No. 9 Three meters (10’) made all the difference
Today's theme: how can we set ourselves and our projects up for success by paying attention to our environment?
INNER SUSTAINABILITY INSIGHT
Environmental cues and your nervous system
Environmental cues play an important role in reminding you to do the things you intend to do. If you're setting an intention to regulate your nervous system (aka entering a healthier relationship with your fear response), environmental cues can support that.
This works because of what psychologist Peter Gollwitzer calls implementation intentions: pairing a specific cue with a planned response makes you far more likely to follow through on an intention than willpower alone. [1]
A few examples, organized by fear response type:
🟥 Fight (pushing through): If you're the type who powers through without taking lunch, place an apple on your desk as a reminder to take a break.
🟦 Flight/Freeze (avoid/distraction): Keep a symbolic object nearby to remind yourself that you can do scary things. I keep an oyster shell on my desk, a reminder that it's safe to come out of my shell.
🟩 Fawn (people-pleasing): If you're a natural nurturer, taking care of a plant on your desk can remind you to take care of yourself.
OUTER SUSTAINABILITY INSIGHT
What kind of environment are you working in right now?
Understanding your workplace environment can help you succeed at work, especially when pitching your ideas. What kind of place are you working in right now?
Sustainability is a no-go zone. Out clients don't believe climate change is real.
Sustainability isn't a priority. We only do it when clients ask, which is rare.
Sustainability is on our radar. We incorporate it into many of our projects.
We live and breathe sustainable and regenerative building design. It's our core mission and why clients hire us.
I'm planning to tailor upcoming newsletters to these different needs. Click here to let me know where you fall; it'll take 30 seconds or less.
ART I’M MAKING
I love painting with oils and acrylics, but for the last couple of months I haven’t found the time. My excuse was that the set up and clean up takes much longer than pulling out my watercolour sketchbook. After watching week after week roll by with an empty easel, I had a hard conversation with myself.
This led me to make one small shift: I moved my paints and brushes right next to my easel instead of leaving them on the art cart 3m (10’) away - an eternity, I know.
That one small shift finally got me adding line work to this botanical painting.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What is one small change you can make to your environment this week to set yourself up for success?
Source:
Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
