Monday, August 26, 2013

The Five Benefits of an Office

Last week was swamped. My daughter Ariel moved out. And after we settled her in her apartment, I turned her bedroom into my office. Yeah, I know, I probably should have waited a week or two so it didn't seem like I was eager for her to move out.

The truth is that I’m really excited that she’s moving to the next phase of her life…and hey, I’ve never had an office before. The most I’ve ever had is a writing nook, a section of kitchen counter and a chair. Don’t get me wrong, it was great. It taught me to focus. You can really get a lot done when you learn to tune out the “Mom, we have nothing to eat.”

But having an office is awesome. Here are the top five benefits.

1. No distractions. The microwave isn’t running. I can’t see a pile of dishes that need to be washed. And did I mention that no one is complaining that we have nothing to eat.

2. A couch of my very own. What can I say? I lounge when I write, and I don’t have to nudge hairy teenage legs off my space.

3. Room for papers. There’s nothing as frustrating as editing when you can’t leave your stuff out for fear of getting food spilled on it. Or worse, having your pages knocked on the floor and only when you pick them up do you realize that none of the 250 pages have been numbered.

4. A bathroom. Ariel’s bedroom has an attached bathroom, which she zealously guarded from the boys. Now I see why. I love my boys, but now I don’t have to bang on the door and say, “Hurry up—we have to leave in five minutes and I haven’t done my hair or put on makeup.”

5. Security. No bored child decides to hack my computer password and insert random phrases in my novels. No longer will I snort coffee through my nose when I’m editing and read, “Mark put on a skirt and did the conga” or “Mark was so hungry he ate dirt, twigs, and pond scum—hey, mom, could you buy some good snack food?” On the other hand, I won’t find “I love you, Mom!” insert into my texts either. Hmm. Maybe I should have waited on the office.

Here's a photo.



10 comments:

  1. LOVE the rolltop desk. Have fun in your new space!

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  2. Love how your office looks. Envious of the desk. :-)

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  3. My kids tease that I'm the original for the commercial that shows a mom decorating her teen's room before his car has left the driveway, headed for college. I loved having all the kids home...and I loved moving into "their" space when they left :>) It's exciting to see them grow up and face the world. Their independence shows you've done a good job as a parent.

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  4. Lovely! Congrats on your daughter having her own place and you having your own writing space too!

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  5. Your office looks charming. I love spaces like these, makes working more exciting :)

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  6. Congratulations on your office! It is absolutely gorgeous.

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  7. I can picture it. Much more creative environment. Keep writing all that good stuff.

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  8. That's a very nice office. Are you thinking of having bookshelves or wooden file drawers installed?

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  9. Your office is nice, and the fact that it has its own bathroom is SWEET. I'm sure Ariel will understand why you had to take it over. :)

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  10. Look at all that light! What a lovely place to write. I'm so excited that I found your blog. Wishing the best to your daughter, but I would have totally done the same thing. New beginnings are great!

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