Create Your Ideal Work Space

I’ve been a bit of a vagabond today. I have a lot of irons in the fire and I needed to be in an environment where I could:

• focus
• be free of distractions
• have open space so I could spread out if I needed to (I come with a lot of devices: iPad, MacBook, paper planner, bottle of water, etc.–hence why my new Kate Spade green super tote always weighs 800lbs., but I digress…)
• have lots of light
• free WiFi
• plug-in

In short, I couldn’t be home. There, I would play with Sarge. I’d be tempted to catch up on Scandal or my many cooking shows. I’d start to focus on the many home projects that needed to be done–thus making me depressed. The interesting thing is, I don’t feel guilty about leaving. I don’t love my home–I love that I have a home–but my house and I have a serious love/hate relationship–that’s a post for another day. So, I set out to find a place that had the aforementioned characteristics so I could really thrive and get things done.

First attempt, Starbucks inside Barnes&Noble. I got a stuffed pretzel–delish–and a bottle of water, and then the search began… I looked high and low for an outlet to plug-in because my laptop battery was in the red zone at 18% and needed some juice. No such luck. I’m still baffled by this. I simply don’t understand. Are outlets at a premium these days? Isn’t there some kind of building law that all walls need an outlet, twice as many in Starbucks??? (Ok, maybe that last part is a bit of a reach.) I realize I was technically in a book store, but come on, this was Starbucks in a book store. People go there to be surrounded by books, activity, people, coffee, snacks, white noise, and music you love to hate. When I began to fear that my laptop would give out, I packed up and moved on to my next location…

The new Owings Mills library at the Metro Station. Now, I, personally, am still trying to truly see the vision that’s unfolding for the future of the Metro Station, but whatever. The library is AWESOME!!! And it’s not just the newness, though I can’t lie, it’s like new car smell–very exciting, you get a rush. It’s 3 floors of books, rooms, computers, people–and in the 3rd floor quiet room–LIGHT! Tons and tons of windows to enjoy the natural light and see the outside world. Not to mention table top outlets every 3 feet. Perfection!

Emails have been answered. A project planning worksheet has been created. This blog post is being written. Does it get any better than this?!?!?

And then, my stomach growled. The stuffed pretzel has apparently worn off. The 2nd bottle of water is not keeping the hunger pangs at bay. Sadly, I must leave my new-found place of solace and all things wonderful and go in search of food–and an outlet. So the quest continues… But before I go in search of my next electrical adventure, I leave you with this…

I remember a friend of mine decided to spiffy up her work space, before she left the company we worked for and went out on her own. I thought it was the coolest thing that the plant she had sitting on her desk, in her cube, had a gold fish in it. She actually had a fish on her desk! And why not? We spend a lot of time at work, why not make your surroundings as enjoyable as possible. The same should be said of your work space at home or wherever you are. If it means real flowers, fake flowers, or a gold fish on your desk, so be it. And sometimes, that means going outside the home. Personally, I need light. Lots and lots of light (I guess this makes me somewhat plant like…) and a lot of open space (this is why my cousin thinks I don’t like furniture–just call me a minimalist). I can handle almost all other specifications not being met (with maybe the exception of the outlet) as long as I have light and space. Find the space that lets you thrive–even if you have to create it. Now, I’m going to find something to eat.