Have you ever wondered why you feel anxious in certain places, yet relaxed in others? Are you puzzled as to why you are distracted in a particular library, yet maintain focus in the other? While intrinsic factors such as attitude affect your behavior; there is a high likelihood that design contributed to the outcome. The state of our immediate environment greatly influences our mood, mindset and motivation.

Space has an unfailing ability of setting us up for success or bringing us down. Nature clearly demonstrates this delicate relationship between habitat and inhabitant. Innumerable examples within it show that harmony between a space and its occupant results in a thriving existence, and a conflict between the two is damaging. Consider a developing fetus and its environment, the womb. Essential mechanisms are there to nourish and protect the fetus including oxygen supply, temperature and shock absorption. Any deviation in optimum conditions threaten the organism's survival. Similarly, we as humans are subject to our physical surrounding therefore it is crucial that we pay attention to it.

Given this fact, it is necessary to investigate what types of spaces suit our individual preferences. When starting out on this inquiry, a good question to ask ourselves is: where are we most effective? In answering it, we must consider all factors, including those that may at first seem mundane. For instance, taking note of which colors, textures and light settings of the places we are in keep us at our best. Once we understand our needs, we can seek or where possible create spaces that work with our tastes and avoid those that do not.

While it is ideal that we tailor our environments to our personal requirements, there are situations where we have little or no control over our spaces. If anything, most parts of people's days are spent in buses, waiting rooms and lecture halls that were not custom made for them. In such cases, we may scan the space for elements that are as close as possible to our needs. Depending on how far removed a space is from our favorite settings, we can also make minor adjustments within reason to make our stay more bearable. Otherwise, we could simply endure the discomforts until an opportunity to change the space surfaces.

Going forward, let us take it upon ourselves to pay deliberate attention to our spaces because optimizing our environments creates a higher likelihood of positive experiences. Space certainly matters more than we might think.