Silverknife - Writing and Productivity: The Power of Situation

Over time, we learn to associate certain moods, states of mind and emotions with our environments. Just walking into a familiar room can summon up the feelings we've experienced there; if we've been ill and confined to bed for a time, being in the bedroom can make us feel sickly and down for days afterwards. A house we haven't visited for years can trigger powerful nostalgia, because it summons up the feelings and memories associated with it.

These feelings can be very powerful, not just affecting our state of mind but causing physiological changes. Medical studies have shown that recovering heroin addicts can actually start to experience withdrawal symptoms if they return to a place where they frequently shot up, because their mind and therefore their body anticipates a hit based on their environment.

These associations can have a powerful effect on your productivity. If your office or work area is somewhere you consistently get good done, have a clear head and see results, you will experience those feelings and a clear, productive state of mind just by walking in the door.

If you have a prolonged period of writer's block, distraction or unproductive time, those associations will be working against you. If you've spent a couple of weeks doing nothing but improve your high score on Solitaire, your computer will stop feeling like somewhere you do work and it will become harder and harder to bootstrap yourself into a productive state of mind, because of the associations with that environment.

Try to be aware of the state of mind you experience when in your workspace, and keep the associations positive and productive. If, while you're working, you feel the need to take a break and goof off for a bit, don't beat yourself up about it, but take it away from your workspace - go to another room or outside and play games on your mobile phone if that's what you crave.

Try not to take lunch at your desk either - the change of scene will clear your head anyway, and may help you subconsciously work through a challenging problem that's occupying you. Insomnia experts recommend the same principles - keep the bed for sleeping, try not to eat or work there. By letting each environment keep its useful associations, you can manage your own state of mind more effectively, and with great benefit to your productivity.