The Slow Home Podcast With Brooke Mcalary

Welcome to episode 229, and to the end of the second week of the Great Outdoors Slow Experiment! In today’s episode Brooke and Ben turn their attention to attention - the benefits of outside time for mental performance. There’s loads of research that shows how time spent in nature helps us concentrate more, be more creative, improve our memory and do better in work and study. Brooke highlights that while for her, she doesn’t need any more convincing to spend time outside, this research is pretty powerful when it comes to showing decision and policy makers of the importance of integrating nature into urban, work and educational environments. Creativity is a theme that comes up, and Brooke says she feels the benefits more in this and problem-solving rather than a more immediate impact on productivity. Ben realises that while he once thought time in nature gave him clarity, he now sees it more as a reset, a time for his brain to rest and heal so he can come back to the clarity that’s alre