For two years now I have been in my new office. The first six months after law school and passing the bar I slaved away at a beautiful but uncomfortable desk in MadDog's conference room rather than share a desk with Mommie Dearest and MadDog's brilliant Secretary. Two anal retentive women sharing a desk is plenty...Especially after Mommie Dearest got upset when I shifted her pencil in the drawer.
Soon enough I was able to afford to move into my very own 10 foot by 15 foot office. It was a second floor walk up and it had no windows, but I shared a lovely conference room, kitchen, and even **gasp** a sauna in the basement. I liked it pretty well, but long about February I was just sick of NEVER seeing the sun. Finally, after two years I was able to move back into my own office in MadDog's building. There were only windows in the reception area, so I put my desk right in the front and settled in. After more than a year there the end tennant moved out and I was able to get my dream office. I have a view of the front door and the secretarial area from my actual office, and the park from both rooms. Lots of windows. I actually committed to this office- I know because I painted. I hope to never move again.
MadDog is pleased because it had a tiny file room (7'x8') with a window which I gave to Mommie Dearest so she has her very own office which she doesn't have to share with anyone and I thus restored order to MadDog's world...Because life is very difficult when your wife and your secretary are having territorial disputes.
Each of these moves has reminded me how important our environment is to our perspective and productivity. I sit at my desk, the same desk I've had the entire time I've been an attorney as Mommie Dearest bought it for me upon graduation, with my back to the wall, full view of everything going on and I feel like a lawyer. The paint color is perfect (Natty Neutral- a kind of gray brown color- I told my paint guru I wanted to make it look expensive with paint...), my files are organized into the riser to my left, papers organized into the caddy, appointment book to one side.
I remember running into this some in college and law school- I would have to have everything just so to feel like I could study. When I worked in a cube and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out how to arrange my furniture and items to make myself comfortable and productive. That's when I hit upon the corner desk placement.
In a square room or cube, nothing beats the corner desk placement. Put your chair in the corner, facing out. Turn your desk so you can sit at it and have enough room to get out- it actually works in tight spaces and means no more sitting with your back to the room- which just makes me twitch. It also makes the room feel more spacious and gives you a little area on one side of your desk to stack necessary items which don't fit in the desk itself.
I think sometimes we forget how important environment is to our productivity. The color of the room, items in the room, clutter, old memories.... All of these things have an impact on our feelings, however subtle. I know I get into a rut and let crap pile up in the bottom of my closets, in the spare room... You know, "Hey, I'm going to drop by..." Oh Crap! Just shove the mess in the back of the closet....
I have started taking out random stuff I have accumulated one black leaf bag at a time. One per week. Because fall is a good time to just admit that you are not going to wear that... Whatever...Again. (In my case the most recent was an acrylic sweater from 1989 in fuscha, electric blue and yellow...and black stirrup pants...) Or that while you loved those bowls when you first bought them, since you have now broken all but one and have bought new bowls, you could give that last remaining bowl to the salvation army. Or that that gift is really not going to be regifted because do you REALLY want someone to think of YOU when they look at it? I actually found someone who was moving and sent off an accumulation of boxes with her...Because for some reason I kept them when I moved in and really, I am not moving again any time soon.
It feels so freeing to clean this clutter out. It is a symbolic mental lightening as well as a purely physical difference. Environment and perspective are inexorably linked- and if you are having trouble changing your mental attitude, sometimes the act of cleaning things out can help, and sometimes just the newly de-cluttered result of the cleaning can help and sometimes you have to get a bit more radical and change the environment completely- but a new environment can almost always give you a jolt of energy and a burst of enthuaism.
Ok, off of serious topics for a moment. I played kick ball Sunday and it was a blast! You know, old school, playground rules, full on kick ball. We had 23 players, assorted hangers on, beer, burgers and let the teenaged girls make awards while the grown ups played. And play we did-- some of the men got a little too competitive and we did have to fuss at one guy who purposefully collided with the first base woman and knocked her over.
One person took a running dive for a ball and missed, one took one and caught it! There was one mid-air collision, one face pummeling with the ball and lots of laughter. I redeemed my failure to catch the first ball that came at me (I played second) by catching the second one and making a crucial out. I am so sore still today- but a good kind of sore. Games are more fun as an adult-- you can have a beer and a smoke while you're in the dugout. Hehehe. Playing kickball, you can even carry your beer with you around the bases....Long story short-- it was awesome and you should get your friends together and play : )
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