Friday, December 14, 2007 - Posts
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Don't miss our books round-up (how's that for an inside plug?), which has convinced me to spend my winter vacation week reading about, what else, work. Like Michelle Tsai, who along with Torie Bosch recommends Joshua Ferris' Then We Came to the End, I'm missing out on office life, which helps explain the allure of this busman's holiday. There's nothing like working away in an attic for a decade to make you wonder whether you've missed out on a revolution in the workplace lifestyle, at least among "creative" workers. The latest developments in workspace dynamics, I learned from Lisa Belkin's "Life's Work" column yesterday, feature what is known as "white space" (the non-desk place where you really work) and "hot desking" (choosing different spots for different tasks): it all adds up to never sitting still in one place. Both concepts evidently derive from the insight, reported by consultants on "the future of work," that much about the distracting workplace is antithetical to doing one's most innovative and thoughtful work. So you might think we flexible at-home workers have it made. In many ways, we do: I can sit at my desk undisturbed (if I get off-line), or go anywhere else I please. But I'd point out that we homebodies are missing something the consultants may not appreciate: the spur to concentration that comes with the need to escape colleagues. Me, I'm always looking for occasions to be distracted by company.
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