Environments: How Our Surroundings Enable Us To Thrive Or Struggle

When we think of environments, do images of luscious tropical rainforests with their tenants of sprawling residents vividly manifest in our minds? This is not by accident. Environmental awareness has become a key topic discussed in schools, politics, and society in the late 20th century. As a result, we're more aware of our relationship than ever before. Before modern society, most of humanity viewed nature as an unconquered frontier filled with traps and treasures. Now that we've explored all parts of the globe, we've recognized nature's patterns in different climates. However, environments are not limited to natural ecosystems. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have sought to understand and manipulate their immediate environment to support their needs. The creation of farms, cities, and personal homes has enabled humans to increase their chances of survival and live better lives. While nature is the master architect of ecosystems worldwide, the most important environment for us is most likely our home, school, or work environment. Each artificial environment serves a general purpose:

1. Home environments are personalized for enjoying life, relaxing, raising kids, cooking meals, and other general purposes we take for granted.

2. Business environments command professionalism and productivity, putting us in a state of mind to complete the work we are hired to do.

3. School environments are preprofessional spaces to learn, train, and master academic or trade material.

Outside of the three general environments, there are many other special-purpose environments:

1. Theaters and concert halls exist to entertain us.

2. Museums are constructed to inspire us.

3. Playgrounds are engineered to allow children to expend pent-up energy.

4. Fairs and amusement parks pop up to remind us there is still magic out there.

In this essential installment of Turn To Nature, we will analyze natural and man-made environments and highlight how they influence our behaviors, mental health, and productivity. We will consider elements such as lighting, textures, spatial capacity, and intricate elements in our environments. Once we have an idea of the elements of our environments, we will discuss how to optimize the variables in our environments advantageously and adapt to other aspects of our environment that we can’t necessarily control. Natural Environments & Their Residents In nature, an environment is broadly defined as everything we can see all around us and perhaps a little bit beyond. Environments such as deserts and plains may be vast and empty or filled with many interesting residents of that particular ecosystem, such as temperate and tropical rainforests. All environments inherently have their own natural resources, climate conditions, and geographical position on Earth, making them irreplaceable. However, tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia may have much in common with the tropical rainforests of Central Africa and Northern South America. Very few species have been able to adapt to any environment in the world, but some organisms have demonstrated greater resilience than others. Several key climate factors will determine whether an organism will thrive, survive, or die – including the climate temperature, fluid conditions (air or water), sunlight availability, natural resource availability, and resilience to natural disasters. Organisms that can adapt to a wider variety of these conditions are said to have greater resilience. "If you judge a goldfish on its ability to climb a tree, but all of the rest of its life, thinking it’s stupid“ – Albert Einstein We will look at three examples to see how organisms work to ensure they are in their ideal environments. Example #1: Koala Bears Koala bears are unique in their niche and have low resilience to change. Unlike most organisms, the koala bear is built to consume only one type of food: eucalyptus leaves. What makes koala bears so intricate is that once they get used to their eucalyptus diet, they will stick only to the type of leaves they are fond of consuming. As a result, when the koala bear’s food source is depleted, it faces a high probability of death as a consequence. In addition to food sources, koalas rely on Eucalyptus trees as a source of shelter and to be out of reach from predators at the ground level. Therefore, koala bears must have their ideal environment to maintain any chance of survival. Example #2: Migrating Birds As we've seen before in the Migration installment, birds migrate during the fall to seek out warmer weather. The Earth's seasons are opposites in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. Birds are creatures that thrive in warmer weather thanks to their warm-blooded nature. More importantly, their food sources are easier to access in climates free of snow and leaf litter that may cover their food sources. If a bird stayed in a colder climate during the winter, it would risk dying either of starvation or frostbite. Therefore, it makes sense for the bird's long-term interests to migrate to a warmer climate with ample eating and mating opportunities. Example #3: Water Bears, The Ultimate Adaptor Water bears are resilient to the extreme and are known to survive some of nature's most harsh conditions, from the chilling winds of the Antarctic to the scorching heat of the desert. As a result, these microscopic beasts are found worldwide, from sea level to mountain ranges, from the tropics to tundra, and in other environmental conditions that would destroy other organisms in minutes. Temperatures aren’t the only drastic changes that put water bears to the test. Their bodies can withstand pressures six times the amount exerted in the Mariana Trench or 6,000 times the air pressure we experience passively. When the food supply is low, water bears slow their metabolism down and go dormant until they detect a food source with the hairs that stick out of their bodies. While the water bear may be the most resilient animal ever discovered, it thrives in a preferred environment like any other organism. These little beasts shine in freshwater environments rich with moss, which is why they are given the name moss piglets. With the ability to survive the harsh conditions of outer space that no animals could match, it’s easy to see why the water bear is on the pedestal of exemplifying the power of resilience. Analogies Applied To Our Lives We’ve seen several examples of organisms' nature and how they thrive in their ideal environments. Some organisms demonstrate greater resilience than others, but all organisms desire to exist in an environment where they thrive and are free from danger. As people living in a modernized society, we have more access to thriving environments than at any other time in history. While inequality is still a persistent problem today, the amount of resources available enables even the poorest to improve their own environments on a daily basis, even if it's small and seemingly trivial. When done correctly, these changes compound to allow us to improve our living and working conditions substantially. Therefore, it’s up to us to modify our environments as much as possible. In most situations, we are in a home or work environment, but our environments greatly depend on the stages in our lives. Additionally, we must recognize that we cannot control everything in our environment, especially environments we don't own. Therefore, we will look at home environments and work environments. Environment #1: Home Environment A home environment is our space for rest, preparation, and enjoying time with family and friends. Most homes are created with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms, but some homes may have more or fewer. Whether we rent or own our homes, we have the most control over our home environments compared to environments beyond our doorstep. Unlike natural environments that act as their own version of a free market, home environments are designed and modified to fit our vision. Depending on our circumstances, we may only be able to control as little as a bedroom or as much as an entire house. Most bedrooms are outfitted with the standard bed, dressers, and access to a closet. Some of us elect to have some extras in our bedroom, such as a desk, a bookshelf, or a musical instrument. Our walls may be filled with pictures, a mirror, and other amenities that make our room feel like ours. The furniture and decorations reflect the trees and vegetation in forest ecosystems. Interior designers emphasize that it's just as important to know what to put together in a space as it is to take away. When we first enter a room, our senses are flooded with information about what's in it. The more items in the room, the more attention units are taxed to process their existence. Studies have shown that, as a general rule, environments are more refreshing and productive when they have minimal occupancy of items and decorations. This is why organizational consultants such as David Allen and Marie Kondo emphasize having a clean, organized room so that we focus less on the clutter in the room and more on our work or rest. While some people are more resilient to disorganization and clutter, we are most likely to use the environment appropriately when our rooms are neat and tidy. In the following action steps, we will examine some best practices we can implement in our homes to minimize maintenance and maximize our home environments. Environment #2: Work Environment Work environments are a completely different landscape, and we have minimal or no control over them unless we are business owners. Even if we are in a position to change our work environment, we may be subject to the state and federal regulations that determine how businesses must be laid out and operated. Working remotely has become more common post-COVID. Whether we run a small business from a laptop or work on projects that only require the use of a computer with internet access, we may need to designate a room or a corner that allows us to do our best work. However, most of us commute to a workspace of some capacity. As we enter the building, some of us are lucky to have a cubicle over which we have complete control and can prevent interruptions. However, many frontline workers have no designated environments to call their own and must often share it with their other colleagues. If we are fortunate to have our own space at work, we may be given a set of protocols on what items are acceptable in our spaces. We must understand and optimize these constraints to create the best work environment possible and increase our probability of moving into higher positions. "Everything rises and falls on leadership." - John C. Maxwell When we rise into management and higher leadership positions, we may have greater control to develop policies and procedures affecting multiple work environments and their employees. Those who oversee the work of others must provide a more sensitive ear and listen to those who work below them to ensure the success of the teams providing the services. By fostering a collaborative atmosphere, everyone will know what is expected in their work environments, boosting employee productivity. As with most things in life, knowing what to enforce and what to let go of is a delicate balancing act. Deviations that are a safety hazard, a potential lawsuit, or impede production must be addressed firmly and respectfully with everyone involved. While there needs to be a sense of order in the work environment for businesses to be competitive, becoming nitpicky about everything will impede our progress rather than enhancing it. It could backfire when we step on people's toes and micromanage them in their environments to strictly adhere to the rules. Employees could run out the door, increasing the costs of training and hiring replacements. Therefore, it's important to recognize what creates the best long-term bottom-line outcome. Optimizing Our Environments Becoming more aware of our environments and the effects of what occupies them is an important first step to making the necessary changes needed for us to thrive. Every environment is unique, and what works for one space may not necessarily work for another. The action items listed for home and work environments must be considered to determine what works for us. There’s nothing worse than applying the wrong plan to the wrong environment. Thus, we must take a full inventory of what changes are possible and necessary to adapt to what we cannot change, so we may focus on the more important items in our lives and work. Home Environments Home environments allow us the greatest control over their layout and what occupies the space. Whether we have a bedroom or a floor plan, controlling our environments to the fullest extent is essential for us to get the most out of them. Most of the advice applies to any size room or house, but we must consider our unique circumstances when deciding what aspects to change and what to discard. Action #1: Organize Our Spaces Entirely It’s easy to fantasize about a space that cleans itself and naturally falls into place, but that is impossible. Organization in itself requires a high level of mindfulness and upfront effort to be completed and well-maintained for the long haul. Everything from the placement of the furniture to the neat little details is important to consider. Even if it’s by using a sheet of paper or a digital document, we need to inventory our items and determine their residence within our space. We need to develop a system that works for us without overcomplicating the project. We must determine whether every item will be in sight, stored away, or disposed of. While there may be hundreds or thousands of items to consider, it should be as simple as looking at them and intuitively knowing their place. Set items that need more time to determine their residence aside and focus on the easy items to build momentum. When everything is documented and easy to manage, we free our minds to relax or pursue other things that give us life. Action #2: Make What's Important Accessible There’s nothing worse than having an important item tucked away or put in another part of the room, where we have to retrieve it and put it back constantly. When considering how to lay out our environments, we must consider what layouts will result in the fewest moves needed to enjoy them. In layouts, putting items in an area where they can be easily retrieved is vital to their usefulness. As a personal example, for items I use daily, I deliberately store them in spaces within arm's reach. My electronics, cables, and backups are stored in drawers underneath my workstation, which takes seconds to set up and utilize. Additionally, from analyzing my habits, I put everyday pocket items where I know I can grab them quickly, such as my wallet, keys, multi-tools, and a mini notepad with a pen. Making important items accessible requires considerable trial and error. However, as we get into the groove of keeping the right things accessible, it will become more intuitive to us what needs to be stored in proxy against what is tucked far away. As seasons change, what needs to be accessible will also change. A snow shovel will be within arm's reach in the winter and stored in the shed in the summer. Adapting to life's changes becomes easier when we're mindful of these seasonal changes. Action #3: Ensure Adequate Lighting Is Present There is nothing that makes a house a home more than adequate lighting. Natural light not only keeps our electric bills down but also often provides an atmosphere within our environment. With adequate natural light, everything becomes visible that otherwise might cause our eyes to strain; that energy is freed up to do things around the house or enjoy our environment. If we live in an environment without adequate lighting, we must remedy these deficiencies. While overhead lights may help, they can cast shadows and strain our eyes. Therefore, floor lamps positioned around the room are a key solution to providing adequate light. By contrast, removing light is important when we do not need it. It is important to have the right curtains and blinds that allow us to quickly remove light when we don’t need it, so that we can rest midday if needed. Finally, the temperature of our lights is important to consider as well. Lights with a warm, yellow-orange hue are softer and create an atmosphere that is perfect for nighttime, whereas lights with a cool, blue-white hue are far better during the daytime to supplement natural light. Often, it's best not to let these hues clash with each other and instead lean one way or another. Action #4: Maintain Your Environment Successfully setting up our environment and fine-tuning it to what works for us is a huge victory in itself, but the work doesn’t stop there. All environments need to be maintained, even those that may not have anyone occupying them for a while. As we discussed in organizing our environments, documentation of how we will maintain our environments is essential to ensuring we get the most out of our living spaces. Many of us have a list of chores that need to be done daily or weekly, but having all that is documented and tracked can liberate us mentally and allow us to do other things that are ultimately more important to us. Unfortunately, reality has shown us time and time again that things tend to break down from time to time. Furniture, appliances, lighting fixtures, and many other items in our spaces will deteriorate over time due to use or rust and must be repaired or replaced. When we create our routines to maintain our environment, it’s best to accept reality, document what we think will need to be replaced, and ballpark when we think it will need to be replaced as well. As with creating our environments, trial and error will be needed until they become more dialed in. Action #5: Eliminate Unnecessary Possessions Regularly When we enter a new environment, we see all the possibilities of how our possessions will occupy the corners of the rooms. Over time, we tend to add more items without realizing it. One addition here, one addition there, and soon enough, we may as well audition for Hoarders. The emotional attachments that come with them make eliminating possessions difficult, often due to the work and sweat we may have had to invest in obtaining them. These items may hold sentimental value as they are passed down from generation to generation or have been gifts from a long-time friend. When we’re deciding what to keep and discard, we need to consider a myriad of circumstances. However, we must recognize that keeping everything indefinitely may hurt us long-term. Even if ample storage is available, we need to recognize that there is a season when possessions belong with us, and once the seasons are up, it’s time to sell them, pass them along, or discard them. We must consider the long term to properly evaluate whether each item is an asset or a liability. In Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, she recommends reviewing our possessions regularly and asking whether they are serving us or occupying space. There are some exceptions to whether an item should be kept or discarded. Seasonal items such as leaf blowers, holiday decorations, and special occasion attire are best stored and retrieved when the occasion calls for them. However, it’s essential not to allow these items to crowd our inventory, or we risk having a lot of special occasion items regularly occupying our precious storage spaces. Work Environments Work environments are generally much larger and contain more people alongside higher volumes of items that may be created for passing through the facility. While processes and regulations may determine how operations must be laid out, businesses still control a few key items to ensure their environments are conducive to productivity and employee satisfaction. Action #1: Optimize The Climate of Your Environment Studies have shown that well-lit, cooler environments yield more productive employees than environments without control over these conditions. Additionally, some environments may require humidity control depending on whether water-sensitive products are manufactured on-site. One of the worst things a business could do is ignore these essential items to save on costs and please shareholders. Not only is it petty to pinch pennies this way, but in some situations, it can lead to safety hazards and, in some conditions, OSHA violations. These violations can lead to fines exceeding 50-100 times the amount that it would have cost businesses to fix the problems in the first place. Therefore, businesses must provide the lighting and climate required for employees to be as productive as possible. Action #2: Ensure Access To Essential Tools Nothing is worse than committing to a work environment that doesn’t provide the necessary tools to perform the job. Whether it’s access to simple tools such as pen and paper, computers and required software, or sophisticated tools such as lab equipment, having access to needed equipment is essential for doing our jobs well. If we are in a leadership role within a company, we need to recognize what tools our organizations need to be successful. The little pain points we may overlook that employees experience may cost our organizations big time if they are not addressed with empathy. It may cost us a little bit more upfront, but the payback could happen much sooner if we listen closely and decide what tools would work best for those under us. In most cases, it’s best to have redundancies on hand. Equipment that gets regularly used is bound to break down over time. Failing to provide redundancies to essential equipment could result in production bottlenecks and failure, leading to costly outsourcing, angry customers, and enraged calls for change in leadership by stakeholders. Action #3: Tidy Our Workspaces Before We Leave It’s easy for us to get into the grind of getting things done, and we are exhausted by the time our day ends. When we have no more mental energy to expend, it’s easy to pack our bags and bolt out the door. As we leave the office, papers are everywhere, multiple tabs are open on Chrome, and chaos reigned supreme from our day. When we forget to tidy our workstations, our future selves are left to pick up the tab. When we come into our environments, we are first tempted to expend our freshest energies cleaning up the mess. That energy can be better spent on building better business proposals, engineering new technical solutions, or responding to an emergency we could not anticipate. Therefore, when we are at the end of ourselves during the day, it’s essential to remind ourselves how important it is to invest in our future selves through cleaning and tidying up. Although it may require 5-10 more minutes of our day, we position ourselves to hit the ground running on what’s important in the organization and better position ourselves for upward mobility. Not only will having a tidy workspace be an investment in our self-image, but it will also give the impression that we are more organized than our colleagues. We never know who may be rummaging through our work environments after hours. Action #4: Keep At Hand Immediate Tools And Store What Isn't Needed An environment’s setup is important, but its real value lies in how it's used. A space can only be used well if it is laid out in a way that promotes the behaviors we seek from our work. Since most work environments may have multiple people in them daily, it’s best to consider the best principles for bringing out the best in everyone who passes through. Therefore, keeping items stored neatly is the best policy for conducting business. When items are used often, it’s better to have them close by than with items that may serve no immediate purpose. Keeping workstations clean requires having simple storage solutions tucked away, which is an integral part of keeping everything tidy and easy to access at will. Business environments normally have large quantities of items that must be procured correctly for tax purposes. In response to these requirements, most businesses procure their own inventory with a DBA of some kind.

This allows businesses to know what’s in stock, being used, being created, needing maintenance, or replacing altogether. These systems provide the snapshots needed to make these decisions quickly and allow leadership to focus on more important items. Action #5: Keep A Timer Handy In the age of mobile and desktop devices with built-in timers, there's hardly a reason to collect extra gadgets. However, we live in an age of distractions, and timers are an important tool to keep us focused on our work until we hear the beep. Therefore, it makes sense to double up by purchasing a $2 device that aids us in utilizing our environments wisely.

While it may be a small component of any room, its deployment can have a mighty effect. Unless our devices are programmed properly or we exhibit a high level of discipline, it will be tempting to use our phones to check out things that we don't need to be checking at the moment. This small, single-purpose gadget provides a coherent method to track how much time we spend daily doing things.

Many corporate and production work environments use timers to track employees' time spent on tasks and projects. In businesses that may not have those protocols in place, using timers can help us achieve our goals more efficiently. As we demonstrate improvement to our team members, the pendulum may swing more in our favor regarding upward mobility.

Timers aren't just for work-related items. If we need to take a break and need to know when time's up, setting a timer can liberate our worries by tracking how much time remains. Some of us have trouble permitting ourselves to take a well-earned break. With a timer in hand, we internally justify a well-earned break by also using this timer to stay focused for a long time.

As we can see, timers can be used in all situations, including checking email, working on client projects, and tidying up so we can go home for some well-earned rest.

Making The Most of All Environments

Nature's habitats serve as a great reminder of how many small and large pieces can paint the canvas of the environment. Geographical spaces have evolved throughout the Earth's existence and have seen countless residents adapting and making the most of their spaces. While some organisms can adapt more than others, every organism desires to live in an environment that best fits its needs and allows it to thrive.

Humans have a long history of being able to change their environments to suit them. We initially changed our environments to increase our chances of survival and stave off predators from attack. In modernized society, we now focus mainly on two primary environments: the home and the work environment.

Every environment brings a host of challenges and opportunities. Our homes are where we have the best chances of controlling our space entirely. Work environments can prove more challenging because of their purpose, but with the right approach, they can be changed to satisfy employees, and in return, they become much more productive in bringing in revenue and solving problems important in our ventures.

What little changes will we make to our environments that will lead to enormous improvements over time?