Working in Unusual Places

Working in Unusual(ˌənˈyo͞oZH(o͞o)əl) Places

By Steve Pavlina

I recently read that Malcolm(ˈmalkəm) Gladwell wrote most of his book Blink while away from his desk. He wrote at coffee(ˈkäfē,ˈkôfē) shops, restaurants, and other public places.

I’ve only done a little of this myself, but I’ve always found it a valuable practice. If I feel stuck(stək) in a creative(krēˈādiv) rut(rət), working in a public place is a great way to get new ideas flowing(ˈflōiNG).

…

Oddly(ˈädlē) it’s sometimes easier to concentrate(ˈkänsənˌtrāt) when I’m surrounded by distractions(dəˈstrakSH(ə)n). I think the reason is that I know they’re distractions, so I can tune(t(y)o͞on) them out more easily. But in my home office, I’m surrounded by unconscious(ˌənˈkänSHəs) distractions — the kinds of things that seem important but aren’t. When you go out and leave your computer and internet connection behind, you can’t succumb(səˈkəm) to routine distractions as easily. If you bring only one kind of work with you, like a pen and paper for brainstorming(ˈbrānˌstôrm), you can’t easily kid yourself that you’re working when you aren’t. You can’t simply claim(klām) to be working merely(ˈmi(ə)rlē) because you’re at the office. The line between working and not working becomes much sharper(ˈSHärpər).

Try spending at least a half day away from your usual work environment. Walk around, eat at interesting places, and just sit for a while. Change your scenery(ˈsēn(ə)rē) often. Bring some simple work where you can carry all the materials(məˈti(ə)rēəl) in your pocket(ˈpäkət), like a pen and paper for brainstorming.

If you can’t take the time away from your office to do this, then do it for yourself on one of your days off. Take a list of decisions(dəˈsiZHən) you need to make, and consider them one by one as you walk. Set some new goals. Write a personal mission(ˈmiSHən) statement.

Great ideas don’t always come knocking(näk) on your office door. A day outside can help scramble(ˈskrambəl) those stale(stāl) inputs and get your creative juices(jo͞os) flowing again.

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/06/working-in-unusual-places/