Day 23 is all about our environment, which I honestly think should be way earlier in the program, but since it’s not my challenge I can’t really complain all that much.
For me, my environment is a HUGE, MASSIVE, GINORMAOUS factor into my mood and overall productivity. I can deal with messes for only so long. Loud, distracting noises frustrate me and pull me away from the tasks I’m trying to get done. Since I’m a visual person, movement and colors can also affect me.
I know… I sound super finicky, but if you want me to get work done, then leave me alone and let me do it. It’s one of the reasons I always have headphones on, creating my own little bubble of solitude.
The homework for today is to write about an area or environment you plan to improve to boost your productivity juju, and to talk about the environment you create your to-do list in.
Essentially the spot you chose for your to-do list making is your command central. It’s where you plan and structure the rest of your day. It’s where all of the magic happens. So does that place have the juju you need?
Since I just moved I have the benefit (chore) of starting from scratch with my ‘office’ area. I refer to this area as Home Base.
While I lived with Joshua I really didn’t have a very good work area at home. It was alright, but it just didn’t have that ‘vibe’ that I needed it to have to really ‘want’ to work. I didn’t have an actual computer chair, so it was uncomfortable to sit for longer periods of time at home. It didn’t help that he never ran the AC so the room was usually on the warmer side… Just not all that fun of an environment.
I love my setup now, though. My computer desk is where I do pretty much everything. It’s one of my safe spaces. And it’s purely mine. All mine. Seriously, if I let you sit in my ‘work’ area you know you’re special and part of my inner circle.
This meme pretty much sums up how I feel about ‘my’ areas.
I take a lot of pride in ‘my’ areas. I’ve developed them over the years. I know how I like things organized and what things I like having around me.
If it’s hard to plug my laptop charger in then there’s bad juju. Even that small, trivial thing can be a road block to productivity, especially on bad days where I’m already having to fight through some sort of emotional stress, or just tiredness in general. The harder it is to start, the less likely it’s going to happen. Why make things hard?
Not having pens or paper near me can break my workflow and derail the productivity train, too. Again, something super small, but can have major side affects.
It’s not like I instantly knew or had the perfect work environment. Far from it actually. But I’ve messed up enough times to know what I like and why I like it that way. My environments work for me, and at the end of the day that’s all I really need. My space is for me, not someone else. Get your own computer desk if you want to change something.
I feel like I have three main places where I ‘work’. So I’m going to talk about all three of them, not just Home Base. : D
Home Base
My little corner of awesome. < 3
Currently I need to get some Velcro to keep one of the power chargers stationary on my desk (again that whole being able to plug my chargers in easily thing…). I also need to get a shelf to keep my pens and stuff.
Hanging my cork board is another huge thing that needs to happen. I keep all of my inspirational reminders on it. Cards from my mom, artwork from students, mementos from rock climbing and paint-balling. Awards from work. I’m sure when I get my certificates from my belt tests they will go there, too.
These are my reminders about life. That I’m more than work, and that my work is going towards something other than a paycheck. I have these reminders in front of me always. Reminders of the people who love and care for me and make life worth living.
Work Base
The second area would be the area I’ve picked out for myself at work. It’s not really ‘my’ desk since it’s a communal area. But since no one goes there I’ve started thinking of it as mine. I even have a case of water in the corner of the desk for when I work there, so I don’t have to get up all the time to have something to drink.
That’s actually a huge thing for me. If I don’t have a water bottle or some drink near me I’m most likely not going to get much done.
I need to get a power cord so I don’t have to crawl around on the ground to plug the laptop in. Always that stupid laptop causing issues… Lame…
But overall I like how that area is set up. I might get a mini cork board for additional inspirational messages. Still debating that idea. I like the way it feels inside my head, though. Another added personal touch to make the area feel more like mine; like I belong there.
Bar Base
The last place would be my sports bar. It’s where I do my budgeting and bill paying. It’s where I figure out my weekends. It’s my break from work. My Friday lunch away form the office and students and coworkers. Just me, being a normal introverted person, sitting on my laptop out in public totally ignoring the rest of the world…
Ok, so maybe that’s not so normal, but I love it. I get awesome food. I have a never ending supply of water. I always have the same awesome server, and it’s something I look forward to. It’s my reward for making it through the week. I’m left alone to take care of what I need / want to.
Could I do my bill stuff at either of my other bases? Yeah, most likely. It would be cheaper I’m sure, but I don’t want to. I like my routines, and I like how the environments are set up to help me get my tasks done.
So those are my areas, and how I plan on improving them to become an even more powerful productively beast. Yep… going from the Earth Dragon Who Could to The Earth Dragon Who Did.
Off and away I go to demolish that to-do list I just made.