Making the most of your creative space

Today I am writing the blog from the Crown towers in Perth. I have a beautiful view of the water and the city. The main room has a relaxing chaise lounge, the most luxurious bed with overlarge puffy pillows, a table and some chairs. When I am reading I can recline on the chaise, while working on the laptop I am at the table with a beautiful view every time I look up from the screen. To support my work requirements, I have my laptop bag and another bag with supporting documents. Do I really need anything else?

view from the crown towers

This will work for the weekend, but doesn't hold up long term. To start with I don't have access to all of my reference books. I have a remarkable and have tried to transition into using it on a regular basis, but still have heaps of notebooks everywhere around my desk. I am working off a single screen! For one who is used to working with multiple screens you will understand my limitations with one screen.

When I am at home everything is on hand and close by. I have bookshelves that are separated into different categories. Motivation quotes and posters around the walls. two additional screens to attach to the laptop to and my treasures. For me, the way I have everything sorted out makes me feel comfortable and at ease as soon as I sit at the desk. It can be rather distracting if it is out of order, but I tend to make it semi-tidy at the end of every day.

Alternatively, there is a bar that I use for a standing writing desk and the caravan when we are travelling or visiting the city. These are similar to working from the hotel. They only have temporary supplies and the bulk of everything is left in the main office. So how can I make the most of my creative space? What are the minimum requirements to get the work done.

Basic Travel office needs

To start will I need my laptop and phone for internet. All of my work is completed on these delightful technological wonders. I have a diary and one of my favourite pens that I use on a daily basis alongside a weekly planner. This is where the majority of my to do lists and scheduling is written down. My Kindle to access the digital version of my books. I also have a remarkable for notes that I want to scribble down throughout the day which saves having loose paper when travelling. I am still getting used to this.

Bonus travelling office supplies

Tea and a travel mug. That goes without saying. I run on Tea more than anything else. Headphones for when I am working on the podcast. The last thing that hubby wanted to hear is the same sentence 5 times as I remove the breath sounds and any filler words or sounds. Scribble note pad and pen when I am looking to brainstorm and it is not something that I need to keep. I need to start transitioning this onto the Remarkable, but it is going to take some time for me to adjust to the regular utilisation of this tech.

Bringing it all together.

Before you are heading away from the home think of what you are going to be doing in your travelling office. Will you need to have a specific reference guide for the tasks you will be working on? Will you be watching videos to complete courses, or listening to audio? I tend to have a rough plan of what I want to do when I am out depending on the time frame. If it is just for a stint down the café to get some clickity clack done, then all I need is my tablet. If I need to do a full day, then all the things that I have listed above are pretty standard. It is nice to change the scenery every now and then, but there is nothing like working from home.

Another thing to think about

There is a well known saying that goes something like, you can't solve a problem in the place that it was created in. There are a few different iterations. But when I was completing my life coach training we spent a significant amount of time looking at the impact of location. It is more than the things that you bring with you. It is the energy of the room. It is the way that the light hits the screen. The smell and the temperature. The more time that you spend in one location it is like you leave little sparks of memory. It starts subconsciously. Over time it creeps closer to the conscious mind.

So when you change the location of work, it is a fresh start. You are looking at the problem with fresh eyes. A fresh outlook with fresh solutions on the horizon.

As we are currently experiencing the Autumnal shift in the weather outside. Maybe it is worth considering a seasonal shift in your work space. A natural adjustment in preparation for the incoming winter. Because as we all know.

Winter is coming.