The Subtle Power Of A Room Shuffle
I recently shuffled my entire office around. Why? Because it was time for serious change.
Remember that scene from Dead Poet’s Society, where the teacher, played by Robin Williams, gets the kids to stand on their desks so they can see the world in a different way?
Yeah, it’s like that now. Only more so.
Now, it doesn’t have to be as drastic an exercise as it was for me (it was a solid two day job, shifting everything in my office somewhere new). Often just reversing a couple of pieces of key furniture, or turning a single chair to face a different direction can give you a whole new perspective on life.
I had a friend who used to completely rearrange his bedroom every six months. At the time I didn’t really understand it, but now I see what a clear message it sends to our brains.
Every time you’re in that environment, all the old familiar signals you’re used to are now gone. Your brain has to reassess. It makes it easier to lose old habits, along with the old environment. It’s easy to feel like you’re starting a new life, because everything feels so different. Not only that, but we get constant drum beat every second we’re in that room:
- Don’t take things for granted!
- You do have influence in your environment!
- You can make things exactly how you want them!
- If you’re unhappy, change it!
- Better things are afoot!
Even more essentially, it keeps things fresh, it makes you feel at a very deep level like you’re making a new start – and sometimes that’s exactly what the doctor ordered.
