Tips for a Happy Desk Life or Why You Should Keep a Dog under your Desk!

by Nan Berrett - Word Solutions

Sitting with your back to a door where someone can walk silently up behind you and tap you on the shoulder is one of my nightmares. Whenever I go out, to dinner, a cafe or anywhere else, I try and place myself with my back to a wall, facing outwards – I’m not keen on surprises!

Which brings me to my home office. I used to work in an office with other people – it was open plan and for some inexplicable reason two of us had desks facing the wall with our backs to our colleagues. It was horrible. Walls are generally unattractive, not to know what was going on behind us was distracting, and when we did manage to get into the zone and tune everything out we were easily startled when spoken to.

Open plan offices were originally designed to encourage collaborative thinking, but instead developed into spaces where bosses could monitor what their workers were doing. In most offices, open plan does not work as it was intended – sadly, the majority of these open plan horrors stifle, rather than encourage, creativity because they make it difficult to concentrate.

If you want to look at some good models of how inspiring creative space can be, take a virtual tour around the offices of Google or Facebook.

An advantage we have when working from home is that we have more say about where we place our desk and chair – up to a point. Sometimes the small spare room we choose as our workspace doesn’t leave a lot of space to manoeuvre, but there are some tips and techniques to improve our emotional comfort.

I have a spacious home office, but it wasn't always so. It used to be small, with three doorways. I sat to one side of the main entrance door, had a storeroom to my left and a door to the outside world behind me. Even though the outside door was not currently used and had a small filing cabinet in front of it, it was unnerving, so I fixed the problem by putting a mirror up on the wall in front of my desk so I could see behind me. It worked for me and can work for you too.

Choose a comfortable office chair, which is adjustable for both its height and back. I prefer a chair with arm rests as this is more comfortable still. Don’t skimp on your chair as you’ll be using it a lot. If you have back or hip issues you may like to experiment with a standing desk, but make sure yours is adjustable so you can choose to sit or stand.

Tips for a happy desk life:

• Keep a bottle of water on your desk and drink from it regularly.
• Use a timer to remind you to stand up and stretch every 20 minutes – don’t ignore this.
• Working from home? – then take regular morning, lunch and afternoon breaks.
• Ensure good lighting in your office and add a desk light.
• Have a small plant on your desk or nearby – plants are always good!
• Keep a dog under your feet – the best office companion in the world as they relieve stress and impart an aura of calm assurance.

     I could say more about the dog under my desk - they are valuable alarm systems and generally alert when someone comes into your office - no surprises! They are there when you are sad, share in your lunch and morning tea, are just like a really interesting colleague and are never judgemental! Unless you are my son and daughter-in-law's dog - she is very judgy!

      Here's a great article which also extols the virtues of having a dog under your desk and the health benefits - CLICK HERE, and another one here from one of our favourite charities - FOUR PAWS about the benefits of dogs in the office for both humans and dogs themselves.

  Nan Berrett creates visibility for small business as well as mentoring small business owners and startups to help them navigate the mountain of knowledge which seems to be part of our everyday life in a digital world. She is based in regional South Australia in the beautiful Clare Valley and is happy to travel to meet clients or chat over Zoom. Find out more or book some time to chat: www.wordsolutions.com.au