I love our new office space. I dislike my new office. Because of a variety of reasons, I am both separated from my team, and away from the noise and the chaos that energizes me. So I have found a second space from which to work. I have now taken up residence in our lobby on the big grey couch. I have traded my corner office at the Pru for a corner of the couch at 100 Summer.
For much of the last past week, I have spent a few hours of each day camped out on that enormous sectional. Using a pillow as my desk, and my legs typically spread out in front of me. It's exactly how I work at home, only I'm not in sweats.
And amazingly, it is having benefits I never expected. Not only have I become more accessible to people, but my productivity has gone way up. The accessibility piece is a no brainer. Sit in a centrally located people, and it's rude not to say hi to people and not have them say hi back. And while it's afforded me the opportunity to engage in a lot of conversations with people I typically talk to, I've had the chance to connect with a lot of new people too. Or people I just wouldn't normally chat with on a normal day. I typically have my finger on the pulse, but this week, I feel like it's been amped up to 11.
And then there is the side benefits to my colleagues. When the CEO has needed me, he has known where to find me…if I'm not in my office, I'm on the couch. So he then sits on the couch with me. BAM. I just made him instantly more accessible. Same for a number of my other colleagues. It's amazing how many impromptu group conversations started this week between senior and not-so-senior people just because of who stopped to chat with the girl camped out on the lobby couch.
The productivity thing struck me too, though. If I'm so busy having conversations, how can I get work done? Two ways. One, obviously, the knowledge I am gaining largely feeds my work. I have gleaned new insights and ideas from the conversations I have had. I am trying really hard not to turn around and start using the back wall behind my head as a whiteboard to capture them all. My real office still needs to have some purpose, and I do need to be respectful of our shared office space and keep some semblance of decorum.
I think the other piece is that I confirmed for myself that I need some white noise. I always have music playing in my office, or something going on in the background to keep me motivated and buzzing while I work. My new office is very quiet. Too quiet. So my couch space is centrally located in the heart of the chaos. I love that, and find I work and think better.
So now, for the foreseeable future, people who want to chat with me no longer need to work with my assistant to try to find time on my crazy calendar. They know I am free when they find me perched in my second office…in the corner of the 13th floor lobby couch.
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