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Places hold expectations

Ever tried being productive while staying in your bed? Rarely works.

A bed is one of the places where we all spend a lot of time. We also have more or less one clear activity we use bed most of the time — sleeping.

A bed is for sleeping. A desk is for work. An armchair for reading casually. …

The places we associate with what we do then influence our behavior.

On a good day, the influence is minimal — you manage to be productive no matter where you are — but on a bad day, it messes you up.

You need to rest, but you’re at the desk — that will result in lousy work.

Or you need to think and you’re at the desk with your computer screen right in front of you. Will you write out objectives or open a new social media tab? It would be better to go to a cafe with a pen & paper or go outside.

Match the activity to the place. Thinking wide and far? Seek open places without tech. Going narrow and focused? Grab the laptop and noise-cancelling headphones at your desk. Feeling tired? Don’t stay at the desk, find a place to rest.

It sounds obvious, but it can be hard to realize what environment would best help you in a situation.

The environment influences you, change the it strategically according to what you need to do.