From Franco-era mandate to daily ritual, Spain’s menú del día is far more than an affordable two-course meal – it is a masterclass in environmental design.

Every August, my Barcelona neighborhood slows down — tancat per vacances signs on every third door — even as tech leaders insist that mattering requires 80-hour work weeks. It’s a slowing down that can be frustrating at times but one that also offers a different way to think about what a productive life looks like.

In a San Francisco bead shop many years ago, my friend and I learned first hand about the paradox of choice and how going for “good enough” rather than the “best” – a strategy called satisficing – can be a way forward in the face of overwhelming information and choice.

Supportive Environments for a New Year, Part 3
When we think of environment, “time” is not usually something that comes to mind. And yet our temporal environment – the way we structure, manage, and collectively define time – has a huge impact on what we do and how effective we are doing it. How can we think about shaping our temporal environment to better support ourselves?

Supportive Environments for a New Year, Part 2
As part of my ongoing exploration of how to reshape my environments to support my 2026 resolutions and intentions, I consider the formidable power of the information environment. What does my world of information look like? How might I reshape it to better support my needs and intentions?

Supportive Environments for a New Year, Part 1
Resolutions and intentions are easy to make but hard to convert into action and change. So, I’m starting the year off by going back to basics which, as an environmental psychologist and artist, means taking a hard look at my studio environment and pondering how I can get it to better support me in doing the things I want to do.

In any kind of caregiving – whether for plants or our own creative selves – it is the cumulative effects of the environments experienced day in and out that impact us most. Good intentions are fine but having environments that support the creative process is what allows our creativity to blossom. What does creativity need and how can we create an environment that helps meet those needs?

Uncertainty brings its own kind of mental pain. And the temptation to avoid it – even when it is part of learning and discovery – can be hard to resist. Whether we cling to familiar shores out of a sense of self-preservation, love, or entitlement, we often end up limiting our own opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth. How can we change our environments or our own mindsets to support us while we swim in deeper waters?

The pleasurable state of mind between the known and the unknown, between familiarity and exploration, is where creativity flourishes and discoveries are made. How can you cultivate this state of mind and what can it do for you?

I create art because I love exploring materials, techniques, and ideas. I create to help make sense of my thoughts and emotions. I create as a way to communicate ideas. These drives are not unique to me. In fact, they reflect fundamental human needs. Being sensitive to these needs can have a profound effect on well-being – whether in our organizations or ourselves.

In a world designed to capture our attention through ever more sophisticated means, perhaps the most revolutionary thing we can do is to decide for ourselves, with intention and care, what to pay attention to and what to ignore. A rational inattention approach can help us do just that.

My brain is so overloaded these days that it’s affecting my creative work. It’s time for a mental spring cleaning! Over the past week, I’ve been using the KonMari method to tidy up my mind and close out the open cognitive loops of mental clutter.