The writer’s desk. It’s where all the magic happens. Worlds are built and characters are created and hearts are broken only to be put back together again. Depending on the book and writer those hearts will be broken again after their put back together!
At least in theory that’s what the writers desk is like.
I’ve found that where I end up working varies from project to project. But it’ll also vary depending on what’s going on, what season it is, what my day job schedule is like that week, etc. For example, it’s a beautiful June day and my niece is here playing outside in the blow up pool we got her. There is no way I’m sitting inside and locking myself up at my desk to get work done. So, I found a shady spot to sit with my laptop to watch her as she plays and I can write my blog as well.
A lot of times if I’m feeling lazy I sit in bed and write!
Or I’ll bring my laptop out to the living room and sit in the recliner to get work done as well.
Then, of course, there’s the classic of going out to a coffee shop and hunkering down there for awhile to write. Although with the whole pandemic thing going on… that’s not a great or even available option right now.
But, I do have a desk and workspace set up which I like to use often. Especially if I need to sit down and do some serious writing and hard work without distractions!
I live with my family and the only space I have in the house which is 100% mine is my bedroom. It’s a large bedroom, so I’m not complaining at all! It’s a great set up and I’m really happy with it.
Because this is the one space I have to get things done, I consider my desk an overall “workspace” instead of just for writing. It’s where I work on my Powersheets and do my weekly/daily planning. It’s where I worked on a puzzle in the first weeks of quarantine. This is where I make scrapbooks. I do my nails at my desk or sometimes even fold laundry! With this in mind, my goal is to keep my desk simple and clean. That way, I have plenty of space to do whatever it is I need to do.
You’ll see it’s a super simple desk. When I was shopping around for one, I was tempted to get one of those more antique-types with cute drawers and everything. But when I took a look at my habits, I knew that them more drawer and nooks and crannies the desk had, I was just going to fill those up with junk. Something sleek and simple would motivate me more to keep things clean and organized.
At least that’s the theory. I will admit, a lot of times I end up throwing laundry and random mail on top of my desk. But, I do clean it off more often than I did when I had a desk with a bunch of drawers and such on it. So, progress!
This winter I added the rolling cart you see on the side - and I love it for organization! The top shelf I have my desk supply organizer where I keep pens, pencils, bookmarks, stationary, and important paperwork which needs my more immediate attention. Then behind the organizer I keep my laptop and Powersheets.
The middle shelf has my daily planner along with all of my supplies and stickers I need for that.
The bottom shelf with a lid on top is where I keep all of my other paperwork which doesn’t need my immediate attention, but good to hold onto. Ex. documents such as my book contract.
Beneath my desk I have a file container for - you guessed it - other important paperwork. I know, I know. I need to scan a lot of these things and keep them digitally so I can declutter and save space. To be perfectly frank, I’ve been lazy. But I also have some papers which I don’t want digitally like old sheet music. It also makes for a great footrest!
The white basket has other supplies such as chargers, cords, my phone tripod, external hard drive, stationary sets which don’t fit on my rolling cart’s top shelf, and planners from previous years.
Having everything so simplistic, it can get cluttered a bit easily. But it does motivate me to organize and clean things out more often than I used to. I love the feeling of having my desk space cleared off and open for me to be able to work on whatever tasks I need to do for the day.
What does your desk and workspace look like? Do you tend to work whenever or where ever? Or do you need to have a specific place to get things done to focus?