The Workstation: A Reflection on My Work-From-Home Life

I am a writer. Sometimes my workstation is the local coffee shop, where I look for a little inspiration (or better cup of coffee than I can perk). Other times I take a pad of paper and my camera with me when I go out on location to capture a story. Most often I drop my children off at school and head right back home to plunk in front of my laptop and tap away at the day’s assignments in my home office.

Such is life.

A Hard Look at my Workstation

The year has rolled over to 2014 though and that usually has me in mind of changes. I am not a big resolution girl, but I do try to take a look at my life and set some loose goals for the year. Sometimes that requires paint. Other times I have internally worshipped at Cupid’s door. One year my goal was to take my writing career a little more seriously. That got me this little corner of my living room to call my own. My workstation legitimized me in such an amazing way and was infinitely the best resolution I have come up with by far.

In looking at my “office” right now though, I have to wonder how seriously I still take this writing gig. I mean, I can hardly see the surface of my desk! What’s underneath that precarious pile on the corner anyway? Hmm, clay, a book I just finished, pictures, and a course guide for continuing studies.

Hard question now. Does it have to be there?

Okay, not so hard I guess, because the answer of course is “no”. So why is it? Uh, a decided fault in my housekeeper’s abilities? Um, that would be me. Shoot. Yes, there is no excuse. My children drop stuff off, I put off filing, or I don’t have a proper home for things. All lame answers as to why I am drowning in stuff I don’t need cluttering up my desk.

A clean space equals an open mind, right? Well, how is creativity going to find me amongst the tape, cords, slips of random paper, and whatever else gets left on my work surface every day? I think it is time to put my office back on the resolution list. Time to purge, organize, clean, and declutter. Think professional my dear. You are trying to be one!

What does your workstation look like? Are you organized, half-hazard or without a dedicated home for your creativity to flair? What works best for YOU?