Switching Up Your Workspace to Unlock New Thoughts/Ideas
WORKSPACE & PRODUCTIVITY
In your eyes, what’s more important for your work or creative output? Is it a dedicated workspace? Is it based on the way you feel? Let’s say you wake up hella lethargic. Are you fucked for the rest of the day, doomed by the lack of sleep and unable to think clearly? Or perhaps your office chair has an annoying creaking noise that the most powerful WD-40 couldn’t fix?
I’ve teetered back and forth on this subject. In the height of the pandemic, I adopted the mindset that consistent creative output stems from a mindset, not a workspace. Options were somewhat limited in my first Rona Getaway, so I had to make use of what I had. While my opinion has fluctuated, to some degree, I still have a foot in that school of thought. Upon reflection, what else could I have done during that time? Creation provided an escape from reality and time to focus on something with an outcome I could control. However, as time progressed and the familiar sights & sounds became repetitive; monotony set in. That tedium is the killer to any creative drive, and it’s always at this point where you’ll need to make a change. Otherwise, the consistency becomes complacency.
We are creatures of habit, so changing your surroundings can be daunting. You’ve invested capital – time, energy, and money – into your workspace over the last year, so the thought of uprooting and working elsewhere seems borderline irresponsible. I’m not going to sit here and write out the definition of insanity, but when you’ve got the brick wall in front of you, you’re going to have to be a little more intuitive to break through. Start small. Ride into the kitchen.
Shaking up the theoretical snow globe that is your workspace is not mutually exclusive to creative fields. Take Barry for instance. My man is absolutely crushing spreadsheets like an evil game of whack-a-mole. It’s good to have your head down and grind through, but eventually, you’ll start to notice all the cracks in the desk or chipped paint on the wall. By moving the space, you’re making a conscious effort to think differently. That change of scenery will most definitely lead to diverse thought. Now, instead of the scene you watch each day out your window, you observe the lack of art in your dining room. Am I projecting? Yeah, for sure, but what could this thought lead me to?
Blank walls = clean slate. Now the gears are turning.
I’ve made the choice to move spaces to write this article to get over writer’s block. The surroundings have led to new and interesting thoughts. Headphones in as a homie preps a smoothie. A canvas print that is a centimeter askew. Need to replace a Glade plug-in. Issues or thought starters? The plug-in makes me think about replacing a piece of tech that will enhance our TTS video quality. The off-kilter print makes me think about taking personal inventory of things that dominate my time. How can I be more efficient with the non-negotiables to free myself up for later? The whirring sound of the NutriBullet pureeing fruits is reminiscent of the coffee shops I used to frequent. What were some of the breakthroughs I experienced at those random holes in the wall back in the day?
Revelations at our dedicated workspaces come sporadically. When you’re in a groove, you don’t even realize it. You just create, grind, write, crunch, call, and repeat. Once that train comes to a halt, think of ways you can add coal to the fire. Sometimes, all it takes is switching up the tracks and going a different route. Many lead to the same destination, so which path will you take?
About The Series
Sometimes you gotta set your own deadlines to get where you wanna go. 15 articles for 15 weeks, all randomly selected until we reach the last. Maybe then I’ll form the habit? Each week selected and announced through TikTok if anyone cares.
Graham Olney
Graham is the host of Tough To Say (sorry, Barry). In hopes of forming better writing habits, he’s committing to a 15 week self-imposed program to sharpen the skills.