The 7 Essential Elements of Productivity
Element #2: Environment

This is the sixth article in the series: The 7 Essential Elements of Productivity. Read the other articles here.

Outside forces have a way of making or breaking you. I previously discussed the need for focus and killing off distractions, and nothing eliminates an obnoxious distraction faster than a new environment.

Photo Credit: Jeff Pang

I wish I could say that you and I have the ability to get work done anywhere we go and under any circumstance, no matter how distracting or unpredictable the location may be. But, that’s just not the case.

Where you are plays an enormous role in how focused, effective, and productive you are, no matter what your task is or how important it may be.

Up and Out

It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon as I am writing this article in my home office. I have a cup of green tea next to my keyboard on my standing desk. My pug Benny is taking a nap on a bed nearby and my wife, Tessa, is at the library writing her dissertation.

I am wearing large, over-the-ear headphones while listening to focus music. My phone is in my pocket on silent mode and my email program is turned off.

Of all these factors currently at play, which do you think is contributing the most to my productivity?

It’s not a trick question, but the answer may not be obvious.

Based on my history and ability to get work done, I would argue the factor that is contributing the most to my ability to stay focused and write this article is the fact that my wife is not at home. She’s at the library where she can focus, leaving me at home alone with the dog, so I can focus.

The distance between us today is no accident. We both need the space to do our work and we both need the right environment to tackle our current task.

Choose Wisely

As Tessa and I discussed during episode 74 of the podcast, we are both High D’s on the DiSC Profile. In order for us to efficiently focus on our most important objectives, we need to wisely choose an optimal environment.

This task has been far from easy. We have tried a variety of scenarios and we are constantly tinkering with the ones we have.

Many days we both work from home, but I inadvertently end up distracting her more than anything. Tessa has a keen ability to sit and work for hours on end without breaks, but I need to mix things up way more often.

So, the only situation where we can both focus well is when we’re a phone call away, not in the next room.

The key here is self- and social-awareness.

• Where do you work best?
• Where do your co-workers, teammates, or spouses work best?
• What environment breeds productivity for you, while others simply steal away time, resources, and attention?

Solitude While Working, Social While Playing

For most people, working alone, working hard, and focusing intensely in a short block of time is best. After a few hours of hard work, social time with friends and family makes for a great break.

As Mason Currey points out in the great book, Daily Rituals, many successful artists, entrepreneurs, and thought-leaders utilized this strategy.

They would find an ideal work environment where they could be alone with their own thoughts. They would work incredibly hard, get a ton of work accomplished, and then drop everything to hang out with friends for the rest of the day.

Sure, many of them were raging alcoholics and drug addicts, but their quality of work of unmistakably amazing.

I’m not arguing you should adopt the exact lifestyle of these wild creatives, but I do think it’s fascinating that some of the most productive and successful people specifically chose their environments in order to produce their best work.

Where Do You Work Best?

As I shared, I work best alone and usually at home or at the library. But, I’m very curious to know where you get your best work accomplished.

What is your favorite place to work?

Next Week

Next week on the blog I will be sharing the #1 essential element of productivity. Are you ready?