So many of you are working from home right now and have had to create new routines, new boundaries, and new expectations for how you, your partner, family, and coworkers will interact. Many of us are getting more comfortable with jumping on a Zoom call without makeup or having a child in our lap during a conference call.
My friends and family have shared photos of their quickly-put-together home offices. Some set-ups are more minimalist, like my brother’s whose ironing board has become the video conference comms center. Other spots are more ornate, like one of my friend’s, whose dining room has been decorated with candles stacked at different lengths, faux flowers, and zen statues to create a calm, strong vibe. During this process of creating our work-from-home space, we are realizing the power of our environments to influence our attitude and our creativity.
We like beauty. We like personality. We like surrounding ourselves with the things that inspire us.
How many of you are not looking forward to going back to your open-office cubeland post-Coronavirus?
Maybe this pandemic will inspire us to return to the ornate, wood-paneled individual offices of yore! More likely, working from home a couple days of week will become standard for information-based workers.
I have been working from my couch for the last few weeks as I’ve focused on the foundation of my new business and we’ve moved into the new apartment. There is a butt-sized dent where I have camped out most mornings to think and create!
I started to realize that my work-from-home environment – which is my likely forever work environment – was far less than ideal. I was physically cozy, ensconced in the corner of the couch, but I was mentally restless and uncomfortable. I migrated to the kitchen counter and treated it as my mid-afternoon standup desk. I wandered outside to the balcony and read for a bit. I converted the hallway bathroom into my podcast studio and recorded. I bunched up my pillows on my bed to get comfy for Zoom calls with my mentee and mentor. I was roaming the entire house trying to create and feeling caged and trapped and unable to do so.
Who knows why it took so long, but I finally realized it was time to create my space – my happy place to create, connect, and share with you. Yesterday, the desk and printer arrived, and we reorganized the large master bedroom to create the perfect nook for me to create. Within minutes I had put my favorite things out on the desk – a cactus, a frame, my whiteboard and pens, a garden herb and cucumber calendar, and California-themed coasters. My Values and Principles are taped to the window to serve as a constant reminder of where I want to head and how I want to lead.
Last night I did my first call from my desk and the creativity and ideas poured out of me. I took a breath, I closed my eyes, and I shared more about the world that I want to create – a world of hope, optimism, love, forgiveness, joy, creativity, passion, thoughtfulness, reflection, persistence, and curiosity. I felt as though I had created a space that reflected my desires and in turn the space inspired me to freely share everything that I desire without a filter. It was magical.
Our environment is so important. The physical spaces we create for ourselves in our homes and offices. The information we choose to consume on a daily basis. The context we decide to operate in in terms of industry, company, or cause. The people we chose to surround ourselves with – whether they connect to our higher self or drag us down.
What can you do today to create an environment that inspires you? That connects you back to your essence? Share what you’ve done to create your ideal work-from-home environment!