Using Your Environment to Change Behaviour and the Way You Work

One of the best ways to change your habits is to control your environment, both your physical and digital environment. We are more reliant on environmental triggers than we’d like to think. Here are three nudges that can help you:

Physical Environment

1. Don’t sit at the same desk every day. You are doomed to avoid changing habits if you stick to the same spot. Move to a different desk each time you are in the office. If possible, move to a different area, different floor, or even a different building. This change in scenery can help break the monotony and stimulate new ways of thinking and working.

Digital Environment

2. Task Association Associate an ‘outlet’ with a specific task. For example, open Yammer for networking and knowledge sharing, and open MS Teams for team working. In other words, when you sit down to use a piece of tech, focus on a single designated task. This helps create a mental association between the tool and the task, making it easier to stay focused.
3. Building on an Existing Chain If you want to increase the habitual use of time-saving productivity tools, try building on an existing chain—something you habitually do already. Just add an additional step. It’s easier to make a habit consistent if it’s built off an existing chain.

Here’s an example: I have a ‘shut down and coffee time’ ritual every day at 8:30 AM. Following this event, which happens every day, I use the Yammer search option to find two new groups that I can learn from. Because Event Y happens at the same time every day, it was easy to build on the second task, because there was a trigger I could rely on every single day without fail.

Creating and Triggering Habits

Habits are the brain’s way of simplifying the movements required to achieve a given result, essentially ‘designing for laziness’. To effectively create and trigger new habits, consider the following format:

1. Identify the Cue: Determine what will trigger the habit. This could be a specific time of day, an existing routine, or a particular location.
2. Define the Routine: Clearly outline the steps you will take when the cue occurs. Make these steps simple and specific.
3. Establish the Reward: Decide on a reward that will reinforce the habit. This could be a small treat, a break, or a sense of accomplishment.

For example, if you want to start a habit of reviewing your tasks every morning, your cue could be your first cup of coffee. The routine would be to spend five minutes reviewing your task list, and the reward could be a short walk or a favorite snack.

By using your environment to increase this simplification, you can significantly influence your own behavior. Try scheduling tasks for consistent parts of your schedule, such as coffee breaks, toilet breaks, or before and after lunch. This consistency helps reinforce the habit, making it easier to maintain over time.

In conclusion, leveraging your environment—both physical and digital—can be a powerful way to trigger and maintain good work habits. By making small changes and building on existing routines, you can create a more productive and focused workday.