How a Silly Black Wooden Table Changed My Life

I’m writing these words in the spare room of our apartment. I set my desk in one of the corners — a silly black Ikea table that doesn’t even have storage — along with a comfy chair to sit on.

I’ve got a power strip, a lamp, my little cactus, and a few notebooks. That’s it.

That’s nothing fancy. But that’s my space. My space, where I lock myself in every morning to write.

And I’ll tell you something.

Having a desk to sit at and a door I can close has changed everything.

A little context

Every morning, I work from home. I add 2,000 words to the first draft of my book, then I work on my other projects. When I’m done, I get dressed and head to my day job. In the evenings and on weekends, I edit photos and write some more.

Before setting up a home office, I was doing all this at the kitchen table. I would sit on an uncomfortable wooden stool, distracted by the life around me, and migrate to the couch when my butt hurt, where I would sit in a position anything but appropriate for serious work.

I felt like I wasn’t working. Constantly scratching the surface of things because I couldn’t stay focused for long.

Here are 7 reasons why you should get yourself a home office too.

1. Sitting there every morning is part of the routine

Having a routine is important. It’s what puts you in the right frame of mind to do your work.

Every morning, after I’ve had breakfast, brushed my teeth, and changed into my work clothes — a big sweater and sweatpants — I go into my office, turn on the heater, close the door and sit down.

I’m at work.

It’s serious.

And I don’t come out until I’m done.

2. Your workspace is separate from your play space

Working from home often means mixing things up.

Except that it’s not healthy. Your mind needs to know when to be on and when to be off, and separating spaces is helpful for that.

When I’m in my office, I’m working. When I’m away, I’m resting.

Simple.

3. You can invest the space as you wish

When you live on your own, the whole apartment is your space.

But when you share your home, it’s especially good to have an office because that room, or just that corner of the room in my case, becomes your space.

You can put whatever you want in it. Arrange it however you want. Leave it as tidy or as messy as you like. Hang your post-its on the wall. Put the softest light you can find.

It’s all yours. And it feels good.

4. You can leave your stuff there

Every time I sat down at the kitchen table, I had to set up my computer, my cables, get out my notebooks and pencils. Then, when I was done, I would move everything out of the way again.

What a loss of time!

Now everything is permanently on my desk. Things have found their place. I just have to sit down and get to work.

5. You can isolate yourself

When you’re job is writing, you need an unbroken thread of concentration for the simple reason that the longer you concentrate, the deeper you go.

And the deeper you go, the better the work you produce.

When I close the door, the noises in the apartment get muffled. I put the outside world at the door and enter my inner world.

I am in a bubble. Since I’ve got a home office, I am more productive and more satisfied with the work I do.

6. People understand that working at home equals working (for real!)

The closed-door means “I’m working”. It looks more serious than someone perched on the kitchen table.

Because I work from home, people think that I don’t work. When they need a ride or a favor during working hours, they ask me. After all, I’m half-free!

Well, I’m not.

I’m in the office. I’m busy.

Now, people knock on my door when they need to talk to me. Even though I never made it a rule. That’s funny.

7. You can write like Stephen King

Stephen King said:

“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out.”

If you don’t have a door, you can’t close it nor open it.

Final thoughts

It doesn’t have to be a big L-shaped desk with lots of wooden drawers, three screens, and a bay window overlooking Manhattan.

A simple table tucked in the corner with a not too uncomfortable chair and a nearby power outlet does the job.

And it changes your working life in ways you can’t imagine.