This Science-Based Workspace Set Up Will Change Your Life

What if neuroscience shows us how todesign our workspace, our office, suchthat it forces us into deep states offocus and flow? What if you could enter astate of flawless productivity and focusjust by changing where you work? I’m RanDaris, co-founder and CEO of FlowResearch Collective. Along with mypartner, Stephen Cutler, we’ve taughtthousands of professionals how to accessstates of flow at will. Charles Darwin,William Shakespeare, Bill Gates, EmilyDickinson, Thomas Edison— what did all ofthese profoundly effectiveand successful people have in common?

They all had a place, a specific locationin time and space from which they changedthe world, and the nature of that placeaffected the degree of change they wereable to make. From Edison’s laboratory inMenlo Park to Darwin’s family downhousein Kent, these creators had a workspacein which they lost themselves in statesof flow and peak performance—one idealeading to the next in an effortlessfreefall of creative association andpattern recognition, blending with theirenvironments as they brought to lifetheir respective contributions tohumanity.

The time you spend working in a flowstate is likely to be some of the mostimportant time in your entire life, whereyou produce your most important andimpactful work. Flow and elite levels ofproductivity can either be amplified orhindered by where we work. The trouble is,the average knowledge worker hasn'tintentionally designed their workspacefor flow. They tend to fall into one ofthree camps. So which of these sounds mostlike yourself? Number one, there's theoverwhelmed office worker. You work in anoffice plan plagued by constantdistractions. Between taps on the shoulder,meetings, and chatter, you can't focus formore than 11 minutes at a time. You dreamof a private office but feel powerlessto change your environment.

Then second, we've got the uninspiredhomeworker. You know how this is.Yesterday's dirty mugs still clutterSet up. Finally, there's the rare butrealized workspace Olympian. Theworkspace Olympian engineers theirworkspace for flawless focus andproductivity. It's treated as a sacredand cherished space, so all sources ofdistraction are banned, and everything isset up for complete immersion in Flowstate and accelerated progress. Theworkspace Olympian understands theirenvironment must facilitate focus beforefocus can facilitate greatness. Whichevercamp you fall into, it's only after youoptimize your workspace that you realizethe massive difference it makes for yourfocus, your productivity, and your accessto flow state. At Jimmy Wheel, theco-author of "Stealing Fire," coined theterm "flow dojo," which refers to a spacethat's solely dedicated to activatingflow states with maximum reliability.I once rented an oppressively bleakoffice space. It was the 50th floor of adrab Mexico City high-rise when I wasliving down there; frigid temperatures,harsh fluorescent mental asylum lighting,plus a tedious commute up the stairs andthe elevators. The musty carpet andsterile drywall sapped my motivation. Icould barely stand to be there. Then IMoved into this gorgeous office spacecalled Hab, with floor-to-ceilingwindows overlooking the tree-linedAmsterdam Avenue in Mexico City. Therewas soft natural lighting, livelycolors, and textures. On my way to mydesk each morning, I’d grab mouthwateringcoffee and lovely food: eggs and avocadofrom their café, just getting my brainalert and happy before sitting down.I ended up spending more than threetimes the amount of time working at Habin comparison to that previous officespace in the skyscraper, and Iaccomplished way more in those hours too.I was happier, more immersed and absorbedin my work and able to access flow morereliably. The point being, neverunderestimate a workspace's magneticpull: a depressing space repels you, andan incredible environment draws you to staylonger, achieve more in each session, andreturn eagerly. This translates toincreased flow and boosted performance.For example, let’s say you’re a writer.Say you typically write for three hours aday, averaging nine new pages per day. Ifmaking your workspace more alluringinspires you to spend just ten percent more time,that extra eighteen minutes daily willTranslate into 216 additional pageswritten for the year, and this adds upinvisibly, all because you enjoy workingin that perfectly designed flow dojo somuch that it lures you in and keeps youthere. But there's more! Your flow dojo ismore alluring, yes, but you also getinto flow more easily when you're in itif it's set up optimally. Even aconservative 10% increase inproductivity, much lower than certainresearch shows we get when we're in flowstates would yield another576 additional pages written annually. Soif you combine 10% more time in yourflow dojo with 10% increasedproductivity from being in flow more ina better flow dojo, you'd end up in thisexample as a writer creating an extra792 pages annually, the equivalent ofa magnum opus, all because you turnedyour workspace into a flow dojo. So don'tunderestimate how important it is thatyour workspace pulls you in, keeps youthere, and plunges you into flow tocreate a flow dojo. Design an environmentthat will maximize your output whenyou're at your best and protect yourlesser self from sabotaging your work.Tap into your prefrontal cortex, yourexecutive function, approaching thedesign process while well-rested,possibly lightly caffeinated, and incontrol over more impulsive parts ofyour mind. In this optimal state, we wantto architect conditions for our futureselves: that Friday night version of youthat’s exhausted from the work week, withyour limbic system hijacked and yourphysiology running on fumes. You know thesleepy monkey mind self that badlydoesn’t want to push through to finishnecessary tasks, even though you know youshould. When willpower flags, yourenvironment determines behavior. So,design for that version of you, the onethat needs workspace conditionsthat spark motivation, attention, and flow,regardless of how burnt out you feel inthe moment. Use your optimized puppetmaster self to create a space yourdepleted self can’t help but flourishwithin. All of this starts with answeringthe question: what are the core elementsof a flow dojo, and how do you set one up?When it comes to your workspace, you wantto upgrade it based on science andbiological mechanisms, not productivityhacks or gimmicks. So, let’s look at theThe neuroscience and biology behind the bestflow dojos in the world allow you topractically implement these tools andreplicate them for yourself. The firstprinciple is that suppression is an activeprocess. You see, flow follows focus; whenwe channel our attention to the presentmoment and hone in on a task, the brain'sfocusing neurochemicals kick in: norepinephrineand dopamine. From there, we tilttoward flow. But in the modern workplace,distractions steal that attention andsquander all that performance-enhancingneurochemistry. Neuroscientist andadviser to the Us of Research Collective,Adam Gazale, says distractions are goal-irrelevant information that we eitherencounter in our external surroundingsor generate internally within our minds.The key word here is information; we’rewired to crave it. The brain responds tonew information in the same way itresponds to food and sex—with apleasurable dopamine hit. This served ourancestors because new information was amatter of life or death, but it cripplesthe productivity of modern-dayprofessionals. Sources of dopamine-inducing information are everywhere, allthe time.Overt forms of distraction, like yourphone, co-workers, or social media,anything that the brain has to filterout that's not directly relevant to thetask at hand, is considered informationthat has to be filtered. And here's thekey: your brain suffers from distractionbecause it's bombarded by irrelevantinformation that it has to ignore. Thisis because ignoring is not a passiveprocess. Like noise-cancelling headphones,the more noise your brain has to filter,the more battery it drains. Though itseems to happen automatically, filteringout irrelevant stimuli is a highlyeffortful and active process for thebrain. It taxes our gray matter andattention, and it hinders memory. Thebrain fatigue increases self-distraction,meaning the impulse to divert attentionaway from the task and do something elsethat's easier, more stimulating, andmore dopamine-rich. For example, for thosewith a poorly optimized workspace, visualclutter competes for attention. As theytry to work, their brain has to filterout the stacks of paper, coworkerchatter, and trinkets on their desk,draining their cognitive resources. Thinkof it this way: the option to distract isInformation itself is a distraction, and all informationis a distraction. The more you reduceirrelevant input, the more neurochemicaland cognitive resources you have forfocus, the essential precursor to flow.That means winning the warfor your attention is about what youignore. The workspace Olympian engineerstheir flow dojo to minimize what theirbrain has to filter out, doing the workfor the brain in advance. So how do weset up our flow dojo so that ourcognitive resources aren’t drained by irrelevant stimuli,and can instead bechanneled and compounded entirely intoour work? Well, first keep your phone outof reach and off. The phone is obviouslya source of distraction, but what's lessobvious is that the mere presence of aphone is a distraction that impairscognitive functioning even when it’s notbeing used. Even if you have all soundsand notifications disabled, even if it’sturned off and faced down on the desk,this brain drain effect occurs becausethe process of trying not to think aboutthe phone uses up some of the brain'scognitive resources, causing a reductionin cognitive capacity. Now remember,information itself is a distraction.Your phone is arguably the number onesource for incoming information. To avoidthat, batch all email checking, texting,and social media into predesignatedtimes. Then turn off all notifications.Then keep the phone in a cupboard, theother room, or the car. That way it won’tgrab your attention. This also makes useof friction, putting just enoughinconvenience between yourself and thephone to encourage a boredom-inducingbreak. That is a low stimulation break,like staring at a wall that makes youcrave getting back to work instead of abreak that makes you resist the work,like scrolling social media. If yourphone is in the other room and turnedoff, that might be just enough frictionto prevent you from giving in to thetemptation to check it. Lastly, you want as few gadgets and sources of distraction Productivity is expanded by increasing the scopewithin which we can be distracted. Thesurface area of distraction increases, soinstead, we want to simplify. We want tojust get rid of these things. Here's ahelpful way to remember this heuristic:have less to ignore, so you can focusmore. Now, the second principle forarchitecting your flow dojo is to beconscious of anchoring bias. Anchoringbias is a cognitive bias related to theresearch done by Dr. Daniel Kahneman, andanchoring bias specifically means thatwe anchor or key off of the standardsand traits that define our currentenvironment. Those traits becomeself-fulfilling, perpetuating andtransitioning into our work. Let me show youwhat I mean by that: legendary basketballcoach John Wooden leveraged anchoringbias when coaching the UCLA Bruins in1948. At the time, the team was known forsloppy practices and undisciplined play.Wooden's first lesson for his playerswas not about layups but about how topull up their socks, leaving no flapsinside their sneakers to avoid blistersand how to tie their shoes perfectly toprevent sprained ankles. These smalldetails cascaded, and the anchored traitsCreated an environment of precision andexcellence. This approach to coaching ledto incredible success for Wooden and hisUCLA teams, winning 10 NCAA championshipsin 12 years. So, anchoring biasestablishes new environmental defaultsand norms. Disorder or disciplineobviously is one thing to be on thedisciplined side of the spectrum. So, touse anchoring bias to your advantage inyour flow dojo, start by clearing theclutter. Clutter strongly predictsprocrastination, fatigue, and negativeemotions. It increases cognitive load,affecting the brain's ability toconcentrate, and a messy work environmentcan cause conscientious people to commitmore errors and be less accurate duringtasks. As peak performers, we want our workto be high quality, world-class, and clean.If surrounded by dirt, unwashedcoffee cups, and plates with leftoverfood, and untied shoes, due to anchoringbias and us keying off all of thosevariables in the external environment,it's likely that will translate into ourwork. One of the things I alwaysemphasize to our sales team is thatbecause of anchoring bias, messiness ontheir desk anchors into bad spelling andFormatting and Slack messages, whichanchors into poorly written emails toprospects, which anchors into decreasedsales results, which anchors into reducedrevenue for the company, which results inus not fulfilling our mission ofspreading flow to the world. So every oneof these stages is an anchor forexcellence or sloppiness. Conversely, aclean, orderly work environment reducesstress and gives us a sense of controlover our environment, which helpsalleviate stress and anxiety. A sense ofcontrol is also one of the keycharacteristics of Flow State. Weincrease our flow proneness when weincrease our sense of control, howeversmall. Think of it this way: you shapeyour environment, and your environmentshapes your performance. Principle threeis to make the space conducive to thephysiology of focus. Start by avoidingobviously unfit work environments likecoffee shops, sofas, and restaurants. Whenwe work in environments in which thecontext isn't explicitly designed forwork, we risk operating in that gray zone,that half working, half not working stateof split focus and diffuse, deludedattention. We're aiming for binary work.Working like a lion, the lion sprints tokill its prey, eats, then rests completely.There’s no in-between. We can do the same; we’reeither on or off, and the environments wework in can support that. Coffee shops,sofas, and restaurants send a mixedmessage to your brain and body aboutwhat it’s supposed to be doing in thespace. These sorts of environments aren’tconducive to that kind of sprinting andsingular attention. An important caveathere: the same stimulus can concentrateor derail, depending on a neurologicalprocess called sensory gating, whichrefers to the neural processes offiltering out redundant or irrelevantstimuli from all possible environmentalstimuli reaching the brain. When tryingto focus, your brain will respond toexternal stimuli based on how selectiveyour sensory gating is. For someenvironmental stimuli can kickstart andmaintain concentration by creatingfriction or accountability. The presenceof others implicitly keeps them on track.If you’re sitting in a big co-workingspace, you aren’t likely to violate thesocial norms and then just veg out onthe floor with your phone or take a napin this way. The noise and activityCounteract their tendency to getdistracted, and paradoxically they turntheir attention inward. The environmentregulates you rather than you having toself-regulate and exert more discipline.On the other hand,others with a less selective sensorygating mechanism might find externalstimuli overwhelming; their attentiongets sucked out by stimuli, unable tofilter it out. Approximately 10 to 20% ofindividuals have sensory processingsensitivity, or SPS. SPS is not a disorderbut a normal variation observed in overa hundred species, including humans. Now, thisdifference in sensory gating can beattributed to variations in neuralpathways, particularly in the thalamus,the brain's relay station for sensoryinformation. When the thalamus doesn’tregulate sensory input, even minorexternal stimuli can disrupt focusinstead of sharpening it. In these cases,people tend to thrive in silent solitude,generating concentration internally. Ofcourse, the same brain can responddifferently to external stimuli atdifferent moments. Now, be aware of yourtendency and state, and shape yourenvironment accordingly. Next, we want toMake your office something that inspires you. This is what I did in Mexico City:the magnetic pull of the environmentalone was enough to dramatically improve myperformance. Your flow dojo is your placeto create value, to earn a living, and tomake an impact. Treat it as theinvestment that it is; make working atyour desk a treat. If possible, setthings up so you have an epic view—youwant something expansive but notdistracting, like horizon lines, sprawlingemerald fields, or mountains. This canhelp you think big, expand yourperception of possibilities, and sootheyour nervous system. Finally, the biggestlever you can pull to make your spaceconducive to focus is through positionalvariance to light up your physiology,performance, and endurance. Of course,we want to access flow more consistently.Set up your space to be able toalternate between standing, sitting, andwalking. The ideal ratio for flow is tostand for 50% of the time, walk for 25%of the time, and then sit for 25% of thetime. Swapping positions like thisreduces perceived exertion, which is howhard it feels like your body is working.

Your body reaches fatigue in one.Position, and this fatigue affects yourperformance. When you switch, you get areset in the amount of effort you feellike you've just exerted. So,remember this rule to reset exertion:change positions, and to help with this,get a standing desk. Standing enhancesblood flow, delivering more oxygen tosharpen alertness. To sustain a standingposition, use a motion board. This letsyou subtly rock side to side so you canstand without cramping up. For thestanding desk, it doesn't have to befancy; even a stack of books or boxeswill do. You can also use a stabilityball or kneeling chair to swap seatedpositions. Sitting upright without a backrest strengthens your core and postureand reduces lower back pain becausephysical pain can be a formidabledistraction, which can block flow. Beingpain-free, on the other hand, increases ourflow proneness. Then, for walking, you cantake walking meetings and get aninexpensive treadmill to put under yourtreadmill desk. Walking triggers exerciseand induces transient hyperfrontality.This shifts brain resources from theprefrontal cortex to the parts thatcontrol physical movements and automatic.Responses which also happen in flow, thissubtle shift enables key facets offlow like reduced self-consciousness,time distortion, and heightened focus. Youcan also take walking meetings; after thewalk, because of the exercise-inducedtransient euphoria, you'll be able toget into flow more easily when you sitback down to work. Principle four forcreating your flow dojo is to eliminatethe invisible enemy: friction. Friction isthe invisible enemy of flow; it's all ofthese micro moments of frustration whereyou have to waste cognitive resources onfinding, untangling, tidying, or sorting.It's the annoying hassle of digging up oldcomputer files or digging your phonecharger out of your backpack, untanglingit, and then having to hunch over to plugit into a spot that’s an awkwarddistance away from your desk. Each ofthese little moments of friction arekind of like being pinched; they’re tinyzaps of irritation that spike cortisol.The body’s stress response to frictionis nearly identical to getting your armactually pinched, and it chips away at yourcognitive resources. The solution is toclear every inch of friction from yourworkspace. To help with this, first, getOrganized so that everything is easilyretrievable. This means taming that bigshelf full of wires, removing the pile ofpaper that your headphones are buriedunder, and keeping a pen handy so you nolonger have to move to find one.For frictionless flow, make it easy to accesseverything without looking. Another wayto help keep things organized is tominimize: avoid anything that's notconducive to flow. Research has foundthat those who work in a more minimalistoffice environment experience lesscognitive load and higher levels ofconcentration and focus. A minimalistenvironment reduces the amount ofcompeting stimuli the brain has toprocess, allowing for better allocationof attentional resources to the task athand.With my setup, I use one monitor,plug the laptop into it, and shut thelaptop to avoid the distraction of otherscreens. Remember this as a general rule:when you cut friction, you multiply flow.Now, next up, principle five is to deterdisruptions. Like mosquitoes, disruptionsare a minor annoyance in the moment, buta single bite can lead to a week ofinflamed itchiness and irritation.Average professional experiences arelike a sledgehammer to your productivity.When you're deep in a task, disruptionsscatter your mental focus, forcing yourbrain into resource-draining contactswitching. Your focus relies onneurotransmitters like dopamine, anddisruptions re-root these chemicals,often wasting them in the process. Plus,disruptions can trigger stress hormoneslike cortisol, which can become toxic andlead to burnout over time.In neuroscience, there's a term for themental toll of these disruptions: theswitch cost. These mental shifts candevour up to 40% of your productive time.Your Flow Dojo must account for the costof these disruptions, and we can do thisin two ways. Number one is to beinaccessible or invisible. A closed dooroffice with a node on the door works:they can't see you, and they can't accessyou. If you can't do this, simulate it. Getas close to that as you possibly can, asoften as possible. Keep your back facingothers to minimize eye contact. Wear bigshotgun ear muffs or headphones.Number two is to make it a big deal tointerrupt you. Make it feel burdensomefor others to interrupt you. You have toMove to turn around and uncover yourears. Maybe if it's an obvious bother,you'll be bothered less clearly.Demonstrate your productivity. This isanother side benefit of flow, based onPaul Ekman's research on microexpressions. Our faces reflect the statewe're in, and what we've seen with flowis that your gaze will often intensifyin a way that causes others to be moreaverse to interrupting you. So whenyou're in flow, your face implicitly letsothers know. Same with work at home; haveenvironmental boundaries to guardyourself from the distractions of others.The golden rule here: don’t letdisruptions reroute your dopamine. Now,principle six is to condition yourworkspace for flow. Picture yourchildhood kitchen: the scuffed tile floor,faded yellow walls decorated with yourdrawings held by magnets. Dad, maybehumming as simmering pots fill a smallroom with warmth and the tang of spices.The sticky door that always needed afirm hip bump to get the latch closed,and the clink of ceramic mugs bumpingtogether in the cabinet. Even years later,one whiff of cinnamon or the sound ofsizzling oil might bring you right back.With nostalgia overwhelming yourphysiology, or that unique atmosphere theinstant you stepped into school: staleair tinged with an odd but nostalgicscent of dry erased markers, weatheredtextbooks, and cafeteria pizza; the steadymetallic click of multiple combinationsdialed in locker halls, the sudden wallof sound as classroom doors opened,spilling laughter and chatter into thevast, tiled space echoed with friendshipsand pencils dropping; environmentsintricately tied to mental states, andeven the faintest echoes can mentallytransport us back through time. We tendto underestimate this. But now, what ifyou could harness this same concept? Notto elicit nostalgia, but to deliberatelycultivate laser-like focus? Well,classical conditioning has long been used No screens or reading in this space.The bed should be associated with sleep ratherthan with wakefulness. Over time, the bedbecomes a cue for physiological sleep.Just as CBTI classically conditionsthe bed for sleep, you can condition yourworkspace for flow. The neutral stimulibecomes the desk, chair, computer, and youroffice environment. Pair this repeatedlywith focused work, and you can triggerflow via proven triggers as well as aspecific playlist, caffeine, light,and exercise. Then while in this peak state,immerse yourself in focused work. Over time,your office environment alone willtrigger heightened focus and motivation.But here's the key: for this classicalconditioning to kick in, only use yourflow dojo for focused work.In the same way, you don’t want toassociate your bed with anything butsleep, you probably don’t want toassociate your flow dojo with anythingbut focused work. This means don’t allowyourself to slip; if you find yourselfstarting to procrastinate in your officeor get distracted by checking your phone,scrolling social media, or hopping on a callwith your friend, then literally get upand walk out of your office immediately.So it doesn’t get conditioned for thoseanti-focused things. That way, yourworkspace becomes a cue for your brainto release dopamine and norepinephrine.With consistency, merely entering youroffice will put you in a state of mindthat's conducive to peak performance, andyou can add stimuli to your office toincrease the stimulus link that’sassociated with your flow dojo, includingsound and scent. I like to play rhythmicinstrumental music and binaural beats in myoffice, and I like to burn an incensestick. As I pull it out, spark the lighterand start burning it, my brain knows it’stime to focus. It’s also relaxing, and theonly sense that goes straight to theamygdala. Sound and scent can create aninvisible environment, a flow cave thatyou can escape into, immersed in yourwork. Now let’s tie all of this togetherwith a simple checklist. Use this tocreate your own flow dojo, and even if ittakes you a few weeks to set up theideal conditions, or months, or even years,it’s worth it. You can download thischecklist for free. Just click the linkin the description; it contains all theprinciples we’ve covered for upgradingyour workspace into a flow dojo.First, there's your workstation. Select anautomatic adjustable standing desk, whichcan change height with the press of abutton, and incorporate diverse seating.An ergonomic chair, a backless chair, orsaddle seat, a stability ball, and a comfycouch or hammock for relaxation andbrainstorming. Then, do some cluttermanagement. Use cable tags and managementsystems to organize wires neatly. Opt forwireless devices to minimize clutter.Keep your desk clear, with only essentialwork tools present to leverage anchoringbias and set up the ergonomics. Adjustyour workstation to ensure optimal eyeline, neck alignment, and posture. Theneutral middle of your monitor shouldalign with your natural eye level.The key is that your screen is equal toeye level; don't be hunched over on acouch typing. This is bad for your neckand back; it suppresses all your vitalorgans and reduces inception, which is aform of embodied cognition known toenhance creativity and performance.Include an ergonomic mouse to reducestrain during prolonged use. I like touse a single monitor with a singlelaptop, with a wireless keyboard andtrackpad.Next up, you've got your tech.And your gadgets should always have a sleek skin,notebook, and pen on the desk for quicknotes. This is really helpful for dumpinganything out of your mind to reducecognitive load. It's also really helpfulto write down ideas while you’re inmeetings so you don’t need to interruptteammates or get distracted by trying tohold something in mind. Get a pair ofnoise-cancelling headphones that will blockout and suppress stimuli. Use a single, largemonitor with adjustable arms forflexibility, so that if you want to move,you can reposition it easily. Storeyour phone outside the office tominimize distractions and reduce the needfor impulse control. Don’t have a fridgenearby loaded with soda or donuts. Thenext part of the Flow Dojo checklist isfurniture and aesthetics. Choose aconsistent theme and look that you likefor your office furniture, as this makes thespace alluring and appealing to you. Also,keep in mind the flow of the room, whereattention is naturally channeled andwhich activities are spotlighted basedon the arrangement of the furniture.This actually matters. You can follow theprinciples of feng shui, which is said toEnhance focus and productivity byharmonizing individuals with theirsurrounding environment through spatialarrangement. So you want to make sureyou've got good feng shui. You can do adeep dive into that to figure out how toachieve that. We also want to invest inquality furniture that complements thestyle that we like. We want to add plantsfor air purification and a touch of nature.We want to minimize visual distractions,keeping a clean and simple environment tokeep cognitive load low. For booksthat you enjoy on Kindle or Audible,consider getting a physical copy of eachto have an office library. The merepresence of books can enhance cognitivecapacity, fostering an environmentconducive to learning and creativity.From there, it's time to optimize thespace itself. If you work in an openoffice space, you want to request to workfrom home. Persuade your boss that you'llaccomplish more at home, and prove it tothem over time. The key is to avoid thegray zone, where you are halfcommunicating with people and halfworking. We want to dial in the lightingand temperature, ensuring we have plentyof natural light; sunlight combatsFatigue fuels productivity and regulatesour mood and circadian rhythm. Keep theroom temperature around 21 to 25 degreesC. If it's too cold, studies show way moremistakes happen and you expend energyjust trying to stay warm. But if it's toohot, you get lethargic, so you want tofind your sweet spot and maintain it.Choose a room with a view that inspirescalm and creativity. You also want youroffice located at an optimal distancefrom where you sleep or where you live.You don't want it to be so far thatyou've got to commute or have todrive to work, but you don't want it tobe so close that you have noenvironmental separation from yourbedroom. So ideally, it's not in your roomor next door to your room. If it's inyour house, ideally, it's outside thehouse or at least on the other side ofthe house. And if it's further away fromyour house, ideally you can at least walk,because we want to be able to make surethat our space for working is distinct.We're not mixing contexts too much. Wewant to be able to go to work and comehome from work, at least to some degree.Returning to personal spaces after worksignals the brain to relax and detach.From work, which is key for work-lifebalance and preventing burnout, the finalpart of the checklist is to make it easyto reset the room. Implement a system toeasily transition between standing andsitting, like a preset height adjustmenton your desk. Every time you leave theroom, press the button to reset the deskto its standing setting. Practice astrict policy of never putting thingsdown; always putting them away forkeeping things tidy. And if needed,conduct an initial purge of the office,removing all non-essential items.Gradually reintroduce only those itemsthat are essential or significantlybeneficial to productivity. And what'skey to understand is that even if youcan't set up the absolutely ideal flowdojo, you want to take it as far as youcan with whatever you've got. Make it apriority to create a minimum viable flowdojo. Even when you're traveling, you canuse boxes, pillows, or books for astanding desk and set up your space forfocus and flow. For example, during theheight of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns,I was stuck in a living situation thatrequired me to use my bathroom as an office.It wasn’t the best, but I made it work.I could sit on the edge of the bathtub andprop my laptop neatly on the sink there.There was plenty of lateral light from thewindows, candles to soothe my amygdala, andmost importantly, no one would bother meduring that time. That bathroom was myflow dojo, and even though this was abizarre working environment, it was lowin distraction, and I made hugeprofessional progress in that workspace.The bottom line being, your office ismore than just a space; it’s theepicenter of your productivity and yourcreativity. Each element shouldcontribute to an environment thatfosters focus, comfort, and flow. Regularlyre-evaluate your space to ensure itremains a true reflection of your workand aspirations. It’s worth every secondinvested to craft your flow dojo intosomething that inspires you and plungesyou into states of deep performance andfocus so that you can create yourgreatest work. To get the very most outof your flow dojo, there’s also a way youcan prolong your flow state so that itlasts the entire day. To learn how, clickhere.