Office Space. You may think you don't need it, and even if you know you do, if it's in your home, are you really going to use it?
Do you see this immaculate room? The chic black desk in the corner, artwork and photography I enjoy, a cozy nook where I can while away the hours, freelancing and writing to my heart’s content?
Yeah, no.
Given thirty minutes during twin-awake time and that room is a mess, bombarded with popped balloons, old flashlights and rubber blocks. The neat stack of bills-to-be-paid strewn across the floor, some of them lost forever, I’m sure. Juice spills, pretzel droppings and accidental popsicle stains would tarnish the atmosphere, leaving it unrecognizable, turning my precious workspace into yet another toddler playroom.
My solution? I don’t go in there. The door remains shut, the desk sits unused. Meanwhile, I wonder why my back is always hurting, and I can’t pay attention to my work.
Perhaps it’s because you can usually find me typing away from my couch while the girls play. Even when they go down for a nap, I don’t venture up the stairs. I’d have to drag my laptop and charger up there, and there’s a good chance my footsteps creaking on the floorboards would wake them up. Not worth the risk.
My idyllic space, wasted. That’s the problem with most home offices. If you have young ones about, they make it theirs, and who can get anything done with a million demands lining up?
“Mama, get me my Bean.”
“Mama, I need Cheez Its.”
“Mama, SHE’S TOUCHING ME!”
Toddler wailing should not intrude upon your workspace. It’s too hard to deal with. When I walk into my office, first off, I want to use it. Secondly, I want to use it alone. It’s so important to have your own sectioned-off space, where you can muse and get your work done in peace. If left in blissful adult silence, you’ll be amazed at how much faster you can settle into task, and how much more quickly that work actually gets done.
The best way to go about it? Move the office out of the house. Seriously. Even in a remote upstairs room, I can still hear the dryer beep, I can still worry about dinner, and I find myself ever nervous as to what is going on in the other rooms. I am still involved in the home. With half of myself distracted like that, it’s no wonder I never finish anything.
My own office space. Hmm. I should look into that.
I was wondering about those pictures! They're very pretty. It looks like a nice space to work in. It also looks like the sort of place that sends out a frequency that only children and small animals can hear: "Destroy! DESTROY!"
ReplyDelete(Hang in there. Soon, the girls will be old enough that you can remind them to stay out while you work...well, most of the time.)
For me, you can build an office room even half the size of your room so that you won't be interrupted from your job. But if you don't have enough money for that, you can also rent a small one near your house.
ReplyDelete