Ask yourself and others the question. You might work at home, at Starbucks, in the pub (we do a lot of that), on the train, the plane (I do a huge amount on flights). When you ask people this question you get a wide range of answers – but rarely do you hear them say “the office”. There might be a few exceptions to this, some folks will get into the office really early, maybe stay late or even come in at the weekend.
What’s the point of offices if most people don’t see them as places to get work done? We used to have an office, a fancy sort of post-industrial revolution mill with art galleries and the like. It was referred to as a creative place … but it was anything but creative. Clocking in at 10am (yes, we had a generous working day) saw folks taking their day and breaking it into tiny 30 minute segments. This framework for the day ultimately goes out the window as people and the office rhythms distract you. I used to look up at around 5pm wondering where by day went and what I did.
Jason Fried, of 37Signals fame, did a lovely TED video at the back-end of 2010. It’s worth 15 minutes of your time, I promise you.
I’ve been inspired by Jason and the team for a good while now, he’s happy to say the unsayable and doesn’t really feel the need to defend his position – he offers a counterpoint to many established business practices and lets you choose.
By Martin Dower
Related articles
