In my younger life, I’d spend a lot of my time trying to understand how could one find the inspiration to get things done. All the important stuff anyway. The inspirations that I assumed, were definitely the opposite of inspiring and none of which I could relate to. In fact, the same reasons almost inspired me to procrastinate.
As I recall now, they were very fondly called rules and not inspiration. Little did I know that these rules would eventually creep in my adult life as well. I struggled with this little battle between inspiration and rules for quite some time till my Mphil where I was researching on procrastination. Finally, it all made sense to me. Inspiration does play an extremely big role in our productivity.
But where can we find it?
Is it the people, places, days, time, month, colour, nature? What I’ve eventually learnt that its all of these things. Doesn’t matter what your day is like, doesn’t matter whether you’re someone who wakes up at 5 am or 11 am. It all depends on how you work. This is something that I’ve learnt over time.
Let me let you in on this little fact of life before I talk to you about one of the things that inspire us, inspiration is and should be tailor made. It’s personal and will always be different from others and that’s okay!
Coming back to one of the most important methods of inspiration – AMBIANCE
Yes! Your ambiance, your surrounding is one of the ways you can stay inspired to increase your productivity.
I’ve heard may people say that when at work, it’s the silence that really kills their vibe. For writers it’s the noise, for artists it really depends on their mood and frame of mind...having said that it’s clear that your ambiance has a great deal of influence on your productivity.
I meet all my in-person coaching clients at a café and just for that reason I’ve received so many praises and happy comments. It’s the atmosphere that really gets you started. But, on a noisy day, it sometimes gets in the way.
Your ambiance is made up of many many objects and there are many ways you can create yours whether at home or work.
Let's talk about a few things to keep in mind when thinking about the ambiance.
#1 De-clutter – This works really well for me. De-cluttering my desk prepares me for the task I’m about to do (e.g., write an article). I usually have a stack of papers, books etc on my desk which may look messy to others but works for me. Dec-cluttering doesn’t mean to get rid of everything but getting rid of all that’s extremely unnecessary for the task in hand. The distractions and disturbances. For e.g., when I’m teaching a meditation session, I make sure the room is neat and clean and organized. But when I’m writing I don’t mind a pile of books or a stack of paper or a board filled with sticky notes around me. Find a system that works for you.
#2 Sound – Whether you like a little music or silence or people around you. It all depends. There’s no rule at all and that’s what makes this so much fun. When I’m writing a blog article, I usually write in silence but sometimes I’ve got some soft music or old hindi songs in the back ground and they put me at ease. A lot of people I’ve worked with, most of them being artists tell me how important sound it for their creativity. Even on a bad day, soothing music inspires them.
#3 Visuals – This is another important way to get the ambiance that inspires you. For some people what they see matters a great deal. Posters, wall art, desk art, plants, candle/votive, open window, makes a big difference. If you’re some who hasn’t figured it out yet, take a look at your surroundings, do you like what you see? If you need to change things a bit, how would you? A few people who have desk jobs don’t have a lot of options but they usually bring in a plant or a desk art (apart from family pictures) to bring in some energy.
#4 Open/closed spaces – This is one of the most important factors in creating an ambiance. I work with a lot of women who work from home. Sometimes when inspiration doesn’t strike its usually because of the space. For some people closed spaces feels perfect while others prefer open spaces. It’s a preference and it really helps to get things done. If you’re someone who loves open spaces but are forced to stay in a closed one try to bring in a plant or bring in some fragrance.
#5 Beverage – What!? Really!? Yes! Believe it or not having a beverage of some kind helps you stay hydrated and refreshed. Whether you’re a coffee person or a tea person or love juices or just water will also do. A beverage helps you stay fresh and active.
These are a few things you can keep in mind and create your work space accordingly. Most people dismiss ambiance as insignificant and unnecessary as its almost never discussed as important. But most offices and cafes and restaurants are designed keeping the ambiance in mind and the way it’ll reflect on the clients, employees, customers etc. I don’t think I’d feel very good if I had to eat my meal at a place that’s extremely boring and bland, has no plants or music… would you? Think about it, inspire yourself by creating an atmosphere that you’d love to work in. It does require a lot of effort but it’s effective.
Hope this article really helps you. If it was effective and you loved it, I welcome you to share it with your friends and loved ones who might benefit from this. It always feels wonderful to read your emails and comments so do let me know what you think and if you’ve got something more to share, in the comments below.
Thank you so much for stopping by (P.S – apply for the coaching program soon, we’ve got very limited seats)
Pause, breathe, dream…
Nikita
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