Today I had to dig out my laptop from under a mound of magazines, books and filing. Then I had to rescue my chair from the spare room and climb under my desk to find my diary. As I sit here typing right now, my office is in turmoil – dusty bare shelves, piles of books on the floor, organisation abandoned halfway through.
Why am I in this mess? Well, I decided to redo my office, of course. I’ve got an index to finish by tomorrow, an essay to write for the MA, a book to finish editing by the 16th Jan – clearly it’s just the ideal time to strip out my office, take a trip to Ikea, and redecorate!
I’m a sucker for distraction exercises like this. It’s only when I’m totally snowed under with work that I’ll get the urge to empty the kitchen cupboards and reorganise every tin and plate. Is it crazy to make yourself even busier than you already are?
In a word, No. I think there’s a subconscious reason for this behaviour, and it’s actually quite helpful. By giving myself a pressing and constructive task to complete (redoing my office), I’m giving myself a ready-made excuse to take regular breaks from work. A change is as good as a rest, they say, and the physical demands of decorating, putting together a new filing cabinet, or reorganising books, is a nice rest from writing and indexing. Far from being a self-sabotager, my subconscious is really trying to help me out!
Of course, it’s more problematic to work in the middle of a load of mess, but again there’s a hidden benefit to this – it stops you getting stale. You can’t just sit down at the same old desk with the same old surroundings and churn out the same old stuff. Plus I get to see more of my family while my office is in chaos, decamping to the dining room table with my laptop and files. And at the end of it all? A lovely new work space to inspire me. Win, win, win.
While I’m on the topic of my office, I went to Ikea with the image in my mind of going totally white – a completely restful white-out space to escape to. I came home with a bright orange linen cupboard, a bright green desk, and multi-coloured cushions for my day bed! When it’s finished I’ll film it for my next vlog post – make sure you sign up for that
So, the next time someone accuses you of procrastinating by taking on an apparently distracting task, tell them your subconscious is actually helping you out. And then tell them to butt out. As if you haven’t got enough to do!
I suffer from this all the time …. sometimes it is too distracting
I feel your pain. Sometimes (like now) I just have so much work to do that I feel that I have to do something else, something not related. It’s annoying as it means the immediate job gets completed slowly, but the other job is something I would have had to do anyway, so it’s helpful in the long run.
I think my subconscious gets in the way often.
Happy New Year!
You can come and distract yourself over here if you want! Actually I’m doing a smaller version of a similar thing, having a tidy and a clear out of my office space and it’s all with the point of starting to work more productively. Hoping it works for both of us!
I totally identify with this! The more I have to do the more distractions I actively seek out….after nearly 51 years I probably won’t change! Mind you, it’s always good to have a blitz and tidy your work space. Throwing stuff out is therapeutic and allows ideas to flood in – and you also stumble across forgotten post-its and notebooks that you can utilise for stories. I’ve just had a mega shredding session and clear out. btw bright colours are brilliant – especially orange!
Not always necessary to go out and buy new stuff either (though I’m always glad of the excuse to go to Ikea) – I’m constantly rearranging the furniture, to the point of having googled it on the internet to see whether it’s a medically recognised condition! Always refreshing though! My accent colour in my study is red. Brights like these are meant to make you do everything faster, that’s why they always have them in fast food restaurants – to make you eat fast and move on, making way for more customers. Hope the orange and lime get those words flowing, Jo!
I agree that sometimes you just need to do something other than the work you’re meant to be doing. When I’m feeling overwhelmed at work, I like to tidy my desk, sort through the in-tray etc. Once I’ve done that & made a list of jobs to be done, I feel calmer. It may take half an hour but it’s time well-spent. I don’t have the chance to redecorate though, I just add to the wall near my desk where I’ve put up postcards, pictures from old diaries etc. We’re moving to a new office soon so I’ll have the chance to rearrange it all there.
Can’t wait to see it Jo, I’m so jealous!
Xx
Yes, please include the new purchases in your next video.
I am indulging in writing distraction as we speak… then I’ll do a few more minutes work… then probably pack the Christmas decorations away