If you’ve been to a Cave in the last four years, you know we have some silly things that are part of our process. We could just as easily have everyone chat in their work and make it an ongoing study hall Zoom room. 24/7. But we’ve chosen a few rituals and actions deliberately, as silly as they may be, for two major reasons.

When we thunderclap, or share wins, or take 3 deep breaths before we work, or do a stretch as a group– there’s a sense of belonging to a transformational space. You are on the inside and the rules here are a little different than the rules out in the rest of the world. That sense of belonging to something unique helps create a tighter community.

The second reason is that creating rituals can help signal our brain to be conditioned to act a certain way. Not in a brainwashing way, but more like Pavlov’s dog. If you know that every time you Thunderclap, you do great work, that ritual becomes less of a singular act and more of a superstition and ritual tied to focus.

Stringing together several of these makes it even more powerful. Logging into zoom, update your zoom name, check in, thunderclap, go!

Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.