increase in headaches and stress. Being exposed to natural light throughout the day can help offset the negative effects of so much screen time, but the key to understanding how productivity and light are related is actually a direct result of the quality of sleep. Almost everyone can relate to those nights when you are nervous for a big day, but then you toss and turn in your sleep (if you can sleep at all). The next day, you feel tired - and often it leads to poor performance at work or whatever you are doing that day. A study conducted on workers who worked with exposure to natural light slept for an extra 46 minutes as compared to workers without significant exposure to the sun. If you want to learn more about the importance of sleep and its effect on our lives, check out Andrew Huberman’s podcast on it.

Order

This might seem obvious, but for most of us regular people, how our office looks affects how we work (we aren’t all like Einstein who was able to work in a crazy messy office - but I would suggest that even Einstein needed order to work at his very best: he often went on walks in nature, something extremely ordered!). Working in a clean office eliminates many potential distractions: there are simply less things to potentially distract you. Again, there’s no such thing as an environment that is completely distraction-free, but taking proactive steps to set yourself up to be focused will help. The same principles that Marie Kondo taps into apply in the office just as much as they do at home, and there are many resources showing why clutter causes stress. Working in order also increases the quality of our reasoning - and it makes sense: sound logical arguments are clear and crisp. 

Albert Einstein's disordered office --- an incentive for him to take walks in "ordered" nature!

Breaks

Working a long day is tiring - and it will always be that way. Many people find that working in the early morning is most productive, and this is because the 4 o’clock wall is real. The brain fatigues throughout the day, but the effects of this can be mitigated by working in sprints, and taking short breaks periodically. Different methods exist such as the Pomodoro technique (typically 25 minute sprint of intense work and a 5 minute break) or the Golden Hour (usually longer 50 minute sprint and a 10 minute break), but the underlying theory behind all these methods is that the brain will work both better and longer by utilizing intense focus briefly and then taking a good break. But not all breaks are equal - going on your phone does not allow your brain to reset and recover as effectively as reading a book, meditating, or walking around - physical exercise is extremely helpful. If you are able, an awesome break is a brief chat with a coworker or friend, ideally in-person and standing.

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Work is hard, and there’s no easy way around that. I believe that this is one of the reasons why work is fundamental to our fulfillment as human beings: we all know the satisfaction of having a productive day or accomplishing something we have been working towards. I’m lucky enough to be able to work out of Lucid Private Office’s Las Colinas location where the offices are intentionally designed to have natural light throughout the entire floor, so even when walking down the hallway there is natural light (one probably wouldn’t notice this, but that’s why some of our exterior offices don’t have hallway blinds). Our interior design team does an incredible job at designing offices and common areas which are beautiful and orderly, and our furniture (our desks and such) is thoughtfully curated to be clean, crisp colors and shapes.

One of the hotdesk areas at our Las Colinas Location

And as I use the Golden Hour philosophy throughout the day, the incredible community around our center allows for great breaks - where I can step into one of our common areas to read a book for 10 minutes, or have a quick chat over coffee with a fellow worker - but then be right back in my office for an intense sprint. Where you work really does matter, and after graduating, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to access places like the periodicals again - but thankfully, Lucid Private Offices has provided a more professional and intentional space to work in than a college library. If you are located in DFW, Houston, Atlanta, or Phoenix, come try it out. Give us a call and ask for a test drive - and come experience a week of some of the best work of your life.