Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project

Guest: Dennis E. Dahlen, Chief Financial Officer – Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN

We are all busy and have a lot of tasks that need to be accomplished. And those tasks need to be accomplished somewhere! Whether you are working at home, in an office, or on the road, your physical surroundings play a surprising large role in how you do your work, how much you get done, and the level of quality of that work. In this episode, we are going to talk about some of the science behind how your surroundings impact you, and what you can do to optimize them.  

Our expert guest here to teach us more is Dennis Dahlen, and the three big questions we are going to work through are: 

1. How do our physical and mental surroundings influence productivity?

2. What common obstacles keep people from creating productive environments and what is secretly sabotaging our productivity?

3. Which practical strategies can anyone apply to optimize their physical and mental spaces for sustained high performance?

How to start a Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project “Pod-Club”:

Discussion Questions for this Episode:

Dennis Dahlen emphasizes that an optimized environment for productivity must be individualized. What are the specific elements of your current physical workspace (at home or office) that most irritate you or distract you from focused work? This week, modify one element to reduce your distraction! 

The podcast highlights how using grit and tenacity to overcome easily solvable environmental issues (like clutter or noise) depletes these resources, so they are not available for more important tasks. Where are you currently "wasting" your grit and tenacity? What is one environmental factor that you could easily optimize so that you can shift your grit and tenacity to more important tasks?  

Dennis suggests that physical proximity to colleagues can significantly boost productivity through "hallway conversations." How has the shift to remote or hybrid work impacted your access to such spontaneous collaboration? What strategies do you currently use to maintain connection? Which ones could you implement to improve in this area? 

The discussion points out that a cluttered physical space often acts as a "physical to-do list," constantly vying for our attention (which is a very precious commodity). This week, find something to declutter (your email inbox, your desk, or even a filing system!) to give you back some control over your attention.  

Dennis shares his experience with forced decluttering in a flexible workstation environment. What is one item in your workspace that you could eliminate or reorganize to reduce visual clutter and mental distraction? 

The episode touches on the challenge of balancing work and personal life, especially for caregivers. If you have significant external demands, how do you communicate these to your supervisor or team to ensure you have the necessary support and boundaries? 

The call to action encourages listeners to pick one physical workspace element (noise, privacy, temperature, lighting, personalization, clutter, designated space) to optimize. Which element would you choose? Identify one change to implement this week? 

Dennis mentions that personalizing your workspace (e.g., with photos of loved ones) can increase integrity and promote more virtuous decisions. How do you currently personalize your workspace? Take a moment to reflect on the subconscious impact these personal touches have on your work ethic and decision-making. Discuss with your pod club. 

Learn more about the Human Optimization Project at: https://ce.mayo.edu/optimize