A Life-First Business hack: How Changing Your Environment can Spark New Inspiration, health and productivity benefits as an entrepreneur

Photo from a recent “working walk”.

It’s amazing how easily we can become creatures of habit in life, work and relationships.

Letting our environment or routines dictate how we accomplish tasks, when we accomplish them, and how they can even prevent us from doing so sometimes. I envy digital nomads. The idea of packing up a laptop and working in new and exciting locations is thrilling to me. While I am no where near that lifestyle, I can still make a few changes to how I work.

I recently found myself feeling more inspired to work in more creative environments, often outside while walking my favorite pond loop a couple of times. It’s about 1.75 miles and is home to SO many birds and different types of wildlife. I’ve started trying to do those laps on occasional days that I have childcare, and it’s so refreshing to get that alone time, exercise and fresh air! I’ve been experimenting with catching up on emails, listening to my favorite business podcasts, and even recording episodes to resume my own podcast out there, despite knowing that my perfectionist husband (my podcast editor and producer) will probably grumble about it. I’ve kept myself at a corner desk when recording, unable to even move my elbows without risking bumping the desk and mic. That kind of anxiety isn’t helpful when I’m already nervously speaking my mind and recording. I listen to another walking podcast and love to hear the occasional wildlife in the background, as well as love knowing that she’s outside and exercising. When I recorded outdoors last week, it felt so aligned with my semi-recent urge to center my business and marketing efforts around a life-first approach. I feel the most inspired when at my favorite spot… so why not bring that into my work?

Speaking of breaking away from the norm-

I’m writing at 6am while sipping coffee on the couch with my toddler. Normally, I don’t mess with computer work until a bit later. But it’s a slow Saturday here, and inspiration hit to start writing. It’s a liberating feeling to follow that inspiration and operate outside of my normal routine.

Historically, my computer work with editing, admin and marketing tasks has kept us stuck at home. I’ll fully admit that my toddler tends to get way too much TV time when I have more time consuming computer work projects. I’ve been trying to break that cycle as a mostly work from home mom, and have recently been scheduling visits to family’s homes. Last week, we had a day at my grandma’s to visit. I planned ahead to bring my laptop and get some work done while my daughter played. You know what I was able to witness? My daughter was able to bake cookies with her great grandma, while I listened to their sweet conversations as I worked a bit. I then had plenty of time to visit with my grandma while my toddler successfully napped down the hall. WHY have I not done this more often? Needless to say, we will be scheduling more of these types of “work” days.

Let’s talk about the benefits for working on-the-go, and why you should consider it as well.

Health Benefits:

1. Reduced stress levels: Changing your work environment, especially outdoors, can significantly lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and boost your mood.

2. Boosted creativity: New environments stimulate your brain differently, which can lead to more creative ideas and problem solving.

3. Increased physical activity: Even light movement like walking while working (or just being outside more) improves circulation, energy, and overall physical health.

4. Mental clarity and focus: Natural environments (like walking by the pond) have been shown to reduce mental fatigue and improve concentration.

5. Vitamin D boost: Outdoor time gives you natural Vitamin D exposure, which supports immune health, energy, and even sleep quality.

Productivity Benefits:

1. Higher motivation levels: A refreshing environment can help break procrastination cycles and make you feel more energized to tackle tasks.

2. Better time management: Planning work around outings (like visits to family or walking loops) encourages more focused, intentional work sessions.

3. Improved work-life integration: Working in a way that fits your life-first values can prevent burnout and help you stay consistent long-term.

4. Enhanced problem solving: Stepping away from your normal desk can lead to breakthroughs on work problems you felt stuck on.

5. More joyful work days: Feeling inspired naturally makes you more productive, more positive, and more present in both your work and life.

So I want to ask YOU now- what are some office or work tasks that you could take on-the-go? How can you switch up your routine or environment to find inspiration? This life is short and if we’re spending so much of it working, why not enjoy it a little more?

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