7 Steps to Create Your Own Thinking-Room
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(…) the time will come when every house even will have not only its sleeping-rooms, and dining-room, and talking-room or parlor, but its thinking-room also, and the architects will put it into their plans. Let it be furnished and ornamented with whatever conduces to serious and creative thought.” — Henry D. Thoreau, A Yankee in Canada, The Portable Thoreau, p. 252
Every house still does not have a thinking-room as Thoreau suggested in the above quote. I think they should, and this post will give you some steps to add one to yours. Don’t worry! You won’t need to tear walls down or spend thousands of dollars to add a thinking-room to your house. But you will have to think (no pun intended) a little about it.
What is a thinking-room and why should I have one?
A thinking-room is a physical space where you go specifically to think. Duh! O.K. but really, that’s what it is. Aren’t I supposed to think in other places too, you ask? I hope you are because if not, my dear friend, you’re in deep trouble. But the beauty of a thinking-room is that it’s optimized for thinking. All the elements present in it are there for a reason: encourage creativity. These elements combine to make entering the thinking-room serve as a cue to generate ideas, solve problems, and contemplate.
What is NOT a thinking-room?
A thinking-room isn’t necessarily your workplace. Granted, adding these elements to your office may also be a great idea, so go ahead and do that. In fact, although I think ideally they should be different spaces, I suspect most people are better off combining both concepts because of space constraints. I, for one, live in a small studio and had to do that. But the perfect thinking-room doesn’t HAVE to be your workplace.
So, let’s get to it:
- Optimize your lighting: The ideal source of light is bright sunlight. If there’s a view out of your room consider closing the bottom half of the windows so that you don’t get distracted, while letting the natural light come in through the upper half. If natural light is not possible, the next best thing is to replace standard light bulbs with halogen lamps or incandescent light bulbs. Some light bulbs actually imitate sunlight, so those are also good options. Over at Lifehack there’s a very interesting post about lighting that goes into somewhat more detail.
- Plants: Natural plants humidify a space (if need be) and, at least for me, creates a more relaxing atmosphere. There’s something about nature that puts me in thinking-mode. Try to find plants that have pleasant smells and are easy to the eye. A couple of small, properly placed plants in a space are very conducive to a contemplative mode that is perfect for thinking.
- Furniture: Try to bring in comfortable items. Overstuffed couches, beanbags, and hammocks (yes, hammocks!) all work fine. Remember this isn’t the furniture you’re going to use to actually work on, but to think on. Truman Capote once said in an interview that he was “…a completely horizontal author. I can’t think unless I’m lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch, and with a cigarette and coffee handy.” There’s even scientific evidence that suggests that lying down is the best way to think. Perhaps you don’t work that way, but the important thing is that you are comfortable.
- Abundance of supplies: Fill your thinking-room with thinking-supplies! Your mind may be roaring with ideas, but you need something to write them on. That implies a pencil and paper. But don’t limit yourself to that. Big eraser boards and flip charts, colored highlighters, and other items are very useful in a thinking-room. In fact, they’re great for brainstorming and doodling, which frequently leads to creative ideas.
- Color: This is another element that, like lighting and plants, can be used as a thought-stimulus. Many of us know what it’s like to work in a bland, all-white room with no color whatsoever. It can be quite depressing, and depression is usually not conducive to creativity. Here are some recommendations from Freshome regarding color and its effect on mood.
- Music: Honestly, I prefer to think in total silence. It gives me the opportunity to listen to my “inner sounds”, if that makes sense to you at all. But there is some evidence for the notion that listening to jazz and classical music leads to greater thinking capacity. Try it out.
- Art: I find that beautiful works of art can provide a soothing effect ideal for thinking. The key here is to not get carried away and build a big museum. In fact, I usually put up just one small painting.
Image: Djumbo
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[…] presents 7 Steps to Create Your Own Thinking-Room. An interesting project that will bring benefits, but I hope he goes beyond thinking at some point, […]