Reflections on work: the weirdness of being in an office

I am working out of a co-working space with the organisation I have just joined. I love co-working spaces, but coming back into one I have a sense that while they are on the right track, the future of work looks nothing like what they currently look.

What I am imagining looks much more like a forest that an office. An urban forest. There is loads of natural light and plant life. It is weather proofed. It has places for people to meet under trees and on grass.

There is no pressure to be sitting at your desk because there is no desk. It is a beautiful gathering place for ideas to be shared and collaborations to be had, and then for people to go out into the wider world and do the work they need to do.

Coming back to an office for the first time, it just feels odd to be so removed from the outside world, to be in a bland space with sterile air and artificial light. I find myself wanting to just go for purposeless walks and be outside.

Living arrangements

Yesterday I went to inspect some other places to live. I am happy where I live at the moment, and don't think I want to move, but I did want to see what else was out there, particularly for less rent than I am now paying.

What it got me thinking about was, what I am looking for in a place to live anyway? What would be the thing that would get me to move house?

Here are a few things that bubbled up:

• being close to my kids school
• being close to where I am going to do most of my work
• a place with a backyard or very nearby park for the kids
• a place that has a great vibe for working from home
• a place that is close by other people who are aligned with my values and thinking
• being close to my broader family

To summarise, it seems that the key factors are being in and around the community I identify with, and being in a beautiful space, both natural and built.

The place I am in right now has some of those elements. I think the community element could be improved, the cost could be less, and it could be closer to nature. For the time being though, I think it is enough.