Practical Steps to Turn Spaces into Tools for Success.
As we step into 2025, a year symbolising transformation and growth, it’s the perfect time to focus on setting the stage for personal and professional success. While motivation and willpower play a role in achieving our goals, science reveals that the environments we inhabit often hold the key to lasting change.
Enter envirohacking, the intentional practice of designing or modifying your surroundings to positively influence behaviour and support healthier, happier habits. By making thoughtful adjustments to the spaces we live and work in, we can create a powerful foundation for achieving our aspirations with greater ease and impact.
It's a new year and not just any new year. If numerology is anything to go by, then 2025 is a year like no other. It's THE year of transformation, with the number 9 (2+0+2+5 = 9) setting the tone for deep change and new beginnings. Since it's the last single-digit number, it represents growth and evolution, themes associated with the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one.
Whether numerology is your thing or not, every new year marks change, and every new year we seek ways to improve ourselves and our success rate in achieving our goals over the year before. Science, however, tells us that, most often, it's not so much an issue of will and focus that will get us there but is much more dependent on the kinds of spaces we inhabit.
Environmental psychologist Dr. Sally Augustin explains:
"Our surroundings shape our thoughts, emotions, and actions more than we realise. By tailoring environments to align with our goals, we can create conditions that foster productivity, well-being, and success."
This insight underscores the essence of envirohacking: leveraging the power of our surroundings to achieve meaningful transformation.
Envirohacking is the practice of intentionally designing or modifying our environment to influence our behaviour and promote healthier, happier, and more productive habits. It's about using the power of your surroundings to create a positive and supportive context for your goals.
Here are some examples of envirohacking techniques:
Decluttering: Removing unnecessary items from your space can reduce stress and improve focus.
Strategic placement: Placing items you want to use more frequently in visible and accessible locations can increase their usage.
Visual cues: Using visual reminders, such as sticky notes or vision boards, can help you stay motivated and on track.
Natural light: Maximizing natural light exposure can improve mood and energy levels.
Greenery: Adding plants to your space can enhance air quality and create a more calming atmosphere.
Sound management: Creating a space with the right level of noise can improve focus and productivity.
Callie van der Merwe, Co-Founder & Director of COOOP, mentions:
"Our environments are silent architects of our behaviour. By consciously designing the spaces we inhabit, we can shape outcomes that align with our aspirations and foster meaningful change."
Callie's underscores the transformative potential of envirohacking. By making small, intentional changes to our surroundings, we can unlock extraordinary potential in our personal and professional lives.
In closing, with small, instant, and easy tweaks to your daily environment, you can create a space that supports your goals and disproportionately increases your chances of achieving your goals for 2025..
Information Reference Index:
Numerology and Transformation: Understanding the Power of 2025
The Power of Environment on Behaviour
Declutter Your Mind by Decluttering Your Space
Biophilic Design: How Greenery Enhances Well-being
Callie van der Merwe on EnviroHacking
The Science of Soundscapes: How Noise Influences Focus and Well-being
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