I made a couple changes this summer to how I occupy my house, and I’m only realizing now some of the undesirable consequences. The first change was to put a mama cat and her four wee teeny little kittens in the upstairs half of my house. Once they are all fixed and have finished all their shots (later this month), they will be transitioned to another, much less restrictive situation.
I’ve enjoyed watching the kittens grow, and they are endlessly rambunctious and playful. The mama is sweet, and I think this set up has given them a good, safe start in life. No regrets there.
The other shift I made was to set up a desk in my bedroom (upstairs) where I could do my riding instructor studying and keep all the course materials. I could have worked at my writing table (downstairs), but wanted to be able to focus on the riding material at the beginning and end of my day, and in some place other than where I work on my books.
Initially, I was pleased with myself. I was being organized, keeping order in my house, and checking the “everything in its place” box. But as the summer wore on, I felt a sense of, “All I do is work.” Start off with upstairs cat chores, move to downstairs cat chores, shift to writing tasks, take a break/not really a break to get in steps, head upstairs for some studying, downstairs to deal with emails and payroll, toss in more cat chores, back upstairs for more studying at the end of the day… pick the three upstairs litter boxes before lights out.
With the possible exception of the kitchen, I have work waiting for me in every part of my house. (My washer and dryer are in the bathroom, and I do a fair amount of pet-related laundry.)
Without realizing it, I organized my way out of the set-up where going upstairs at the end of the day was synonymous with leaving all the work-y stuff behind. No chores, no obligations, no should-dos once I’m upstairs. What happened upstairs–reading, resting, lollygagging–was spatially separated from all the things in my life that require self-discipline. The Task Manager part of me was not allowed up the steps, and those steps have a door at the bottom that closes the two parts of the house off from each other.
The situation will fix itself when I’m through my riding instructor curriculum, and the five foster cats go to their next billet, but I hadn’t realized how much I benefit psychologically from having a specific consistent place that is work-free. I hadn’t realized how good it feels to close the door at the bottom of the steps, and climb up to the place where I am not a writer or a student or a cat mom, but just me, who likes to read, who needs to rest, who wants to recharge before jumping back into the affray in the morning.
Do you have a place to recharge? If you created one, what about it would be important to you?
Have you heard the term “bed rot?”
That’s what I do. I designed the master suite as 3 connected rooms: a bedroom, ensuite and office.
In the bedroom is one of those hotel set-ups of coffee pot (ours is on a timer), bar sink, mini-fridge and microwave. We have a split queen adjustable bed with overhead reading lights. Next to my side is a set of bookshelves with my TBR pile and other oddments including my chargers. There’s also a recliner and the dog’s lounge. (She’s crated at night.). We have an adjustable stand that holds a device for video calls.
The bathroom is just that but there’s a deep tub and a walk in shower. I’m more than a little claustrophobic.
On the other side of the bedroom is an office with recliners, a gas fireplace and enough desk space for a colossal mess. We have an old flatdeck scanner, printer, fax machine that still works when the stars align. And there are more books….mostly the ones that are pulled out often. They are ruthlessly purged when the kids come home. There are no piles on the floor atm.
I don’t leave this space unless I must. It’s become an issue!
For the first time in forever, I have my own office/library. All mine! It’s a small room at the back of the house, but has windows on two sides, built-in bookcases, and it makes me happy. My rolltop desk is there, my laptop, lots of books, pictures, stuff, and a comfortable semi-broken down swivel rocker. No people wandering through on their way to elsewhere. Heaven.
I find myself and the dogs on the back deck after my walk and at the end of the work day. I need to be out of the house for a few minutes after work. Sometimes, I take a dog on a short walk to transition from work.
The weather is cooler now so I am thinking of moving to the living room where it’s quiet. I need a few minutes to put work behind me.
I read the blog last week and I hopped out of my comfort zone and asked about a situation that occurred when my manager was out on vacation. I got an honest answer and was satisfied.
Have a great week.
When I worked from home before retiring, I turned my library/workout room into my office. That meant for those 18 months, I didn’t have a room to myself since I did not go in the office except during work hours. But we have a separate family room where the TV is, which is where my partner frequently sits, and I put a recliner in the living room to read in when I don’t want to watch TV (which is most of the time). It’s not quite a recharging station but since I only read in that chair, it sort of is for me.
Well, I really don’t have much space right now to set up a special room. Sounds like you have a bit more than you should have each day to deal with. I guess, my special place is just sitting in my one main room on my little sofa with Marley my cat.
Well, I really don’t have much space right now to set up a special room. Sounds like you have a bit more than you should have each day to deal with. I guess, my special place is just sitting in my one main room on my little sofa with Marley my cat.
Good thinking. You definitely need your own space. I love cats. I have my 16 y old Burmese who sleeps on my bed a now gets a bit disorientated in the early hours of the morning after using the box and starts calling out for me. But he is my only companion and I have to accept his idiosyncratic ways.
I enjoyed Lord Julian – only lasts 2 days and I await further books from your shelf. Thank you. And I did not share the link ! With blessings Hazel
I live alone & have a house that’s divided so the master bedroom suite is on one side of the open area, then what were doubtless intended as children’s rooms are on the other. Thanks to the luxury of space, I have a creation room & a business office room. End of the day I retreat across to my nest & turn on the phone focus so only a chosen few can disturb my down time.
If I enter creation, my brain knows to back off & things are born to the sound of music, nature, or silence, depending on the project. Business, we’re all focus & finance with noise cancellation devices to ward off the endless roar of landscaping in suburbia. Bedroom, I’m being read to sleep by favorite audiobooks, turning pages if I can stay awake long enough, or dozing off to documentaries that recharge my brain – archaeology, fashion, renovations… whatever catches my fancy & makes it through YouTube’s infernal algorithm shifts that seem designed to ram things I’m NOT interested in down my throat if the herd animals think it’s trending. Grrrr!
I have a little sitting room with a table and chairs and two book cases. The dog has a bed in it also, and he usually stays with me. I have five chairs and some baskets and usually have several cats napping in here also. Right now there is only one – a rarity. This is where I do most of my reading and reviewing.
The unplugged printer is also on my table, and I am about to set up another table for it.
I would say it’s my bedroom. I discovered one day long ago that that it was a wonderful thing to find a made-up bed when I am ready to climb in. I love to read in bed so I have a bedside cabinet where I keep the books I want to read stacked in a drawer. When my daughters were growing up our 1 computer was set up in my room because that was where there was room. Funny but I never used the computer much in those days and I got a privacy screen that separated that area from my bed. I still make my bed every morning & love crawling in at night & reading myself to sleep.
Like Sue, my bedroom is my happy place. I bring my cocoa back to bed to read for an hour or two first thing in the morning. When I’ve had my book fix, I make my bed and carry on with my day, sometime returning there for more reading or a nap.
Then in the evening, I’ll retreat there again to watch some TV and then wind down before bedtime by picking up a book.
My husband used to say that all I needed was a one-room home that consisted only of a bedroom, ha, ha.
I was just noticing today that my pile on the kitchen table really needs thinning, then I looked up and saw the desk with the family computer piled with my husband’s stuff and thought about my husband’s office upstairs also with his stuff. Hmm. Containment is a great goal. And I feel better about my table pile even though it bugs my husband.
I’m a quilter, meaning that’s what I do to create something my way, my colors, my shapes, and my comfort. It’s just may husband and I in our home now. All four daughters are away in their own lives, so I have the basement of two rooms and storage space for myse!f and my stuff. The only problem is the struggle with organizing it all. I do love it.