Below, Leidy Klotz shares five key insights from his new book, In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive.
Leidy is a behavioral scientist and engineering professor at the University of Virginia. He has written for The Washington Post, Fast Company, Scientific American, and Harvard Business Review, and has published work in top journals such as Nature and Science.
What’s the big idea?
Our physical surroundings deeply shape our psychological well-being, identity, relationships, and memories. Intentionally designing and engaging with our spaces can help us live better lives.
Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Leidy himself—in the Next Big Idea App, or buy the book.
1. Practice space before screen.
Too often, we move through the world without noticing our physical surroundings. Our phones and other screens only exacerbate this problem.
Instead of fighting this reality, however, we can work with it. When you find yourself looking at your phone, take it as a cue. One of my friends told me that, since reading my book, she has started noticing that in the morning, when she wakes up and immediately goes to her phone to check email, she pauses and thinks, “Wait, I haven’t even taken in the space that I’m in.”
So instead of being a distraction, let the screen become a reminder to check in with your environment. From there, all the other benefits can follow.
2. Seek adjacent freedom when you feel constrained.
One of the most important things our surroundings give us is a sense of agency—the feeling that we can effect change in the world.
For example, in my office, there is a window that used to open but no longer does because of the air-conditioning system. That’s frustrating, especially on a nice spring day when I’d like fresh air. But situations like this are inevitable. There are always aspects of our environment we can’t control.
“Our surroundings give us a sense of agency.”
When that happens, we can take it as a cue to exercise control somewhere else. In my office, I can rearrange the furniture, decorate the walls, or choose where I sit. The point is, when you feel constrained in one area, look for another where you can act, and do it.
3. Practice setting boundaries by claiming space.
Our relationship with our surroundings helps us grow as individuals.
One of my favorite stories from the book involves my daughter, who had just started preschool. She learned that in a crowded space, you can say “space,” and people are supposed to give you a little more room.
One day, I was walking through the house to do laundry, and she said, “Space.” It was not crowded; it was just the two of us, but she insisted that I stay outside her circle. When I asked if I could move past her, she said yes, but that I could not look at her.
It was funny but also revealing. We often think of boundaries in terms of relationships with others or ourselves, but here she was learning about identity and personal limits through physical space.
“Our relationship with our surroundings helps us grow as individuals.”
That continues as we grow. A house is a boundary. A teenager’s bedroom becomes a space for independence. Claiming space is one way we define who we are.
4. Build campfires to encourage connection.
When we’re in neutral spaces and want to connect, we should think about creating environments that function like campfires.
An event planning company I interviewed organized a conference in the Superdome in New Orleans. Alongside the main presentation area, there was a large open space where they wanted people to connect. To encourage this, they placed glowing orbs with seating arranged in circles around them. Each orb had a different color to signal different types of conversations.
We don’t need to go that far, but the campfire concept is powerful. Around a campfire, no one owns the space. People bring their own chairs. Everyone is equal. There’s no head of the table, and there’s a shared focal point.
“We should think about creating environments that function like campfires.”
For example, as an introvert at a conference, it can be difficult to approach people. But sitting at a small table with a few open chairs, without spreading your belongings everywhere, signals that others are welcome. That simple setup can create the right conditions for connection.
5. Cultivate nostalgia in your spaces.
Our environments are powerful memory containers. They help us store and recall meaningful moments.
A big example is my family’s vacation house, which has been passed down for generations. My dad went there as a child, and now he brings his kids and grandkids. The space holds layers of shared history.
But it can be much simpler than that. Even marking a child’s height on a wall creates a timeline of memories. I have only lived in my house for eight years, but those markings tell a story. You can look back and remember exactly what life felt like at those moments.
In this way, our spaces become portals into our past. And we can be intentional about designing them to help us remember what matters.
This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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