Rewilding Your Workflow: Nature-Inspired Routines to Boost Productivity

I grew up five minutes walk from the beach and surrounded by nature; we were National Trust regulars. And Derry Girls is pretty accurate; there wasn’t much to do in Northern Ireland in the 90s/early 00s. 

But when I turned 18 and moved to Bristol, I became the ultimate city slicker fuelled by caffeine and constantly overstimulated. Until lockdown hit and chronic illness ended all that. And that’s when I rediscovered nature. Turns out it had been there all along waiting for me. 

I had never even owned a plant before I received a palm as a gift for lockdown Christmas. I almost killed it within a few weeks. At that point, my brain felt a bit like my poor plant – a mixture of dehydrated and overwatered.

But that was one of the turning points in rewilding my workflow. These are the steps I took to ditch the dopamine rush of early morning caffeine and move towards a light-driven, body-led routine full of pause and pulse.

Start With the Sun

Instead of waking to screens, I aim to wake to sunlight. For me, this means opening my balcony door and peering outside, maybe giving my plants a drink if they need it (and haven’t died). I bought an alarm clock, which really helps. 

Caveat: I may not do this 100% of the time as I enjoy torturing myself by reading the news. 

Work Like a Wave

I often use the 90/20 rhythm: 90 minutes of deep focus, followed by 20 minutes of something unproductive (and not on a screen). Although, sometimes I also do an adapted pomodoro method. I set a timer and work for as long as I possibly can at the start of the day. This is often only around 5 minutes. Then I take a break. Then I aim to work for 7 minutes. And break. And then 9 minutes of work. And break, You get the picture. 

Dose Yourself with Nature

A 15-minute walk in green space can boost working memory and reduce stress hormones. Even looking at a tree outside your window changes your neurochemistry. For me, this often means that during a break I do the arduous task of taking my recycling down to the bins and looking at the trees while I’m there. 

Flow with the Seasons

I get Seasonal Affective Disorder pretty bad. I have never quite adapted to gloomy UK winters after years of sunny Barcelona. But I have adapted with a sort of seasonal rhythm. 

Winter is for reflection. Spring is for planting new ideas. Summer is for execution. Fall is for harvesting insights. I try to align my creative work with these natural cycles to avoid the feeling of just getting through the winter and then going into overdrive when the clocks 

You’re not a robot. You’re a rainforest.

Let your workflow be organic, unpredictable, and alive and do what works best for you. You just have to listen to what your body is telling you .

Want to collaborate with nature? Take your next meeting under a tree. Want to work with me and get access to my nature-inspired content skills? Get in touch.