meet the boss
Most of us want more peaceful lives. Just ask The Boss (so named by Justin).
When she’s not doing all the things that a business boss does for Room, Zoë works as an organizational psychologist and executive coach, studying why achieving a peaceful life is harder than it sounds. She also enjoys a good spreadsheet on a quiet afternoon.
Her work focuses on how people build better businesses and better lives through habits, leadership behavior, and mindset change. One lesson shows up again and again: the environments around us shape what we do.
Room is built around that idea.
environment shapes behavior
Calm doesn’t maintain itself. Scientists to this day still don’t understand the speed at which a sink full of dishes piles up.
Spaces need to be designed, adjusted, and reset. There is a monotony to this kind of maintenance, so small environmental cues make a difference. Keeping a book within reach may make you think twice about doom-scrolling. A scent that signals the workday is done may allow you to pause your to-do list, for now. Habits that go together grow together. Simply put, stack your habits so you enjoy them.
If you can see and smell a bright clean candle while you do the dishes, maybe you’ll also notice how nice the warm water feels on your hands rather than piling up resentment toward the chore.
premeditated mindfulness
Many of the habits we care about start with an object.
A journal invites reflection. A water bottle reminds you to hydrate. New running shoes stare at you until your guilt for not exercising pushes you out the door.
Room products work the same way. Small cues that prompt a breath, a pause, a moment of calm.