Whatever you decide, remember that the most important thing is to do what’s right for YOUR situation. Everybody’s family life, living situation, budget, and way of working are different.

Now we come to the final thing I want you to consider when deciding whether to rent an outside office space. It’s a factor maybe you haven’t considered, but it’s an important one. Are there networking opportunities with real, live people in your current office location?

If you work from home, the answer is no. You have to go to other places to interact with real people (with the exception of your family or the occasional solicitor who comes by).

But if you want to grow your network in your community, and you’re looking at a potential office, think about what kinds of people hang out there. Can they help you grow your business? Do they know your potential clients, customers, or readers? Do you know people whom they need to know?

I know that as introverted writers, we are most concerned with having a quiet space where we can do our work. But being a writer isn’t just about retreating from the world. If you want to have a business that impacts your local community, consider the kinds of people you will interact with in your physical office location.

The office I just started to rent is located in a building that’s a mix of a couple of different companies. The top floor is home to a real estate office, with about a dozen offices rented by different businesses. The bottom level of the building is occupied by a contractor who has a couple of dozen people working there.

The office next door to mine is rented by a counselor who has clients several days a week. I’ve seen a few other building tenants with various businesses.

In the last few weeks, I’ve had conversations with several people. They know what I do, and I know what they do. It’s been refreshing to spend some time in a place where I get to have random conversations with people who do different kinds of work than I do.

There is a mutual benefit to looking out for others who can benefit from their services. I’m looking for clients or people who will benefit from other people’s services. Likewise, I’m pretty sure I’m the only ghostwriter and author coach most of them know. As a result, they will automatically think of me when they run across people who need my services.

A lot of writers love the idea of working from home and only interacting with real, live humans when they venture out of the house to the gas station or grocery store. I hope you won’t default to that type of existence. There is immense value in getting out in the real world, with real, live people, and being part of your community.

And I would argue that as a writer, you have the RESPONSIBILITY to mix it up with people in your area. How can you possibly stay curious and creative if you just want to stay home all the time?

And as a business owner (yes, you DO have a writing business if you sell books!), I’d also argue that you have a responsibility to improve the quality of life for the people in your area. None of us exists as a silo; we are all part of a broader community of people who live and work together.

As the poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” No woman is, either. So, if you’re considering getting an office outside the home, think about how many people you will have the opportunity to interact with in that location.

And if you plan on working from home or going to coffee shops sometimes, make an effort to spend some time around other people. Get to know them. Ask questions. Invest in relationships.

What you’ll learn, and how you will grow, will improve your creativity and writing in lots of ways!

Today’s Challenge: Whether you’re getting an outside office or working from home, make an effort to interact with real humans and be part of your broader community.

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We’re talking about the location of your office. As they say in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location.

Let’s think about this from two angles. The first angle is for those of you considering getting an outside office.

Obviously, the neighborhood of the office is a factor. But mostly, I want you to think about the distance from your home. How far are you willing to commute to an office?

For years, I drove 25 minutes each way to the college where I taught. That was a perfect distance because I could listen to almost an hour of podcasts every day or dictate a bunch of writing.

Your mileage may vary. Before renting an office, you need to decide how far you’re willing to drive. Knowing this ahead of time helps narrow down your options. My current office is just a two-minute drive from my home. I’m glad I held out for something that is ultra-convenient.

Now let’s think about the second angle, which is for those of you working from home. Location can be a factor for you, too. My home office started in a spare bedroom upstairs in our house. Then, as my son got older, he wanted a bigger room, so we switched.

In the last year, I seriously considered building an office in our basement just to have more of a separation between work and home. And I may still do that at some point if I decide to work from home again in the future.

Maybe you don’t have an extra bedroom for an office in your house. Even if you currently write at the kitchen table, is there any other space in your home you could use for a writing area? Could you convert a little nook somewhere? Could you set up an area in your garage or basement? You always have options for creating a writing area you like better.

It’s also worth remembering that many famous writers have only worked with a typewriter or computer and a random desk. At the end of the day, all you really need is something to write, and something to write with. But if you can support your writing with a better location, then so much the better.

Today’s Challenge: Think about where you currently write. Is there a better location, either in a separate office away from your home, or by improving or switching locations at home?

The post Office Space: Does It Have a Good Location? appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

We all hang onto certain things longer than we should. I tend to hang onto cords, cables, technology, and sentimental items I no longer need. I’m the guy who still has Huey Lewis cassettes from 1985 in his closet… along with the broken Walkman to play them! I’ve always been a packrat.

The problem with being a packrat is that these items clutter your life… and your work area.

As I approach 50 in the next couple of years, I’m much less inclined to hang onto this stuff than I used to be. I’m downright ruthless these days when cleaning. I challenge you to go through your work area and get rid of any items that are no longer serving you.

For example, as I look around my office right now, I see several things that need to go. There’s a random stick of Chapstick on my bookcase someone gave me for Christmas. I never use Chapstick but I felt guilty throwing it away. I see a pencil sharpener I have used a grand total of one time.

I see a Kindle Paperwhite tablet that’s about 8 years old, and I never use it. I see a small drawstring bag that held a small gift. I thought I might use the bag but it’s sat on my shelf untouched for almost a year. I see a high-quality lanyard that has my old college’s logo on it. The lanyard held my college name tag, and I wore it around my neck every day for the last few years I worked there. I kept it for sentimental reasons, but there’s no reason for me to keep it.

You see a pattern here: I felt a tinge of guilt at the idea of throwing these items away. But here’s the problem with hanging onto things we don’t need anymore: each unwanted item contains just a bit of emotional energy that we could free up for things that are relevant to our lives right now.

I will either throw away each of these items or find a new home for them. You can probably identify lots of items in your work area also. Physical items are not neutral. Your relationship with those items either adds positive energy to your life because it’s helping you in some way now… or it’s draining your energy because you feel guilt for not removing it from your life.

As you can see, this exercise isn’t just about being “neat” and “organized.” It’s really about getting your emotional life in order. Writing requires a lot of emotional energy. If you can free up more energy by getting rid of random junk, knick-knacks, and other odds and ends from your physical space, you will have that much more energy to give to the things that matter to you.

Today’s Challenge: Take five minutes and get rid of random stuff in your work area. If you hesitate or feel ambivalent about keeping it, that’s a sign it should probably go.

The post Clear the Clutter: Office or Work Area appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.