Your Space
I saw a segment on the news this morning about personalizing work space. There was some study done somewhere (please excuse my lack of specifics), that said no more than 20% of the items on your desk should be personal items (photos, flowers, toys, etc.). There have even been offices that have taken measures to streamline the desks of their employees because they said too many personal items appear unprofessional. Personally, I agree. I look around my office and see desks with stuffed animals and toys from kids meals and stuff and it just looks trashy.
Anyhow, it’s kind of funny that they mention that story on the news because I have been thinking about my work space at home a lot lately.
The second room in our little house is supposed to be an office. It has a desk, a bookcase, and the necessary computer stuff. We’ve also minimized the amount of non-office related stuff that we put in there. That category consists of a bench and a cat tree.
Yet, everytime I’ve tried to write or do work in that office, it just doesn’t feel right to me. It lacks that feeling that I’ve had in every other work space I’ve developed (like in dorm rooms or offices). I still haven’t figured out what it is, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot.
What makes your work space ‘yours’? In other words, in order for you to work in a particular space, what needs to happen? (At home, at the office, or anywhere.)
If my computer is configured and customized the way I want, I feel pretty much at home. Aside from that, I have a framed photo of Evan and I, and that’s it. I like a clean look.
Yeah, I’m the guys they’re talking about with all of the stuff. I have Trotsky, the plastic glow-in-the-dark skull, a little yoda, a snoopy on a little doghouse, three juggling goslings, and more. But most of that is also on a shelf in my cubicle, with a few items on top of my computer monitors (no flat-screens for me). So none of it gets in my way while im working.