By Rachelle Trujillo
rmt5153@gmail.com

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your space so much that it affected your ability to work? You’re not alone. No matter how much or little it takes to make your home or office feel unusable, there’s a way to fix it. 

Environment design is the idea that if you can change your environment, you can change your life. Sounds too simple to be true, but it is. Sure, your space has been too disorganized for you to feel like you can function, but have you ever repeatedly lost your keys and come to be known as the person who’s always late? Do you keep losing your pens or pencils because you continue to throw them in the junk drawer, doomed to disappear forever? Do you have a hair or cosmetic product you never use, not because you dislike it, but because it’s hidden behind other things in your medicine cabinet? 

Humans, like any other part of nature, will always follow the path of least resistance. In other words, whatever is easiest is what we will default to. So what if you created an environment so what you defaulted to were the things that made your life better? 

Get a designated hook for those keys. After all, it’s easier to throw them on that hook than to decide where to set them where you’ll remember them everyday when you get home. Put your pens and pencils in their own separate drawer, which is just as easy as throwing them in the junk drawer, but makes life easier when you need to write something down. As for your medicine cabinet, try simply moving things around so the things you want to use are always at the front and easiest to grab. 

This concept can also be used to implement better habits and routines in your life. If you’ve been meaning to wear more sunscreen, create a place to leave it by the door so you remember to apply it and it’s easy to do so right as you’re leaving. If you’ve been wanting to get into painting, keep all of your brushes, paints, and canvases in one, easy to access spot on your desk so it’s simple to pull out your materials as soon as you want them. If you’ve been wanting to bike more, take your bike out from behind the clutter in the back of the shed and leave it where you can easily mount and ride. 

Start by looking at the areas in your home that make you feel resistant. Then, ask yourself what you can do to make it easier to accomplish that given task or habit. Would a small storage bin help? A little shelf? Some rearranging? Don’t be afraid to look at and address the small inconveniences. Remember small steps can lead to big changes.