Thoughts on Creating Productive Space

Does your physical environment impact your productivity?  Does clutter matter?  What about noise, light, and the presence of other people?  I think a year ago I would have said these were unimportant things.  Now, I think I've learned differently.

As I blogged about a while ago, my hubby and I are in the process of downsizing our lifestyle from a big house in the country into a small apartment in the city. We've finished our top-to-bottom remodel of the house, and because my office is in my home, these last two months have been difficult.  Why?

1. It's hard to be productive when you might be interrupted at any moment by a question about what color door hinges you need.
2. It's hard to stay focused when your office is half dismantled, covered in dust, or being moved from room to room on a frequent basis.
3. You lose energy when you don't get enough sleep or down time.
4. It becomes difficult to complete simple tasks when things you need (a book, your scissors) are packed away out of reach.

Yes, I know these are not world-rocking revelations here.  But it got me thinking about this idea of productive space.  How can we have the kind of space (physical and mental) we need to do our best at work?

What I think I need:

• Chunks of uninterrupted thinking time. (At least 1-2 hours per day.)
• Basic office supplies organized and in easy reach.
• Dedicated space - my office not being used for other purposes.
• Privacy to make phone calls and have conversations without being overheard.

Not a lot, but these things do make a difference. I no longer discount the degree to which environment can impact my productivity. What does your definition of productive space look like?

Comments

[girloutatexas]

I completely agree! And I also know that the first things that goe when chaos strikes are my system of organization and my ability to close my office door to gain that 1-2 hours of quiet time. Interesting considerations for an organization that wants to be sustainable.

[Samuli]

Cheri,

You should apply your category LEAN on this post. It all starts with what you wrote last year before Christmas (remember?)
http://blog.emergenceconsulting.net/2008/12/building-the-lean-consulting-practice-part-1.html

I have been actually thinking alot about this lately - my family and I are moving between two continents, and there is a constant fear of not having access to what you need. I learned some valuable lessons from our kids Montessori school about The Power Of Being Organized
http://managerstoolbox.blogspot.com/2009/05/power-of-being-organized.html

And as I am running an office, I have been thinking about productive space for a long time. I met some experts and will try together with them to have some lasting effect. These guys have background in LEAN consulting and Toyota Production System, but apply their findings in office environment - in their own office http://gemba-research.jp/en/openoffice/index.html

or in their customers office
http://gemba-research.jp/en/consulting/office_kaizen.html

As you are running your own business, executing this on your own should be possible - but it's always a question of discipline to hold on to the system. For me it's a harder task to try to influence the whole organization, but I will try.

The same applies to

[Cheri]

Great insights Samuli, and I can't wait to check out those links. Thanks!

And I'm looking forward to setting up my new office as LEAN once we move. :)

Cheri

[Samuli]

Cheri,

major moving of house gives you perspective un the stuff & clutter we surround ourselfs with - do we really need it? What is really essential for being effective and what is actually just a distraction.