Spatial Environment Can Be Your Productivity Killer №1 (Individual Creators Are Most At Risk)
Finding a suitable workplace: what options do you have?
No focus. No flow. No productivity.
That’s how it was when I was working in an office with 3–4 other colleagues and someone was constantly coming in.
I would have died in an open-plan office.
Uncontrolled interruptions kill your focus
Besides the above kinds of interruptions, distractions from technology (e.g., emails, social media, smartphone notifications) are also a big source of interruptions that should not be underestimated.
Such interruptions, which take you out of your concentration phase or even out of a flow state, are deadly for your productivity.
The figure illustrates this: when you are distracted, you lose the duration of the interruption and the time your brain needs to refocus and resume the interrupted task (see A).
This reorientation and resumption of the task takes an average of eight minutes until you return to the concentration phase.
It is, therefore, not surprising that an interrupted workflow is characterized by a much higher waste of time than a focused, uninterrupted workflow (see B).
The same applies to multitasking. Switching between tasks can have the effect of distractions.
Some numbers: It is estimated that an average of 28 percent of a working day is wasted in this way.
So, avoid distractions and interruptions.
Better protect your flow
In my situation above, the only things that helped were noise-reducing headphones, working from home, or finding a quieter place in the library.
However, I could only do this to a limited extent. One reason why I became self-employed.
As an individual creator, you can work from anywhere. This has many advantages, but there may be one decisive disadvantage: your environment.
You are responsible or have to force yourself to find an environment in which you can work highly productively.
This includes no noise, no interruptions from family members, no distractions from digital technologies or things that need to be done at home.
You need to protect your working hours and ultimately your flow.
This will make the difference between success and failure, especially in the ‘start-up’ phase (without any employees).
The options that make sense
From home
One option, and the most obvious one, would certainly be to work from home (in case your business allows it).
Of course, this has the great advantage that you can set up your business cost-effectively — this is ideal for individual creators, one-man-business owners, or small ‘virtual’ businesses.
However, you require your own (separate) room where you can work completely undisturbed — reconciling to your fixed working hours with your family in which you are fully unavailable for them.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t spend your breaks with your family. On the contrary, this is one of the great advantages.
External office
Another option would be a (quiet) workplace or even a whole office outside your own home.
This can certainly increase productivity, as experience shows that founders and self-employed people are more productive in such an environment.
In larger cities, for example, there are shared offices or so-called technology and start-up centers where you can rent (usually fully equipped) offices relatively cheaply.
It is at least essential if you have a (high-priced) agency or similar and hire your first employees. Not doing so would be a classic mistake.
Employees (without self-awareness and self-control) are more productive in the office, and the company status with its own offices alone makes the expense worthwhile.
The mental switch — in cases where you have to commute — between work and leisure should not be underestimated.
Final thought
The choice of workplace and its conditions has a decisive influence on your company.
The ideal workplace is quiet and inexpensive, and you should avoid all distractions while working.
As an individual creator, this is easy. All other businesses or those with employees must be adapted to the (economic) circumstances.
