–Read my personal trip blog too: roadworkwriter.wordpress.com.
I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I probably will anyway. While I’m doing that, I want to make a point: Although we all have to work where our bosses want us to, it is possible to increase productivity when we choose where to work. Today, I chose to work in a coffee shop. Then, I used my iPad GPS to find a nearby park in Sugarland, Texas. In spite of the sign that encouraged me not to feed the alligators, I decided to cross the bridge from the parking lot and take my chances.
Boy, am I glad I did. It is sunny and nearly 70 degrees. (Compare that with the freezing temps and foot of snow in my hometown, Lincoln, Nebraska!). There are people all around me enjoying the weather, walking dogs and babies, relaxing and connecting with one another…and BREATHING. I haven’t seen one alligator, but the anticipation of maybe seeing one gives me a certain attitude that I like: a feeling of adventure.
Not everyone thrives on the unknown as much as I do, but I believe everyone can benefit from changing the scenery on a regular basis. It shakes up the status quo. If you end up back at status quo, then it’s a pretty strong status quo and should be respected. But shaking things up just as often leads people to new ideas and an increase in focus and energy.
If you work for a company that doesn’t allow field trips to the park, you might find a little adventure within the rules. Could you work from the break room? Maybe commandeer an empty cube for the afternoon, or find a stand-up space on the manufacturing floor to get you close to the source of your income. Try a storage room for total quiet or the retail floor for white noise. If you have an outdoor space that is allowable territory, could you sit on a bench with your laptop, as I am doing today, and find inspiration for a project you’re stuck on? It might help you get it finished faster if you don’t allow the novelty of the setting to distract you.
Even if you aren’t allowed to leave your desk, how could you create an adventure on the spot? Cover your desk surface with bright colored shelf paper (temporarily). Bring a unique drink and/or snacks one day. Listen to some music you don’t normally listen to. Use a crazy light-up pen. Take notes on something totally unexpected: the back of a photo, the inside of a deconstructed tissue box, pretty antique stationery. Sit sideways in your chair instead of frontways.
Or, trick yourself into thinking you could see an alligator any moment now.
