I set up my desk facing a blank wall for two years because I thought it was 'professional'

I was working on a big project for a client in Chicago and hit a huge creative block. My friend came over and pointed out my window had a great view of a park, but my back was to it. She literally said, 'You're staring at paint while the world is right there.' I moved my desk that afternoon and the difference in my mood and focus was instant. Has anyone else made a simple change to their view that helped a lot?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelamurphy4d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my buddy who worked from his tiny apartment. His desk was shoved in a dark corner facing a closet door, and he was always so grumpy about work. I finally asked him why he didn't sit by the window, and he said he thought he needed to "avoid distractions." He swapped it around to look outside, nothing fancy, just the street, and he said it was like a fog lifted. He stopped feeling so closed in all day.

jennybailey4d ago

My old office in Seattle had a similar setup. I thought facing the door was the "right" way, but it just made me jumpy. Flipping my desk to face the window was a total game changer for my focus.

henry_anderson544d ago

My last office had me staring at a beige wall for eight months straight. I started naming the paint chips, like "Dusty Blob" and "Sad Toast." When I finally got a window spot, it felt like getting out of jail. I bet @jennybailey knows the exact feeling, that first day you realize you can watch a cloud instead of a door. Productivity went way up just from having something real to rest my eyes on between tasks.