Bye, bye office

In April 2021 I hired an office in the city and promised

I’m on a 3-month pretotype of this, and I’ll update you to see how it goes.

It doesn’t.

It’s August 2021, and I’ve probably used the office for a total of 30 days since April 2021. With all the lockdowns in Melbourne, it’s impossible to establish a rhythm. I don’t regret the decision as it gave me some breathing space during lockdown number 9592759237454 and 1.

What worked well:

• Having a place to go that’s not home for a break from the same environment.
• A closed office which is Covid-safe.
• A focused environment without distractions.
• Exercise by walking to and from work.
• Random strangers — lovely to see other humans.

Why I’m letting the office go

• We’re likely going to be in lockdown until at least the end of September 2021, and December and January are quiet months for client meetings and the like, so paying rent on an empty office is silly. I’ll revisit the decision at the end of January 2022. Either Covid is manageable, and we’re bouncing back, or it’s not, and we can’t use the office anyway.
• Cognitive load. Adding another unknown into this uncertain environment is not smart.

What’s Plan B?

• I’m not sure, to be honest. I still need to solve for the original reasons I hired the office.
• I’m considering ‘renting’ a table on the outside deck of a closed restaurant for a few hours a day along the river in Southbank. This gets me out of the house and supports a local business. I’m not sure it’s legal or feasible, but it’s an excellent place to start.

I think it boils down to a change of scenery in an environment where I can focus, so any suggestions are welcome, of course.