It Really Does Matter Where You Put The Desk

You may, or may not, remember that I had a wee bit of an issue deciding where to put my desk. Although the Palatial Horvath Estate is indeed grand, there are a limited number of desk locations.

As I said in my original post, it shouldn’t matter where the desk is, logically speaking. After all, if I have a wireless router, I can work anywhere. And yet I’ve found that moving the desk made a big difference in my productivity.

When I first moved into the Palatial Horvath Estate, I put my desk in my bedroom because it was convenient. That didn’t work well. It was hard to view my desk as my business space when it was there. I also think it reminded me too much of when I was young and hiding in my bedroom. At this point in my life, I find myself unwilling to hide.

I moved my desk to my spare room. Although in theory it was a good idea to turn the spare room into an office, this did not work for me in practice. In my house, the spare room is that – extra. It’s basically a storage shed I don’t have to walk outside to get to. There are times (like now) when I can hardly get through it. Having the desk there seemed to indicate that I did not respect my writing, and that it was not important or central.

Finally, a few weeks after my original blog post, I gave up and moved the desk to my main living space. I thought it would be good because it’s the biggest, brightest room in the house. But now I find that having my desk there gives it pride of place. It says to me, and to the people who come to visit, that this piece of furniture represents a vital part of my life. Having it there, in my main living area, also reminds me that I consider it important. Since I moved it, my productivity has increased. More importantly, when I see it I think – “This is what I do. This is who I am.”

I realize this is not an ideal situation for every writer. First, I’m a piler, not a filer, so I work better when things are out in the open. I also have a huge advantage because I’m single and live alone. Writers (or other creative people) living with others need to find a place where they can be themselves. For me, the whole house is my personal space.

However you do it, you need a place where your creative endeavor can bloom. Because it is important. And it should not be buried.

Just like Goldilocks, it might take a few tries to find the space that’s just right.