Getting outside into a park during the day can make such a difference to our decision-making ability, productivity and attention levels.
Research undertaken by the University of Melbourne and discussed in a Harvard Business Review, Attention Restoration Theory suggests that natural environments have restorative benefits for us and that “gazing at nature makes you more productive”.
This is because nature captures our attention without requiring us to focus on it and therefore looking at natural environments lets us replenish our stores of attention capability.
We know that our attention is a limited resource that we’re constantly depleting due to too many distractions, long to-do lists and full inboxes, so recharging it is essential.
Why not take advantage of a park that is close to where you work?
Try and visit a natural environment at least once a day to undertake any of the following:
- Eat your lunch,
- Drink your coffee,
- Make your sales calls,
- Read a business book,
- Follow-up on some emails on your phone
- Sit there and soak up the restorative power of mother nature.
As one of the global advisors for the International WELL Building Institute on how our workplaces can positively impact our health and wellbeing, we are often looking at the research behind nature’s impact on our performance.
This month we celebrate Parks Week from 5th to 13th March. I encourage you to intentionally carve some time in your day and spend it in a park.
