I recently wrote about the importance of choosing your peers wisely. It’s not just true for teenagers! For those interested in more on this, I enjoyed this conversation between Molly Graham and Bill Gurley on the podcast WorkLife (we read Bill’s book Runnin’ Down a Dream in book club last spring)
Another way Angela Duckworth recommends changing your situation to affect your thinking and actions is to adjust your physical environment. It can happen in minor ways (e.g. tidy up your office and put your phone farther out of reach), but sometimes a major change of setting is worth putting on the table. Getting into a whole new environment has a way of unlocking fresh thinking that we can rarely access from our desk.
DJ DiDonna makes a compelling case for sabbaticals in Big Time Off, and I’m a fan. But I would hate to see you miss out on the benefits of changing your scenery just because you can’t get away for several months at time!
As I type this, I am sitting in the garden of a villa in Provence, France. A group of women arrives tomorrow for a five-day retreat. I’ll write more soon about the power of anticipation — today is that day for me. But first, I’m soaking in the power of place, curious about what the environment itself will make possible. As my colleague and retreat leader Meredith Wilson once advised me, “Let the venue do the heavy lifting.” So I am trusting that today. And making some specific tweaks to the space to make sure people feel especially welcome.
I realize you can’t likely transport yourself to France this week (although a few of you are doing just that! I’m so honoured and excited for you!) But you can notice how your physical environments are helping or hindering the work you want to do. And you can do the small things: put some lavender oil in a diffuser; dust off your monitor and keyboard; put an inspiring quote within your line of sight; maybe rearrange your furniture or go work in a different coffee shop today.
And maybe you do need to book that trip after all. Choose a better location for your upcoming offsite. Say yes to that new apartment. Ask to move offices. Let your venue lighten your load.
