Trick your brain by breaking the routine:

Ask anyone that works from home and they’ll probably tell you that rearranging, or just changing workspaces can not only make you feel more creative, but give you a productivity boost as well. I even get excited talking about someone else’s rearranged space.

So what is it about moving desks and shelves that makes us feel more productive?

Human’s are creatures of habit that fall into routines easily. The longer we work in a certain space the more accustomed we become to a routine. Maybe you start your day by walking in, flicking a light switch, setting your coffee down in a certain spot, pressing the power button on your computer, etc. – all on auto-pilot. We don’t have to think about any of it because its all very static. The problem is our brains can sometimes stay on auto-pilot throughout the day, looking for easy solutions, the path of least resistance.

Rearranging your office, or switching to a new workspace forces you to break your routine. It forces your brain to cope with new information. You now have to reassess the decisions behind small actions, and take in more information in general. Your brain goes into problem solving mode instead of auto-pilot mode, and suddenly you feel more creative, ready to take on the big problems – or at least ready to knock-out your task list.

This effect can be illustrated with artwork too. Have you noticed that when you hang a piece of art, you look at it frequently, but after a while you start to ignore it, even forget it’s there? If you move that piece to a new room, you suddenly start to notice it again. Your brain tends to ignore information that doesn’t change. It doesn’t need to process it because it already has. It gives priority to new visual or spacial information because this new data might be needed to make a decision.

Now my challenge to you: how else can you trick your brain into turning off auto-pilot? See what you can do to throw a wrench in your routine and see what happens.