Where Montessori Meets Work
Recently, I had a need to write….but I didn’t have any topic in mind. So, I asked my content creating wizard of a coworker, Laura, if she had any suggestions. This is copied straight from our conversation.
(14:43) Me: I want to write right now but I need a Medium-worthy topic. Any ideas?
(15:04) Laura: You could write about writer’s block ;) Ways you find inspiration
Laura is part of our remote team so she couldn’t see my reaction to that response. Full disclosure: it was somewhere between an eye roll and side eye. That’s such an obvious topic to write about that I almost didn’t want to write about it. Which led me to think about it some more…and here I am writing about it.
A few minutes before I pinged Laura with my inquiry, I had moved from my desk to a standing desk in a different part of the office in hopes that I’d get my creative juices flowing. After Laura gently pointed out the obvious, I took a look around the office. If you haven’t been to our office (come visit!), allow me to describe it for you.
Zerion’s office environment is where a Montessori classroom meets the working world.
If you’re familiar with Montessori classrooms, they are quite different than traditional public school classrooms. They’re inviting. Learning materials are displayed and easily accessible to foster independence. The classrooms accommodate choice. There are spaces where students can participate in group activities, and other spaces that allow for individual quiet time. Customary rows of school desks are replaced with work tables or floor mats, allowing students to define their work space. Beyond the physical classroom, the teachers are there to guide students as they work through new lessons and challenges. There is a caring intimacy of a Montessori classroom that is rooted in respect and harmony.
Our office space is open — wide open. All of the meeting or breakout rooms are designated by floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows into the rest of the office space. The only thing that separates one desk from another in its space is a computer monitor or two. Our kitchen area has a high-top counter which allows us to sit together for lunch but is often used as a work space. Many of the desks are standing desks. Seating options range from yoga ball chairs to stools to high-top chairs to modern ergonomic chairs.
For the most part, desks are grouped together in sets of three or four. While everyone has their own desk, you’ll find people moving around the office throughout their workday. As one of these people, I find that it’s vital to my productivity in three different — but similar — ways.
Feeling Better
Many of us spend 8 or more hours in an office. There might be days where our only time outside is when we are entering or exiting the office building. In the office, we may sit at a desk for 8 hours with minimal movement otherwise. Let me remind you that we’re humans, not robots. After a while, you’re body will feel the strain of sitting or being in the same position. Achy bodies lead to achy brains lead to lethargy.
Not only is it imperative to your health to move around, it’s imperative to your work. For those of you who are unable to have a standing desk or work in different parts around the office, drink water! If you’re drinking enough water, you’ll end up having to walk to the bathroom every hour or so.
Thinking Better
When I move around and work in a different way, either a different position or environment, I think better. There are times when being in the midst of office chatter is too distracting but moving into another space while hearing the chatter from a distance allows me to refocus. Other times, the quiet hum of the air conditioning is exactly what I need to get in my zone.
Wherever my work environment lands me, I know I’ll end up feeling more productive by moving to a new space, sometimes doing so two or three times until I get into a flow.
Working Better
Changing your scenery might feel like a small change but it can reap many benefits — including working better. It’s hard to come up with new ideas by staring at a computer monitor for hours. Have you ever told someone you’re going for a walk to get the creative juices flowing? Or simply to gain some energy refocus? As behavioral and learning scientist Marily Oppezzo discussed in her TEDx talk, there’s a significant change between brainstorming while you’re sitting versus while you’re walking.
For those of you in a dynamic work environment, what does a typical workday look like? And for those of you who are in a traditional work environment, how do you physically overcome mental blocks or stagnation?
