Change Your Scenery

November 2020 — Tip of the Month

Feeling burnt out? Have writer's block? Not feeling motivated? A change of scenery may be the cure.

Taking a break and cleaning up your workspace are helpful ways to stay motivated, but sometimes you just need to get away. This was true before the pandemic, but it's especially true when you're stuck in a home office all day, every day.

Even if you can't leave the house, moving to another room can be surprisingly refreshing. Different lighting and a different atmosphere can inspire new ideas. Is your home office small and cramped? An open area like the kitchen or living room might feel like a completely different location. Is your usual workspace wide open with lots of windows? A smaller workspace might help you focus.

If possible, it's great to get out of the house and try a new location. Examples include coffee shops, shared workspaces, and restaurants. Bartenders are now accustomed to late-night patrons grabbing a drink while they do some evening work. If you really want to change things up, try working outside.

Of course, moving from one location to another requires that you have a mobile device like a laptop or tablet. If your preferred workstation is a desktop computer (I can relate), it may be worth investing in an inexpensive laptop to do remote work. My 2012 MacBook Pro is over eight years old and it still works great for writing articles from coffee shops — like this one.

- Per Christensson