Changing your scenery has long since been regarded as one of the best ways to sharpen the mind. It can boost creativity, hone your problem solving skills, and overall is just good for your mental health.
Don’t just take us at face value though; there’s science to back it up. A joint research project between New York University and the University of Miami has found that “new and diverse experiences are linked to enhanced happiness” which has a direct correlation with increased brain activity.
We need new stimuli to keep our brain functioning at a healthy level. New sights, sounds, thoughts, languages, and experiences all contribute. Things like exploring new cities on your weekends, finding a new route to work, or finding new places in the area to visit can have a tremendous positive impact on brain function and overall happiness. We’ve all felt invigatored from a good holiday, right? But it’s not just better mental health that’s a huge benefit, improved happiness has been proven to lead to higher levels of productivity.
Happiness being linked to increased productivity isn’t a concept we’re unfamiliar with, but a recent study from the past two years has found that happy workers can be more productive by 13%, establishing a strong causal link between the two for the first time.
More recently, employers have started to wake up to this realisation and look for ways to increase overall employee satisfaction but it’s not always easy. Let’s face it. Our jobs can get repetitive. We go to the same locations, take the same, and meet the same people. And while every day we have new things to tackle within our work, sometimes we can be lumped with a project that can drag on for weeks and weeks. It can be hard to find inspiration and change, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth finding.
So, in the world of work where nothing really seems to change, how do you stay on top of your game? That answer is easy: by shaking up the location you work from.
In a post-COVID world, it looks like hybrid working is here to stay as employees switching between working in the office and working at home has become the norm. But why should we limit ourselves to just our offices and houses if we can boost productivity and happiness by discovering something new each week?
At Wise, we’re big believers in the so-called “third workplace” – which is essentially a third location that can change where an employee spends a portion of their working week alongside working from home and in the office. Our proposed 2-2-1 model (2 days at home, 2 days at the office, and 1 day in a different location) means that employees can be there for that super-important meeting, be there for that delivery they’re expecting, and boost their happiness and productivity levels all in one week. Pretty great, huh?
Want to shake things up yourself but don’t want the commitment of a coworking membership? Book a Wise spot instead. Wise is a pay-per-use app that books you in for a work spot in a variety of inspirational locations around the Netherlands.
