How to Engineer the Attentional Feng Shui of a Room

Attentional Feng Shui is the practice of purposefully and beneficially architecting the attentional landscape of a room to emphasize your priorities. The how-to section is at the very end, and you’re welcome to skip directly to it. In the mean time, let’s talk about…

False Dichotomies

In a self-help climate that favors the mind over the body, the non-physical over the physical, and heaven over earth, it can be easy to forget that physical environments have a very real affect on us. And they should. While The Secret tells us that “thoughts become things,”? it is also true that “things become thoughts.”? And whereas the Emerald Tablet is often quoted as saying “as above, so below,”? authors too often neglect the tablet’s follow-up: “as below, so above.”?

People are quick to point out that our environments are products of our creation, and that we should look past external circumstances. They are right, of course, but this is only a partial truth that ignores the dynamic interchange between physical and non-physical realms. The influence and casualty runs in both directions (from physical to non-physical, and vice-versa) and I’m glad it does.

I began thinking about all this as a result of an article written about . . .

The Relationship Between Large Monitors and Increased Productivity

The productivity blogosphere recently went nuts over a University of Utah study demonstrating that larger monitors can result in hours of additional productivity per work day. Researchers had participants perform tasks like copying numbers between spreadsheets on one of three sized monitors: an 18-inch monitor, a 24-inch monitor, and two 20-inch monitors. The experimenters concluded that a larger monitor could save 2.5 hours per day. (For a discussion about why this study doesn’t apply to most people, see the comments section below). I can’t imagine the number of spouses cajoled into new monitor purchases with this study.

Anyway, after reading the study I went out and purchased this . . .

At first it was great! I couldn’t keep my eyes off the computer and couldn’t stop focusing on work. And then things got really bad: I couldn’t keep my eyes off the computer and couldn’t stop working (the computer’s located in my bedroom). Anyway, every email, every tweet, EVERYTHING took up more psychological space. I was more focused on computer-based work activities than ever before.

My computer had become the 1000 pound gorilla in the room because the large monitor consumed heaps of . . .

Attentional Resources

During workdays, the larger monitor did make me significantly more productive. Because of the monitor’s increased presence, it became easier to focus on computer tasks in the midst of clutter and other distractions. The larger monitor also eliminated the need to constantly open and close needed windows because it allowed for several to be open simultaneously. But the 1,000 pound gorilla began sitting wherever it wanted to, and it became a salient symbol of work left unfinished.

Anyway, all of this got me thinking about . . .

The Attention Landscape of My Room

In any physical space, there are a variety of things competing for our attention. Generally speaking, things that move or make noise take up more space while things that remain still do not. When I switched from a 14-inch monitor to a 22-inch monitor, the attentional landscape of my room changed significantly. It’s not that I’m against large monitors, in fact I’m now very happy about my large screen. But for a brief period, the attention economy of my room was off. (The large monitor wouldn’t have been a problem at all in an office, but in a bedroom it presented a problem).

The moral: in the bedroom, bigger isn’t always better.

The solution turned out to be pretty interesting. I moved a plant, coved up the monitor with a Guatemalan textile when necessary, re-positioned my vision board, etc.

In the process, I ended up learning quite a bit about . . .

How to Engineer the Attentional Feng Shui of a Room

Attentional Feng Shui is the practice of purposefully and beneficially architecting the attentional landscape of a room in a manner that reflects your priorities and consistently aids you in attending to the things you most care about.

There’s a very real value that comes with being able to manipulate your attention with external cues. Indeed, because attention magnifies the value of your time, I consider Attentional Feng Shui to be a time management tool.

Here’s an oversimplified, but hopefully helpful, guide to attentional Feng Shui architecture…

Step 1
Look at you room and notice the things that immediately command your attention. Notice both objects (e.g. plants, television screen, bed, etc.) but also general impressions (e.g. disorganization).

Step 2
Decide which of the noticed items and objects merit de-emphasis, and then deemphasize them. You can deemphasize objects by moving them, covering them (putting a cloth over your television), hiding them, etc. You can also deemphasize objects by increasing the salience of other objects competing for your attention.

If nothing sticks out except clutter, then stronger medicine might be necessary.

[Side note: My favorite clutter solution is a daily de-cluttering "power hour." During this hour, I do nothing but single-mindedly clean at breakneck speed. I don’t answer phones, I don’t listen to books on tape, I don’t check email. It’s a sprint, and it’s fun.]

Step 3
Review your goals, and make sure they’re reflected in the layout of your room. Try to physically represent goals to the extent possible, making sure that your most important goals are represented in a manner proportional to their importance.

Recognize that every room has its own attention economy. Make sure your priorities are noticed: vision boards and visual mantras are both very good in this regard. Set the background of your computer to something significant. Play music that helps you focus, prominently display your calendar, etc.

Step 4
Create the proper “balance of power” by including important objects, sights, and sounds that might not be related to your goals. If your desk includes only a computer and a calendar, then you may be projecting a work for work’s sake attitude.  Try including a plant or a picture of loved-ones so that the focus of work is balanced out by a focus on nature and family.

Now go harness your chi and get to work!

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Photos by Makkididge, Ikelee, Clay Collins, and Arun Kumar Sinha (in that order).

[tags]feng shui, attention, large monitors, time management, productivity[/tags]

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