The power of thinking outdoors

In today’s world, it’s so easy to get caught up in the daily hustle of the studio and with meetings, video calls, emails and social media, it’s easier than ever for our minds to become cluttered and overwhelmed. I find that the best way to clear your head and spark creativity is as simple as stepping outside and thinking outdoors.

Nature has long been recognised for its therapeutic benefits and it’s well known that spending time outdoors can reduce stress, improve mood, and generally improve your thought process. Providing an environment that encourages mindfulness and a state where you’re present and fully aware is so helpful when you need time to reflect and think through a creative problem.

At Oyster, we’re incredibly lucky to be placed on the edge of Chichester Harbour, so lunchtime walks by the sea, team mindfulness activities and outdoor meetings are really accessible to the team and prove hugely valuable to help us get away from the screen and spend time just thinking and collaborating, without a computer.

Whilst mindfulness isn’t a new concept by any means, it’s becoming more and more apparent that through a mix of remote working, and a growing reliance on technology, we are all becoming less connected with nature, and not taking the time to fully shut off or to think quite literally outside the box (excuse the pun!).

Having worked with a number of organisations whose very ethos centres on these benefits, we really see the positive effects this mindset can bring. Liberty Woodland School are truly pioneers in creating a new way to educate that centres on mindfulness and the power of the outside world. This allows their students to focus and apply themselves with a growth mindset, stretching their learning far beyond the curriculum (and beyond their years!). Similarly, Westonbirt Arboretum are the custodians of an important tree collection that in turn helps many visitors benefit from the power of nature, as well as the mental health benefits of experiencing the outdoors.

So how do we use it, really?

Charlotte and I always joke about our ‘Annual Conferences’ that we hold as Directors at Oyster. Rather than a structured and stuffy strategy meeting in a room (on a computer), we take the opportunity to walk somewhere in the South Downs or in Chichester Harbour, which gives us time to talk through our strategy for the coming year and enables us to fully focus and be more ‘blue sky’ about our thinking. Ultimately this is written down and actioned, but importantly our ideas at the point of their inception are created when we’re fully focussed, in a calm or inspiring location, without the need to stare at a screen to do it.