Personal experience tends to suggest that there is a strong connection between productivity and the atmosphere surrounding it. This is especially strong during creative processes requiring psychological dedication on a high level. Although I am quite new to the whole content creation and building up Ideagyzer, there are still some things that I have used in the creation of physical businesses which might be of help now. The reasoning behind the post is to guide you and me through the process of creating a professional sanctuary that can help you produce even more at lower inputs. Sounds nice? Lets go!
Setting and location
The first thing that comes to my mind before I built my sanctuary was where to put it? Conventional thinking will definitely come up with a workroom – the basic and most common personal workspace. Why personal – because it’s at home. But it does not make it a sanctuary. A sanctuary is a place where you can thrive and be happy in creation. You would have no distractions, or you would? It all depends on what you really find best motivates you to work. So before we go into depth lets clear one thing – there is no right or wrong way of doing it.
My situation
At home I had an empty child’s room that only served as storage and was full of dust. It had all the right “infrastructure” such as a desk and chair, some storage spaces and even a bed. What I really like is the large window and terrace. So facing real productivity issues I decided to make it not just my “workroom” but a place where I would like to work even more.
First thing I did was to clean it thoroughly. Not only for sanitary reasons, but also because once it has nothing in it I would get a feel for the room. Once that was done, I sort of left it as it is. The only thing I added was my Mac Air on the desk – just for the night. In the morning the whole setting looked extremely cool. The minimalist culture is something I find intriguing.
My tips for your professional sanctuary
Choosing a place you can imagine has everything to do with the PLACE. First of all start thinking about creating your sanctuary. Ideas will start to flow and so will the ideal characteristics. What really drives your productivity? What is your ideal work environment? What would you like it to feature once it is created? By answering these questions, you will not only analyse your current situation but also try to find solutions to improve it.
A suggestion that comes to mind is to not make a parallel between a sanctuary with a location. A location is only where you would create your sanctuary. Depending on your needs it might need to be a portable sanctuary, which can be deployed in nature, or in a cafe. So your personalisation would be the whole process of mobility. From packing and carrying around your essentials which let you produce more, to choosing a location in nature or a cafe, to actually spending the time there. Believe me, it does WORK! Just by looking for unconventional ways to improve your productivity you are thinking out of the box, so being creative in personalising your works space is just part of your every day life.
Functionality
Certainly your job requires specific tools to actually do it. So will the potential sanctuary be able to fulfill your needs. Whether it is high speed Internet, a place to put a desktop PC or a place for your books, set things straight from the beginning. The fields to look into are:
- Technology – Internet, computers, cables, lights
- Spatial functionality – rearranging space to fit functionality
- Spatial features – desk, chair, forms of storage
- Additional specific features based on your needs
Feel free to check out the following links about interesting storage and organisation ideas:
One of the basic challenges for me was the fact that I work a day job and carry my laptop around. My laptop is the primary tool that I use but I wanted to make it even more comfortable working in my professional sanctuary. The desktop PC turned out to be excellent for additional projects that I do, such as graphic design for Ideagyzer or working different analytics in large spreadsheets. Previously I had to move around the house to do work on both computers and now a major headache is gone.
Another functionality benefit was to begin collecting my literature in one place. I had not paid too much attention to the problem previously but a couple of times it made it hard to find titles. Now it is a thing of the past.
Personalisation
A personal professional sanctuary would not be personal unless you put your own touch. This is probably the best part of the whole creation process since the place becomes unique to your taste. You have the freedom to make it as nice as possible and the sky is the limit. Just some of the personalisation forms can be:
- Personal items of value
- Professional memorabilia
- All forms of art
Once the whole basic creation process was done the fun part came. First of all I brought some things of personal value. These included pictures, souvenirs from around the world, gifts and other. The second thing to come was, as I call them, professional memorabilia. Any certificate that you have received, any award or any item which is a result of your professional undertaking can come in this category. I would say that it does wonders because it is there to remind you that you have achieved something and admire it. All forms of art can also be added in the personalisation although I have yet to fill this category.
Final words
The more I write about the concept the more I feel the benefit. Doing this post inside my professional sanctuary has made it very fun and easy to do. Today I like working even more, I am more driven and motivated. We have yet to see the whole range of long-term benefits from having such a place, but one thing is for sure – things are going for the better!