My Dream Work Space - WeWork Inspired

This whole blogging thing has gotten under my skin and into my heart and soul - I can't believe how many wonderful people I've "met" through my little blog! 

I really didn't know what to expect when I first started out....I just wanted to share my new home and my mountain top life with the world. Who knew that my little world would interest so many folks out there? It's still amazing to me that so many of you take time out of your busy day to pop in for a little visit and leave your lovely comments. 

Thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart!

I think towards the future and having more time in my life to dedicate to blogging. What a wonderful way to connect with the world at large!  

I was asked by a representative at WeWork to share some details about my work space, the place I sit and create my blog posts. The timing couldn't be better as I was already thinking of a post along those lines....mainly because of a little idea I got into my head recently. 

Right now my 'work space' is anywhere I settle myself in my cozy home with my laptop. Often with a small, bold dog on my lap, vying for my attention. 

Most days it's in my cozy chair by the fire in my living room, which these days is looking like this. 

Not the worst place to work, eh? 

Other days I take my laptop to the dining room and plop myself at the end of the counter. 

Either way I'm happy because I'm in my beautiful, cozy home, which I love. My favorite place to be. 

In the warmer months I can even work outside, when the internet cooperates. 

I think that's my favorite spot of all to write!

Do you wonder why I don't just work in my home office?

Because it looks like this. 

Not very inspiring, is it?

It's perfect for filing and doing a quick bit of paperwork but that's about it. 

I do have plans to improve it down the line but there's still no window, no view, no sunshine. 

Three strikes. You're out. 

Not like the offices at WeWork - what gorgeous coworking office space they have there! If I still lived in NYC I'd be tempted to rent some space at one of WeWork's 22 NYC offices - they even have one in Astoria, which was walking distance from my apartment in Queens. 

However, I no longer live in NYC, I chose to live in the mountains and I couldn't be happier. 

So, I have a couple of choices as I look towards the future and spending more and more time blogging. 

I can continue to sit in my comfy chair with my bold little dog on my lap. 

I can keep working in the dining room. 

Or I can find a dedicated place in my home to serve as my home office. 

Looking at the tiny space I have currently, I can certainly improve upon what's there, using inspiration I find around the web. 

Via

Via

Via

Via

I could certainly liven up my little office space by bringing in color and accessories....but at the end of the day it's still a little corner downstairs next to the utility room with no windows. I can't imagine myself spending a lot of time down  there.

But I had another idea. And it's sort of stuck in my head now. 

What about a Murphy Bed for my guest room? I currently have a queen size bed in there, which naturally takes up most of the room. But if I had a Murphy bed, perhaps that room could be used as an office in addition to a guest room? 

Via

Via

Via

So, now I've got this stuck in my head and the more and more I think about it, this seems to tick all the boxes. 

I'm not ready to pull the trigger just yet....but it's milling around in my brain for the future!

Meanwhile I guess I'll keep working around the little ball of fur on my lap and blowing the dog hair off my laptop. 

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Keeping it Real

My younger daughter features posts on goals and gratitude regularly on her blog, The Good Things Comin. I think they are some of my favorite posts that she writes. 

The Good Things Comin

I know many people make resolutions for the upcoming year at New Year's. 

I don't. 

I have, in the past. When I was much younger. 

They never worked out. 

There are no magical properties to New Year's Eve that is going to make you stick to a goal, just because you announce it at midnight. 

That's silly. 

However, there are things I'd like to do in 2016 to improve my life. Many of them are things I had hoped to improve in my life in 2015, but ironically life got in the way. 

I feel like I have only so much space in my head. If I have a lot of craziness going on in my life I can only focus on the craziness and nothing additional. Unfortunately sometimes that means letting some things slip into the cracks while I focus on whatever is most pressing at the moment. 

In the start of 2015 that was very much packing, hoping, dreaming, planning. And more packing. 

Did I mention packing?

In Spring and Summer my focus was moving, unpacking, settling, and nesting. 

And gardening. Always gardening. 

Priorities, you know. 

In fall I was still gardening and nesting and dreaming of the holidays in my new home. And I finally finished unpacking and settling in and felt like I had a minute to breathe and actually enjoy my new home. 

And now we are at the close of the year and I'm thinking forward to 2016 and starting a new year in my new home. 

With no packing or unpacking to do.

May I just say.....YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Now I can focus on me again for a little while and get back on track. 

It's been wonderful settling into my new home and one of the big ways I 'nest' is by cooking. I love to cook, and I love food. 

Deconstructed Lasagna

But sometimes I have to back it down a notch when I start gaining a few pounds. 

I'm at that point now so in the new year I need to get back on track. A few more greens, more salads. 

A little less cheese. A smidgen less chocolate. 

I'm a big fan of Weight Watchers and whenever I need to lose a few pounds I always go back to my WW. They have a new program now that Oprah's involved that focuses more on being healthy and making the right choices in your life rather than on a number on the scale. 

Weight Watchers - Beyond the Scale

That's really what I want. A healthier me. 

I know the old adage is true - whatever you put into your body is what you get out of your body. In summertime it's very easy - I shop at the local farmer's market and in the veggie garden. That's where all meal planning begins - what's in season? What's ripe and ready? What needs to be used now?

In winter it's tougher - as the holidays approach it's easy to 'fall off the wagon' and enjoy more treats and comfort foods. 

I believe in "everything in moderation" and the 80/20 rule, where 80% of the time I make healthy choices and 20% of the time I allow myself a splurge. 

I just need to get back to that point. I'm comfortable at that point. 

What goes hand in hand with that "better me" goal? Incorporating more movement into my days. I'm great on the weekends, I'm constantly on the go. I easily get my 10,000 steps. But during the week I'm sitting at my desk and plugging away at work and there are days I don't get up from my desk for hours. 

I used to have a wonderful, dear friend who worked with me, in the office upstairs. We spent a lot of time together in the short time she worked here and lived in the area. One of the ways we incorporated more exercise into our day was to set an alarm on the phone and every hour meet up to "walk the building." We would go up a flight of stairs at the west end of the building, walk to the east end of the building, up another flight of stairs, to the other end, etc....The building is only 4 stories high but quite long so it wasn't overwhelming, just took a few minutes each hour, and we felt better. And I easily got my steps in every day. 

I need to bring it back. Too bad I'll be doing it alone. 

I miss my dear friend. And not just for our walks. 

Another area in my life that needs help is being more organized with paperwork. I have always, ALWAYS been a disaster with paperwork. I absolutely hate it. I deal with it all day at work and the very last thing I want to do when I come home is deal with paperwork at home. 

It's not the bill paying that's a problem - I do that online, automatically. Easy peasy. 

I like easy peasy. 

It's the sorting and then filing. I hate it. Despise it. Detest it. 

Currently I have a ginormous stack of papers that need to be sorted and filed. 

And a tiny itty bitty office area that does not inspire me in one way to spend any time sitting there sorting papers. 

Yeah, see? What exactly about this space would EVER make you want to spend any time there? 

And this is an improvement over the way it was when I bought the house. It just isn't finished yet. 

So improving the office is on the list. Making it somewhere I wouldn't mind sitting for an hour here and there to stay on top of the filing. 

Once the office is done? I'll get to work filing the mountain of papers. 

I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it. 

Those are the things that are on the top of my goals for 2016. Not too much to handle, and my life will feel 'smoother' when I get them under control. 

There are, of course, a million other items I could list that need to be improved in my home, office, life....but let's not get crazy here. 

One thing at a time. 

Let's keep it easy peasy.