By Angelica Ribeiro, PhD

Recently, I found myself feeling good after a writing session. Even though I hadn’t completed a project, I was more focused, productive, and creative during that time, which made the experience more enjoyable. It was great to have a writing session that felt better than previous ones. But what made it better? As I reflected on this, I realized it was likely because I had rearranged my office shortly before I began to write. You might wonder, “How does rearranging my office impact my writing?” Let me explain.

As Tali Sharot and Cass Sunstein point out in their book Look Again, over time, we tend not to notice or appreciate good things anymore because we get used to them. This phenomenon is known as habituation, which refers to our tendency to respond less and less to things that are constant or change very slowly. For example, I had grown used to the arrangement of my office, which meant that my environment no longer positively influenced my writing practice. What happens is that when habituation sets in, the experience becomes less enjoyable, and feelings of excitement may be replaced by a feeling of routine.

To recapture joy, we need to dishabituate (Sharot & Sunstein, 2024). When we dishabituate, we feel the joy of things that are constant around us. One effective way to dishabituate is by introducing variety. In the author’s words, “Variety will increase the perceived goodness of [our] lives and trigger creativity” (Sharot & Sunstein, 2024, ch. 2, The Value of a Varied Life section, para. 14).

That’s what happened to me: by rearranging my office, I added variety to my environment. This change made my writing session much more enjoyable, significantly boosting my focus, productivity, and creativity.

Helen Sword, author of several books on writing, including Writing with Pleasure, encourages us to seek variety in our writing practices by going on writing retreats. These retreats can take various forms:

1. Away: Write in a new city or country. For example, you could join one of Sword’s writing retreats in Waiheke Island, New Zealand, or Wengen, Switzerland (Visit https://www.helensword.com/onsite-writing-retreat to learn more about writing retreats with Helen Sword).
2. Local: Write at a local place of your choice. For instance, consider going to a café to write.
3. At home: Write in a different room in your house. For example, if you usually write in your home office, try doing your writing session in the living room.

Regardless of the type of writing retreat you choose, changing your writing environment will allow you to notice and appreciate new things, ultimately bringing more joy into your writing.

Reference
Sharot, T., & Sunstein, C. (2024). Look again: The power of noticing what was always there [Kindle version]. Atria/One Signal Publishers.

---

Angelica Ribeiro is a writer, researcher, and professor. She is the author of How to Create Happiness at Work, Running into Happiness, and My Happiness Habit Journal. She holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a focus on English as a second language from Texas A&M University. She has taught English learners and preservice teachers in the United States and Brazil for over 25 years. Angelica has several publications on second language acquisition. She works as a professor in higher education and helps others benefit from her happiness research. When she was a Ph.D. student, Angelica struggled with balancing her academic commitments and personal life, which motivated her to embark on a journey to increase happiness. Her journey was so successful that now she encourages others to create happiness in their busy lives by sharing science-based strategies. Visit https://www.creatinghappiness.today