“Less, but better.” Dieter Rams, the living legend of design who revolutionized the paradigm of 20th-century industrial design as the chief designer of Braun and inspired countless masters including Apple’s Jony Ive. Where did his genius ideas of visualizing a complex world into simple and practical products come from? 🏊♂️
Dieter Rams started his day by swimming every morning to physically wake up his brain and relax his body. After swimming, he returned to his quiet garden to trim bonsai and meticulously care for the trees. Rather than being trapped in complex planning or artificial shapes, he looked at the organic and essential structure of the plants in his garden and established the core inspiration of minimalism: ‘excluding unnecessary elements.’
Today, BuildSelf introduces the cognitive effects of Dieter Rams’ ‘morning swim and observation’ routine on the brain’s attention recovery and how modern people can apply it to maintain focus throughout the day.
Historical & Academic Evidence
This content is based on Dieter Rams' Biography 'As Little Design as Possible' & Attention Restoration Theory Studies.
1. ‘Attention Restoration Theory’ to Purify the Visual Cortex
Modern people are exposed to a large amount of artificial visual stimuli such as smartphone texts, messenger notifications, and complex signs on the way to work as soon as they open their eyes in the morning. This quickly drains the frontal lobe’s capacity for Directed Attention, leading to severe cognitive fatigue before noon.
Dieter Rams’ morning routine was the wisdom of practicing ‘Attention Restoration Theory (ART)’ through natural observation after supplying brain blood flow with aerobic exercise. When observing subtle natural patterns such as the vein structure of leaves or the extension of branches, the brain enters a state of ‘Soft Fascination’ that requires no tension or energy. During this process, the brain areas responsible for directed attention take a rest and dramatically recover, purifying the visual sensory areas and buffering the cognitive stamina needed for high-level design work.
2. 3-Step Practical Routine for Modern Professionals
Morning Physical Circulation Activation Routine
After waking up in the morning, promote blood circulation throughout the body that was stagnant overnight and supply fresh blood flow to the frontal lobe through light stretching, calisthenics, or a warm shower.
5-Minute Visual Focus on Natural Objects
Choose one of the plants in your veranda pot, garden trees, natural scenery outside the window, or a small park on the way to work, and stare at the natural object for 5 minutes with your smartphone in your pocket.
Silent Observation of Structural Simplicity
Immerse yourself deeply in the irregular yet harmonious structure, essential colors, and clutter-free forms of natural objects, releasing the visual cortex from artificial artifacts and calming the brain.
3. Artificial Visual Emptying Fills Ideas
Good design means an essential state in which all unnecessary things are removed. Dieter Rams trimmed bonsai and observed nature every morning to empty the brain of artificial stimuli and create space for the most essential thoughts. Wash your attention filter clean with a short morning observation of nature.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I have to swim in the morning to get the effect? ▼
No. Swimming was just the ideal aerobic exercise preferred by Dieter Rams. Any aerobic exercise that wakes up brain blood flow, such as light indoor jogging, stretching, or 10 minutes of brisk walking, is fine.
Can't I observe urban buildings or sophisticated interiors instead of natural objects? ▼
Artificially crafted interiors or geometric city buildings implicitly demand analytical interpretations (directed attention) from the brain, like 'Why did they make it that way?' or 'What is that?' To restore cognitive fatigue, looking at organic natural objects that require no interpretation is ideal.
