One Year of Transforming Thoughts by Changing Environments

From The Extended Mind I learnt that our environment shapes our thinking more than I’d expected. That we can arrange our environment to extend our thoughts.

In 2023, each month I changed something in my environment to see:

  1. What does “changing my environment involve”? What can I change?
  2. Will I succeed?
  3. Does it affect my thoughts? Can I track this?

Here are the results.

  • 🟢 Jan. New desk orientations. Rotated standing desk, settled on one direction. Impact: LOW. I don’t know if my thoughts changed.

  • 🟢 Jan: New walking routes. I explored new areas in Singapore, Hyderabad and Chennai. Impact: MEDIUM. Just seeing new shops, posters and layouts helped me think differently.

  • 🔴 Jan: New song genres. I playlist-ed with several western genres, but listened only twice.

  • 🔴 Feb: New book genres. I list 12 genres I dislike: Art, Chick Lit, Christian, Cookbooks, Gay and Lesbian, Horror, Music, Paranormal, Poetry, Religion, Sports, Travel. I didn’t read any.

  • 🔴 Mar: Sleep over problems. Sleep is a great way to solve complex problems. But I couldn’t summon the willpower to “load” problems at night.

  • 🟢 Mar: New people. I met a new person daily. Impact: HIGH. Meeting diverse people had the highest impact.

  • 🟢 Apr: New work places. I worked out of libraries, cafes, school, parks, and offices. Impact: HIGH. New complex environments (like libraries) prompted new thoughts.

  • 🟢 Jun. Notes from podcasts. I took notes rather than just listening. This helped me reflect and synthesize. Impact: MEDIUM. BTW, I listen mostly to Cautionary Tales, The Knowledge Project, Hidden Brain, How I write, The Seen and the Unseen, and Deep Questions.

  • 🟢 Jul: New gadgets. I bought several new gadgets that changed my habits. Impact: HIGH.

  • Portable USB fan lets me sit comfortably anywhere in any room

  • Desk clock (with a second’s hand) keeps me on time for meetings

  • Gaming laptop lets me run LLMs locally on the GPU

  • Rucksack lets me carry laptops and clothes in one bag

  • Pomodoro timer helps me time my activities and focus

  • Monitor lets me code while seeing the output

  • Gaming chair lets me read lying down

  • Standing desk gives me a mobile re-orientable desk

  • Raincoat lets me cycle in the rain

  • Gaming mouse lets me browse leaning back (and play Minecraft)

  • Cycle phone mount lets me film while cycling

  • Plastic belt lets me through airport security

  • Lycra sandals helps me with rains and airport security

  • Rain bonnet helps me grab lunch when raining

  • Bicycle lamps let me cycle at night

  • Fidget cube keeps my hands occupied while I think

  • Bluetooth speaker lets me carry songs while washing dishes

  • Others had lower impact. I don’t use them much.

  • Gaming microphone

  • USB hub

  • Video conference light

  • Graphic tablet

  • Monitor stand

  • 🔴 Aug: New cuisines. I tried a Bibimbap, a Verdure Ciambatta, and then discovered my cholesterol problem. I stopped.

  • 🟢 Aug: New work habit. I used Pomodoro with micro-tasks. Impact: MEDIUM. I became more aware of where I misestimate time and got less distracted.

  • 🟢 Nov: New exercise pattern. I switched walking to cycling. This increases heart points, reduces foot stress, and gets me to work. Impact: MEDIUM. I switched from typing notes to dictating, which needs a different thought process.

In summary:

  • 8 / 12 attempts were successful.
  • New people, new places, and new gadgets had high impact on thoughts. Most others had at least medium impact.
  • The changes mostly led to diverse thinking. But measuring that is subjective.

I’ll continue exploring new environments in 2024. I’m evaluating:

  1. New book genres (contd)
  2. New music genres (contd)
  3. Walking meetings
  4. Reading while walking
  5. New places to sleep (e.g. AirBnB)
  6. Working while traveling
  7. New audiences to teach
  8. New attires