Home office
School office
Have you ever thought about what it’d be like to do whatever you want every day (at work)?
This week I’m on a reading break (No class! Woo!) and I’ve been able to experiment with how I spend my time each day. I’m always trying to figure out the most effective way to schedule my time and prioritize my tasks to be as effective as possible. And, the beauty of being a graduate student is that most of my time is in my control. Of course, I still have to meet with professors and schedule time to perform TA duties (in class and outside of class), but most of my time is my own. I’m pretty lucky. But, sometimes the lack of structure can have a crippling effect: where are you supposed to start?
For most people, their day-to-day activities are more or less controlled by where they work, and what the boss’s expectations are. But, if you did have the flexibility or freedom to do whatever you wanted, how would you organize your work day?
Would you sleep late and work late, or rise early and get done as quickly as possible?
Would you want to work in a quiet or a loud space? Coffee shop or home office?
More and more people are able to control what their workday looks like.
Maybe you have a more flexible start/end time. Maybe you can work remotely when you have big projects on the go, or perhaps your main office is in another location, so you always work from home. Maybe you go to the gym on a longer lunch break.
For the vast majority of professionals, some elements of choice are now baseline expectations in establishing what type of work environment any individual wants. The way we measure productivity, especially in the business of services, is constantly evolving. More and more managers are of the “get it done right and well, and I don’t care when it got done” mentality, and I know that’s good for morale.
Personally, I’m a bit of a traditionalist.
I like going into the office around the same time, and having a consistent schedule, day-to-day. I sometimes work from home when I have a large project on the go, or need some time to think things through without interruptions.This week I’ve been working from home in the mornings and going into the office for the afternoons. It’s a nice way to build a break into the day and also make sure that I keep my effectiveness up by changing up my environment.
I guess I’m not all that different from most 9-5 professionals, but I like knowing my time is my own.
So, what does your ideal work day look like?
