How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life pdfdrive com

A Good Thinking Environment
In 
Chapter 3
, I talked about the way that small environmental cues can nudge us
to stay on track with our intentions, thanks to the way our highly associative
brain readily reboots old associations given half a chance. For example, if we
have a connection somewhere in our brain between having a clear desk and a
clear head, tidying our desk may provide a small nudge toward clearer thinking.
Peggy says, “I am very interested in how different surroundings can affect my
work. I’ve found that I do think more expansively if I literally feel like I have
space to think, so I like to keep my work area uncluttered. I like a bright
environment; it makes me 
feel
bright. I like to have a pen in my hand, because it

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tells me that I’m ready for ideas.” These small workspace cues help Peggy create
openness, readiness, and focus in her mind, because she associates them with the
kind of thinking she does when she’s at her best.
She even pays attention to what she’s wearing. “As a contractor, I often work
from home, and it would be easy to sit at home wearing pajamas. What does it
matter, right? But I make sure to get dressed as if I’m going into the office, every
day. Shoes, hair, the works. If I’m in my pajamas, I feel sloppy and I don’t feel
fully awake. If I have real work clothes on and I sit at a desk, I feel mentally
ready.” For Peggy, it’s another useful trigger to encourage high-performance
thinking. (For scientists, it’s a nice example of something they call “enclothed
cognition.”)
So consider which workplace cues you particularly associate with good
thinking, and find a way to surround yourself with a few of them. And remember
that what brings out the best in you is entirely personal. In contrast to Peggy, you
might associate pajamas and darkness with creativity (perhaps that’s how you
once did your most innovative work). In which case, turn off the light and put on
your inspirational bathrobe.