I love work spaces. It’s a serious business thing for me. Seriously serious.

A) If I’m not happy with my work space, especially how I feel when I’m in it, I’ll get nothing done. It will become my #1 excuse for getting zero shit done. And I’ve always been most productive when I’m really loving my set up.

B) I have basically an unhealthy obsession with office supplies, work spaces, stationery, organising tools, etc. I’ve spent an embarrasingly large amount of time day dreaming, planning, Googling elements of my most perfect workspace. And I love creeping in on other people’s work processes and office spaces. It’s especially cool to me. I am a nerd.

C) I’m super fickle and I can never predict when I’ll change my mind. I can’t even count how many times I’ve rearranged or re-ordered my desk area at home. And at work. And have wanted to do with other people’s work spaces.

I’ve been at a battle with my desk since I was like… 8 and got my first desk. But my latest work space battle has been with my part of Joel’s and my study. I’m pretty sure I only used the study about 20 times in 2015, and that’s being kind. And probably half of those times I was in there, rearranging it to make it more what I want. Even though I took borrowed Joel’s additional monitor so I’d have a dual set up, I spend most of the time working out in the lounge, working from the table or the couch (always in sweat pants, apparently).

 

This year, I’ve decided to use our study for working, and the lounge for lounging. And that meant making my work place an area that I want to go into. And not just a catch-all for things we haven’t put away yet or boxes from Christmas presents (hooray!) that we haven’t taken down to recycling. This room always ends up on the bottom of our priority list. So I made it a mission to get the study into fighting shape while I was on break from work.

I started with this:

By the end of day 1, I got this far:

And day 3 was all rearranging. Then I scored a $15 dollar shelf and a $10 calendar in Boxing day sales, and a free metal cart with drawers from the recycling area, and the room magically came together.

Day 4 ended with this.

Who knew all it would take is, switching the wall, a calendar, a cheap shelf and a piece of trash to make this a room I waaaaant to work in, that I want to hang out in.

I love having everything in its own space and at my finger tips, whereas before it was all stored in the closet or in and behind everything else and I’d lose track of it and it’d slip my mind. I’ve been in there almost every day working while I’ve been on break.

It’s fantastic. And I only spent $25.

Here’s to a productive 2016!