I decided the other day that it was high time to move on from my living room chair as my chosen spot to do my work. It was starting to resemble a homeless person's makeshift dwelling, with bits of food everywhere, dirty glasses, stuff piled all around me, and discarded shoes left on the floor to trip over. Plus, working in the living room was far too distracting for me. It's where I watch TV, read magazines, entertain people, and generally relax. Not very conducive to getting things done.
I love the fact that we have a full dining room, which is not always the case when you live in a city. But truth be told, we use it as such about once a year. We have never been people who sit down to dinner at a set time and talk about our day. I don't know what that says about us, but that's how it is. I am much more apt to sit at the kitchen table - to be close to the source, perhaps? So the dining room table functions as a dumping ground for all of the miscellaneous "to deal with" stuff in our lives - presents to wrap, bills, invitations to respond to, etc.
Cleaning off the dining room table was cathartic. I realized how disorganized and cluttered I had become. Putting it in order felt great, and before I knew it, I had set up a "desk" for myself. The table had already moved from its center space to be flush against the window (left this way after some buffet meal, probably Christmas), so all I had to do arrange my things in an order that suited me. I dug out my desk set from my last job, created files, and did an inventory check on my supplies. I threw away all of the outdated and unnecessary papers (I have to remember to throw out theater programs - I must have found 10 of them), and put away anything I needed but wasn't using every day. After that, I added personal things like my iPod speaker, some fresh flowers, hand cream, and a cute souvenir that Olga brought me from her trip to Japan.
I love my new space! It's light, airy, faces the ocean and the trees, and I have a comfortable yet straight chair to sit in, and an actual surface to write on (no more writing on a hardcover book on my lap). It's amazing how much difference your workspace can make.
I have missed having a desk, and an office. That separation of work and home is very important to me, and I had let those lines blur. I can always take the laptop over to my beloved living room chair for some late-night surfing-while-watching TV (a terrible habit and time suck, don't do it), but I love thinking that I can shut it down and step away from it.
Today I started off my day answering emails, and then I checked in with Jen Lancaster's blog for a laugh and some writers' camaraderie. Her post on writers' block and procrastination made me laugh out loud.
It's not a conventional office, but it works for me. Come 5pm, you'll find me in the living room chair, probably with a glass of wine. Until then, I'll be at my desk.
