About ten months ago, I embarked on an intriguing journey to see what it would be like to live and work on the road for 300 days. While it might sound like a romantic adventure inspired by a love for van life or minimalism, it actually began from a place of chaos and disruption. I found myself stuck in a one-bedroom apartment, unable to travel to Australia as planned. This unexpected situation led me to discover some surprising insights about creativity, motivation, and success. Here’s what I learned.
This experiment was supported by Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, and their survey on human progress. It’s interesting how major experiments often need a push or support to get started. We usually live our lives in predictable patterns and routines. So, let me ask you: how did the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt your life? For me, March 2020 was a month that felt like a year. I was in New York City, and the disruption was intense. My life was confined to my apartment, affecting my work and mental well-being. I felt stuck, anxious, and unmotivated.
Then, a thought struck me: what if I just left? The traditional nine-to-five workweek, established by Henry Ford in 1926, feels outdated for many of us today. The pandemic forced us to rethink how and where we work. I wondered what it would be like to have no fixed address and work from anywhere. This would be a big change physically, but I was more curious about the mental shift. Would it be stressful or liberating? Would I be productive in random places? I decided to find out. I bought a car, packed my belongings, and headed to the desert.
Research suggests that changing your environment can have many benefits. Working from a vacation spot, known as “bleisure,” can help break routines, build new skills, and simply be enjoyable. Studies show that visiting new places can improve mood, reduce anxiety, and boost creativity. Despite my skepticism, I wanted to see if these benefits would apply to me.
Now, 300 days into this experiment, I’ve learned a lot. How has your work culture changed due to the pandemic? How has your motivation shifted? For me, leaving New York City sparked a surge in creative motivation. I had new ideas and felt less anxious. The city’s energy, which often made me anxious, was gone, and I stopped questioning my success or productivity.
The questions I’ve been asking you are inspired by the human progress survey from Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany. This survey allows you to see how others have responded and compare your optimism or pessimism. It’s a beautifully designed tool to learn about yourself and others. It encourages us to reflect on our progress and the unexpected things we’ve discovered about ourselves.
One of the main things I discovered is my adaptability. I could create videos anywhere with any equipment. I also realized how sensitive I am to my surroundings and how they influence my creativity. This year, my work reflected the beauty around me, from videos about crystals to exploring a wild west pharmacy. Being outside improved my mood and creativity.
Working from anywhere is a privileged lifestyle. Not everyone has the freedom to choose their workspace. However, small changes can bring similar benefits. Spending time in nature can reduce stress, and boredom can spark new ideas. Moving your desk to get more natural light can enhance your daily routine. While my experiment was extreme, we can all make small changes to invite creativity and progress into our lives.
Progress comes in many forms and can change how we think. It can rewire our brains and enhance creativity. Over the past year, I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone with creative projects I wouldn’t have pursued otherwise. Thank you to Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, for sponsoring this journey. If you haven’t taken the human progress survey yet, I encourage you to do so. It’s a fascinating way to learn about yourself and others.
Take some time to reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted your life and work. Write a journal entry about the changes you’ve experienced and how they have influenced your creativity and motivation. Consider what small changes you can make to invite more creativity and progress into your life.
Choose a new location on campus or in your city to work or study for a day. Observe how the change of scenery affects your mood, productivity, and creativity. Document your experience and share your insights with your peers in a group discussion.
Take the human progress survey mentioned in the article. Analyze your results and compare them with those of your classmates. Discuss in small groups how your perspectives on progress and adaptability have evolved over the past year.
Identify a creative project that you have been hesitant to start. Use the insights gained from the article to step outside your comfort zone and begin working on it. Share your progress and any unexpected discoveries with your classmates in a presentation.
Participate in a workshop focused on adaptability and personal growth. Engage in activities that challenge your routine and encourage you to think differently. Reflect on how these exercises can be applied to your academic and personal life to foster creativity and success.
Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Approximately 10 months ago, I started an experiment to explore what it would be like to live and work for 300 days on the road. While it might sound poetic to say this began from a love of van life or radical minimalism, it actually stemmed from chaos and disruption. I found myself self-isolating in a one-bedroom apartment for an indefinite period of time, and I had my second flight to Australia canceled. Along the way, I discovered some unexpected insights about creativity, motivation, and success. This is what I learned.
This video is sponsored by Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, and their new survey on human progress. To be honest, all big experiments need some support. We tend to live our lives in pretty tight patterns, cycles, and routines. So I have a question for you: how did the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic upend yours? For me, March 2020 was a month that felt like a year, and it’s one I’ll probably never forget. I was in New York City, the center of it all, and to be honest, it was challenging. The pattern of my life had been disrupted. For six months, I barely left my apartment, which had a huge effect on my work and life. I felt stuck, both physically and mentally. I experienced heightened anxiety, struggled to sleep, and found myself procrastinating and not wanting to get out of bed to start work. The most overwhelming impact of the pandemic was that all of my work and life were confined to the same four walls.
Then I wondered, what if I just left? In 1926, Henry Ford established the nine-to-five, five-day workweek. Manufacturing relied on workers being physically present on an assembly line for 40 hours a week. While many jobs still require a physical location, for the rest of us, this model feels outdated. Now, we’ve been forced to radically rethink how and where we work. I thought, what would happen if I had no fixed address? What if I tried to work from anywhere? It would be a significant physical change, but I was more concerned about the mental shift. I had many questions: Would it be more stressful? Would I be unproductive working in random Airbnbs? Would it be inconvenient or frustrating not having all of my belongings? Would I become a privileged digital nomad lacking self-awareness? Would this make the impact of the pandemic on my workload worse? But like all experiments, you never know until you try. In the U.S., I wasn’t under any lockdowns, and there were no travel restrictions. So, I bought a car, packed it with most of my belongings, handed back the keys to my apartment, and headed to the desert.
According to research, there are many benefits to a change of scenery, but I was skeptical. I’m a naturally skeptical person! Would I experience any of these benefits? In research, working from a vacation destination is called “bleisure,” which is possibly one of the least appealing portmanteaus I’ve encountered. An interview-based study found that people engage in it to escape their daily routine, build skills from new experiences, and simply for enjoyment. Another study of digital nomads found that they often built identities and lifestyles that didn’t revolve around work. More generally, going to new places improves mood, and being outside has been shown to reduce anxiety and rumination, improve working memory, and boost creative problem-solving abilities.
But I still wondered if all of this would solve my problems or if I’d just encounter new ones. Now that I’m 300 days in, it was time for some results—essentially to ask more questions. So, another question for you: how has your work culture been affected by the pandemic? How has your motivation changed? The most unexpected aspect was how it affected my motivation. When I was in New York City, I was just going through the motions, and because I was still working, I hadn’t considered my attitude towards work. But as soon as I left, I felt incredibly creatively motivated. I had so many ideas for different types of videos that I wanted to pursue. I hadn’t considered what it would mean for my anxiety levels and self-esteem because as soon as I left New York, I stopped questioning myself and asking, “Am I successful? Am I doing enough work?” The energy of the city that I fed off of, which often made me anxious, disappeared.
Now, the questions I’ve been asking you, like how your motivation has been affected, are inspired by the human progress survey. Unlike my personal experiment of the past 300 days, this is a real experiment brought to you by Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany. The most exciting aspect of this survey, in my opinion, is that you can see how everyone else has responded in real time, allowing you to determine if you’re more optimistic or pessimistic than others who have completed it. I’ll share whether I was pessimistic or optimistic at the end, but for now, I would greatly appreciate it if you could fill out this survey. I’ll include a link in the description. I love surveys, and this one is beautifully designed, allowing you to learn a bit about yourself and others as well. The purpose of the survey is to learn more about how we’ve all progressed over the past year and a half and to consider questions like: What are the unexpected things you’ve discovered about yourself?
One of the main things I discovered from this whole experiment is that when I was leaving, I was so focused on my work life. I was thinking, would I be productive? Would I procrastinate? Would I be able to get things done in random Airbnbs? I was so focused on the output of my work that I hadn’t given much thought to my mental state or the quality of my work. I discovered how adaptable I am. For starters, I could make a video anywhere using any equipment, and it was fine. I’m not sure if you even noticed! Secondly, I realized how sensitive I am to my surroundings and how much they creatively influence me. You might have noticed this in my work this year, where I made videos about crystals and the crystal capital of the world, and about a wild west pharmacy while in the desert, all while communicating with my fact checker in Canada and my editor in Portugal. I was very attuned to the beauty around me, and being outside contributed to my good mood throughout this time.
Working from anywhere, while it can be intense with constant travel and essentially living out of a suitcase, is a privileged lifestyle. Not being confined to a specific workspace and having the freedom to choose where to work is an advantage that many people cannot access due to the nature of their jobs. For me, this experiment was extreme, and I recognize that not everyone watching has the privilege or resources to do it. However, there are small changes you can make in your everyday life to realize these benefits. Spending just 20 minutes in nature can lower your cortisol or stress levels. Boredom is a mental state that allows new ideas to emerge. You can move your desk into the light to try to get more natural sunlight in your daily routine. It took a complete disruption for me to make a change and progress. But we can all nudge our routines towards moments of boredom, wonder, and creativity. You never know how much fun you’ll have, what problems you’ll solve, or how pleasant work can be.
Progress comes in all shapes and sizes, and human progress can change how we think. It can alter the function of our brains. I’ve certainly stepped outside my comfort zone with creative projects in the last year that I wouldn’t have normally pursued. It changes the wiring in your brain and enhances your creativity at work as well. Thank you again to Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, for sponsoring this video. If you haven’t taken the human progress survey yet, there’s a link here and in the description. It’s a really cool design, so please check it out—I would greatly appreciate it!
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This version removes any potentially sensitive or personal information while maintaining the core message and insights from the original transcript.
Creativity – The ability to generate novel and valuable ideas or solutions through imaginative thinking. – In psychology, creativity is often linked to divergent thinking, which allows individuals to explore multiple possible solutions to a problem.
Motivation – The process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. – Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is crucial for psychologists to help individuals achieve their personal and professional goals.
Success – The achievement of a desired goal or outcome, often measured by personal or societal standards. – In critical thinking, success is not just about reaching a conclusion, but also about the process of reasoning and evidence evaluation.
Anxiety – A psychological state characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease, often about an imminent event or uncertain outcome. – Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a common method used to help individuals manage anxiety by changing negative thought patterns.
Productivity – The effectiveness of effort measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input. – Time management and setting clear goals can significantly enhance productivity in both academic and professional settings.
Adaptability – The ability to adjust to new conditions or changes in the environment. – Adaptability is a key trait for students and professionals alike, enabling them to thrive in dynamic and unpredictable situations.
Progress – Forward or onward movement towards a destination or goal. – In psychological research, progress is often measured by the advancement of knowledge and the development of new theories.
Environment – The surrounding conditions, influences, or forces that affect the behavior and development of individuals. – A supportive learning environment can significantly enhance a student’s ability to absorb and retain information.
Flexibility – The quality of being adaptable or variable in response to changing circumstances. – Cognitive flexibility allows individuals to shift their thinking and approach problems from different angles, which is essential for effective problem-solving.
Change – The process of becoming different, often involving a transformation or transition. – Embracing change is a critical aspect of personal growth and is often a focus in therapeutic settings to help individuals overcome challenges.
