I’ve had my hands full over the last 3 months with a new baby boy, a new business and less sleep than I’d prefer. I’ve been trying to keep up with all my ‘to-dos’ and not neglect any of the many avenues of online communication that I’ve been able to enjoy over the past year. Unfortunately I’ve had to let my personal posts on this blog slip as well as my voice on Twitter and in the comments of my favorite blogs. I call myself a blogger and yet I’ve done very little in the way of actual blogging.
About a week ago Liz and I began to talk about the fact that my home office had served its purpose to allow me to help out while Tyson was getting past those first few months of infancy, but that it was no longer a benefit, but a hindrance to both of us. For me, dealing with two hyperactive dogs and a baby while trying to run multiple businesses was not working out. My focus was constantly in a diluted state and seemed to be stuck on a reboot loop.
For Liz, it was the fact that my constant presence in our home hindered her ability to get into a solid routine. She felt that if I wasn’t there she would be forced to get things done instead of asking for my assistance throughout the day. She wanted to have the house to herself during the day so she could take care of her responsibilities with zero distraction from my comings and goings.
Basically, we needed to have our own space and time apart. So renting some office space seemed to be the logical next step.
Natural Light
So I popped online and found a few vacancies in an office building just 2 minutes from our house. It was a building I was familiar with as I had setup some computer equipment in one of the very offices I was going to possibly rent. So I popped over there for a tour and found two possibilities. Both were about 100 square feet but one had a window and the other did not. Though a bit cheaper, the one without the window felt like a fluorescently lit cave, while the other required no light other than the natural sunlight that came through the large window. The latter option was a no-brainer.
So I quickly signed the lease and started moving in ASAP. It was quite obvious to me that this was going to be one of the best business moves I’ve made in quite some time.
Uninterrupted BLISS!!
It’s amazing to me how much more clear your thoughts are and how much more you can get done when uninterrupted space is provided. For someone who is riddled with ADHD I found my productivity at home to be atrocious. Even when I did have some quiet time I could never quite shake that largely distracting anticipation that Tyson may pipe up at any moment or the dogs may decide to alert us that a squirrel was making its way across our back yard. It’s only now that I sit in my new office space, disconnected from any and all unforeseen distractions, that I can calmly type out this post, knowing it will get done and be checked off my list.
I can’t stress enough how important this move has been, even after only a few hours of test drive. Kind of like love at first sight, you need nothing more than the first wiff to understand the future affect of its presence in your life. I have no doubt that my future days will be filled with greater strides and an overall more effective focus. Now it’s just a matter of learning how Liz’s day went. 
Office Space! Wow, dude, congratulations! Good luck in the new digs.
Thanks Sean. The pajamas have turned into jeans and a Polo shirt.
Eric
Smart move Eric, I bet you will find your productivity increase and your personal life will get even better now that you have a separation between them. Good luck with the new space.
Dayne
Excellent point about the separation. Eric
I can so relate to this!
Yeah? Do you have an office? What has been your experience?
Hey Eric…
Great to see your new office – what a fantastic idea. Just to have somewhere to ‘go’ every day, as you say, will do so much for your productivity. Congrats on all you have achieved this year so far, you’ve got great things ahead of you!
Thanks Ross. It’s been a wild ride, but a great one at that.
I hope you’re doing well. Eric
Hi Eric,
Congrats on your new office! It must be nice to be working in a office without any distractions.
Cheers,
Vincent
Thanks Vincent! Yes, it’s WONDERFUL!
Eric
Yes, without focus there is no productivity, but some little distractions can make wonder to creativity. Both must be present.
You make a very good point. Finding that balance between solitude and interaction is key to creativity. Eric
Yeah, it’s really nice. I just finished lunch and have already accomplished much more this morning than I would have all day long. And the difference in my state of mind is really pretty amazing. I can’t quite explain it, but I just feel more at peace.
@Dayne jsut made a great point that the separation of work and family/home should not only benefit my work life, but my home/personal life as well. I can already tell this will most certainly be the case.
Eric
Hey Eric,
Great to see you back! I figured you were trying to get used to “life as dad” and we would see you shortly. I agree with you 100% as to the difficulty of focusing on the task at hand with the many distractions that fill a busy household. Glad you were able to find a space to get back into it!
Jake
Thanks Jake! It’s great to be back.
Eric
I can totally understand this. When we are in our home, there’s distractions everywhere. You’re simply exposed to so many things (and potential things as you’ve pointed out). This can be a real disadvantage to the mind.
Get yourself out of that arena of distraction and into a place where you’re not exposed to it all and it’s highly conducive to focus. And focus is really what you need to be your ultimate.
It should be a good thing, no doubt. And I totally agree that solid focus is key to ‘be your ultimate’.
Welcome back Eric!
The new office space looks super clean! Like there’s nothing around (or at least from the angle where the camera’s pointing to) that would distract you — and you have your uninterrupted bliss!
I think you’ll have a great time in your new “productivity sanctuary” (if there’s such a term!).
Glad to see a new post from ya.
Yes, I think that is a word.
And the office sure is clean which works best for me. Eric
Wow Eric, congrats on the move!
I’ve worked out of a home office ever since I started my own biz back in college. I’ve never seriously considered renting an office, but your post is definitely giving me something to think about. Your post AND the fact that I now have my wife, a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 2-month-old all sharing my corporate headquarters with me!
All kidding aside, though, I love working from home, kids and all. I’m able to be more productive by doing “creative” work later at night (when the house is quiet), which is perfect for me because I’m a natural night owl.
That’s the difference between you and I. I’m a morning/daytime person all the way. Always have been. But when I first started blogging I got up at 4am every morning and got more done in a about 3 hours of silence that I could achieve the rest of the day. So I totally agree that night time is great. I’m just not wired for that kind of schedule. Eric
Yes, it would probably be extremely difficult for me if I weren’t a night owl.
Although, I do find that doing “busy” work like managing emails, proofreading, coding, all those types of things, I can do pretty much no matter what kind of noise and distractions are going on around me.
It’s the “creative” work like actually writing informative material that I have to have peace and quiet for. And for me, that can only be found in what Bruce Springsteen would call the “Spirit in the Night.”
Very nice, bringing some Bruce action into the comments section.
Yeah, I agree that the busy work can be done on autopilot. I like to do this kind of stuff with my headphones on, listening to some Pandora action…maybe a mix of Coldplay and The Red Hot Chili Peppers (gotta throw some 90′s flashback in there for good measure).
But most of my day is filled with creative/focused work that requires very little distraction to effectively accomplish, hence the $350/month rent payment.
Eric
Congratulations!! Having your own office must be great. Both me and my husband work from home and we have a small place. I’m just working in the the living room these days. That’s less than ideal.
Thanks Lovelyn!
Sounds like you need to revamp your word situation. Eric
Congrats Eric for your blog and the new office! God bless you and your family! Cheers man!
Thanks Lonny!
Eric