My Best Ideas Never Occurred To Me When Sitting In Front Of A Desk…
… However My Lockdown Experience Quickly Turned This Upside Down.
I’ve been a freelance writer since 2016. My very first project landed in my inbox on a Tuesday afternoon, Subject: Mukhwaas (mouth freshner).
I was more than excited and told the owner of the brand how excited I was within two minutes of receiving her email. Since then, as her tagline goes, it’s been ‘Mukhwaas & More’ for me.
From a creative writer, I transitioned into a content creator and soon, a social media and marketing manager. I was fortunate to work with a great team in Mumbai, who trusted a freelance writer who lived in another city.
All this time, my desk spaces have been constantly changing; and it was perfect. If one cafe didn’t give me the inspiration I need, I packed up and moved on to the next.
I’ve spent hours with black coffee and sangria and found my muse in buttery garlic bread.
Servers across Pune began recognising me as The Girl with the Orange Laptop.
And then just like that, the lockdown began. My hours of café hopping and garlic bread eating came to an end. I found myself sitting in one place.
Every. Single. Day.
Chapter 2
The first few weeks, months, it was great- I could finish when I wanted, start when I felt like it and took breaks as long as I fancied. All while wearing my comfiest clothes.
However, I quickly realised that I had no system, and now I had all this free time to spend swirling down the YouTube rabbit hole. I got caught watching videos like, why I need an App to be my Second Brain, not even joking about this one, and many (many x 10000) more that told me how to be more creative, productive and efficient with my life, my laptop, my phone apps, my husband, my walks, my free-time,… the list is endless.
Guilt began creeping in, when I would spend hours watching (read: bingeing) Naruto (greatest show on Earth) instead of learning new tips to ‘Trick My Brain Into Being More Productive’.
Thankfully, before I began downloading all these apps and trying to re-wire my brain, I figured that there was indeed no system better than our good-ol’ pen & paper.
Yup.
Preparation is Everything — that’s true, though it is essential to remember that Life, in all her glory, doesn’t have an App to help her be more efficient. She is crazy, messy and she loves it. If there’s one thing that this lockdown has taught me, it’s to accommodate and adjust to Life’s daily (hourly) moods.
Instead of café hopping, I began hopping within my own home. I found new places to work- sometimes it was by my window, sitting cross-legged on the floor, at times it was within the comfort of my bed, somewhere in this I remember even trying to sit out in the balcony on my yoga mat. This, I wouldn’t recommend to those who believe cats to be their spirit animals, as I found myself fast asleep within ten minutes.
I took breaks, regularly. It’s so easy to find ourselves stuck in front of the laptop, that as a close friend of ours jokes, “You’re never going to have babies because your husband always has his lap occupied!” Instead of working for seven hours straight, I stop every hour and read a chapter, listen to music, go find my husband to annoy, or even do some meditation (more on this later).
Being creative is a big part of my job description (and sanity). While at first it was my surroundings that I was dependent upon, now it is something much more- it’s me. I’ve spent days, weeks, trying to find inspiration within my self. How I choose to spend my free time is how I mould my thoughts for work or even these blogs.
So that’s what I did, I got creative with my work space. I pushed the thought out of my head that I simply can’t work from one space and I did just that. I transformed my work space- I surrounded myself with the perfumes I write about, with photos I look great in, one from a trip with family, and one from my wedding. I keep a BIG bottle of water close to me, along with two books (one fiction, one non-fiction), my tiny speaker for music, my iPad just in case I feel like a quick sketch or game of Ludo (it’s usually the latter) and my big bottle of Vaseline cocoa butter body lotion (don’t get ideas).
Chapter 3
My point in all of this is that it pays to make your workspace as comfortable and equipped as can be so you can work more effectively with a few unnecessary distractions.
If you’re going to work at home, you might as well make it the best possible experience. Prepping your home office for anything life throws at you will help transform your space into a place you genuinely love.
The End.
Psst, follow my Pinterest Board, Work Space Goals for drool-worthy desk ideas.
