Find your space to do great work, not just good work

I’ve been catching up on manifestoes from ChangeThis.com recently and I enjoyed reading Michael Bungay Stanier’s “Stop the busywork ! ” -
7 Counter-Intuitive Ways to Find More Time, Space & Courage to Do Great Work.

There is some very obvious stuff in there like abandoning your job description and learning how to say no (or yes but more slowly). The part that hit home for me is the importance of your workspace to foster great work. I do a lot of my work from home these days as I’m on conference calls with colleagues around the world and make use of our VoIP system. I’m not saying I don’t go great work at home but when I really want to free my mind, get creative and where I most often come up with new ideas or do my best work is when I go to one of my favourite places to work. I have a few of these and actually keep a list of the ones around the world that I like in places like Seattle, New York, Liverpool and of course London.

Today is a great example – I needed some headspace to get out and plan for a big event next week. I’ve found a great new coffee shop in central London that is just my perfect place for doing great work. Why? Well it’s busy, it’s full of movement and full of people. It can just as easily be someone who walks past on the pavement as a car or something I overhear in the coffee shop or read in a discarded paper that changes my perspective. All for free (or the price of a coffee).

My advice to folks I have worked with at Microsoft for many years has been they need to get our more. Sure get out and see some customers but also take a day a month (at least) to find your space, create some room literally and metaphorically and do your great work.

Comments

• Anonymous
  April 05, 2010
  I couldn't agree more, Steve. When I'm not traveling, I'm working from my home office.  But sometimes it's just a simple change of scenery that does the trick and get the creative or productive juices flowing. Have you ever noticed that, providing you have sufficient space for your laptop lid, you can get a lot of work done while on a plane?  That's where I first found that for some reason I was really on to something.   I now go down to a coffee shop or (gasp) in to the office to my cube to get work done if I am feeling a bit unproductive at home. Maybe it's my ADD tendancies.. but I also work better when I'm just a little bit tired.  If I have had a good night's sleep, and a big-ol' cup of coffee, I simply can't focus as well as if I've had less sleep, or perhaps have had a good workout at gym to get me feeling relaxed.  

• Anonymous
  April 05, 2010
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  April 06, 2010
  Good point Steve, I recently facilitated a session with some of our most promising talent in Asia-Pacific (Microsoft EXPOs). One team spent 90 mins or so wallowing on a particular business topic, spiralling into a deeper and deerper death-spirack of analysis paralysis and making no significant progress. The leader of the team called a team "time out", suggested a walk outside. There in the sunshine and the sea-breeze suddenly their creative juices were re-awakened and they made acclerated progress, solving the problem in the next 30 mins. Sometime a change is as a good as a rest.

• Anonymous
  April 06, 2010
  Steve Delighted you enjoyed the manifesto - thanks for the great article Michael

• Anonymous
  April 07, 2010
  Couldn't agree more. I'm typing this in the swimming pool!

• Anonymous
  April 09, 2010
  The comment has been removed