The world is full of noise, and we have welcomed it into our homes and offices via our phones, televisions, radios, even our watches. We almost forget that all of it is mobile and what we might really need is a change of scenery.
As we continue to traverse the technical age, where innovations seem limitless and everything we own has the potential to somehow be digitalised, aspects of the working world have become simpler.
But technology has also become more intrusive, blurring the lines between our professional and personal lives and ensuring that almost everything can be dealt with by staring at a screen.
“Common sense tells you that sitting inside, in front of a screen for hours on end with no breaks, isn’t a recipe to be at your best”, says high-performance and leadership consultant Shane Cradock.
Research has shown that working outdoors can improve your mood, give you more energy and may even increase your memory. Cradock is a champion for the creation and support of outdoor working spaces, as he believes it can greatly impact a person’s mental health and overall happiness.
“The emerging field of environmental neuroscience is revealing that exposure to nature can benefit cognitive functions like perception, memory, reasoning and problem-solving. Spending time outdoors also enhances your brain structure and mood, which improves concentration, working memory and your creativity.”
“What business doesn’t want to cultivate more of those attributes in their employees?” he asks.
Tearing down the walls
He notes that in today’s world, people need to focus on managing their energy in the same way they do their time, as “we all know what it’s like to be sitting at a desk in an office for hours on end thinking we’re productive. But not every hour will have equal output.”
Soon enough, energy will lag and so too will the ability to concentrate or produce high-quality work. He suggests using the outdoors as a simple, but remarkably powerful tool to recharge our batteries and refocus our minds.
For Cradock, the biggest barrier to the creation of an outdoor working area is a negative headspace, be it your own or that of your boss, as often “we have fixed mindsets when it comes to where and how we do our work”. Employers may not be receptive to employees trying something new and you can find it hampers your own creativity.
A healthy workforce should focus on mental and emotional wellbeing, to the same degree it prioritises physical health, and for Cradock “the leaders in an organisation need to experiment more with using the outdoors in their working week so that they see the genuine benefits”.
“Then it’s easier to role model different ways of working.”
He notes one employer he knew previously, who resented seeing employees take phone calls, or engage with others outside, as he believed ‘real work’ could only be facilitated in an office environment.
“Once he got a taste of a different approach himself he became the biggest cheerleader for taking ‘reset breaks’ outdoors, or being open to suggestions about how to harness what’s outside our windows.
“Another barrier is people’s level of busyness. Most people think very short-term, for example, ‘I don’t have time to take a break let alone go outside’. A long-term approach is key here,” explains Cradock.
Customise your environment
An outdoor working space does not have to have all the bells and whistles. Rather, it just needs to be an area, outside, with fresh air that can allow you to work as you normally would, albeit hopefully within a more peaceful or engaging atmosphere. It can also be a fun exercise in showing ingenuity.
“A little creativity and planning can help you create a suitable outdoor space to suit any conditions. If you have the budget, you can build pergolas, gazebos or an outdoor pod for shelter. But if your budget is limited you could consider buying a pop-up tent or canopy which would allow you to work in your back garden when it is raining or very sunny.”
He finds it can be helpful to use technology to support your outdoor working area, for example, weather apps can help you predict adverse conditions that warrant staying inside and Wi-Fi boosters can improve your signal.
“Organisations can also look to build ‘outdoor pods’ or ‘work gardens’ beside their main offices. These are starting to appear as leaders begin to recognise the huge benefits of making it easier for people to get exposed to nature, the power of fresh air and natural light.”
If you, like many people, don’t have a back garden, Cradock says this need not limit you. In fact, as he was answering the question about difficult conditions, he was sitting at a cafe table, on his laptop, perfectly sheltered as heavy rain fell from above.
“All around me are trees, plants, grass and a few people. It’s a really lovely work environment. I’d planned to come here because I knew I could work even if it was raining,” he said.
Ultimately, for Cradock, a healthy work environment is one that recognises that good health is more than just the physical, it encompasses the spiritual, emotional and mental side of us too. “What’s great about going outdoors, even for a few minutes, is that you get a positive hit in those four key areas of being a human,” he says.
But, if the idea of working outside is not feasible for you right now, he suggests taking more breaks outside, at the very least, to enhance your focus with fresh air and even consider a brief tech-free break, to help your mood.
“Oh and while it’s not always relevant in Ireland, if you do go outside more, don’t forget to wear sunscreen.”
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
