Novelty Theory - How It Can Help You At Work

At the first baseball game I ever went to in 1995, my favorite third baseman hit a grand slam in the 5th inning. I went crazy. I remember running up and down the aisle and throwing popcorn in the air. It was incredible.

Then, in the bottom of the 9th inning, he steps back up to the plate. Two runs behind and one out before they lose, tension is high. Then, seemingly no one could have predicted it. He hit a surprise SECOND grand slam to win the game!

Aaaaaand THAT is why we watch sports.

For the novelty.

We want to witness once-in-a-lifetime events and feel a heightened sense of magic.

We try and bring that novelty energy into the Cave.

When we would run in-person Caves every month, we used to start by saying “Today is the only May 25, 2017 you get.”

Now, every Cave has a theme to make each one feel a little unique.

We do that because novelty can have a powerful effect on our work.

Novelty improves our work by inspiring us to make the most of our time.

When we bring a new excitement and energy to our work (which is often challenging, repetitive, and stressful), our work feels less intimidating. We get more done with less stress. “This feels special, fleeting, and ephemeral. So I’m energized to step up.”

That feeling itself motivates us to work like this more often.

It creates an environment of heightened magic and our work benefits from that energy.

If you’re trying to find novelty on your own, consider these 2 factors:

1. Novelty in Space - If you work in the same desk in the same chair on the same work, change up where you work. Change the lights. Play different music. Rearrange your office. Or, if you can and feel comfortable, go work from a coffee shop or cowork with a friend. Changing up your space can bring new energy.

2. Novelty in Ritual - We get caught in the same ruts of our morning routines. Mix it up with a fancy coffee or extra special breakfast, an early wakeup and a long workout, get dressed up all fancy. When we can heighten an experience and make it feel special, our brain pays attention

Novelty improves our work by creating intimacy.

When groups of people experience novel events, it brings them closer. This is a great bonus for Caveday as we’re trying to create an even more interconnected community.

Were you at the Cave where Christian pretended to be a pirate the whole time?

Or when Jake turned a Cave into a dad joke comedy club?

Remember Jeremy’s fancy Cave?

Or where Kate danced for a whole song without music?

…Guess you had to be there.

That’s the novelty of the Cave.

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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.