As I observe the desks of my colleagues over the years I notice that people bring a lot of their home to work, in the form of aunt Agatha's recipe book, the kid doodles and legos and latest birthday necklaces. Cute but please keep it by your bedside. Unless you also sleep at work (like Castanza then you are excused).
Perhaps because they also bring work to their homes in the form of their crackberries, iphones or laptop computers and keep fingering it even on weekends. I subscribe to neither. I do work out of my home at times and that is business hours. I do not take my home life to work either. I have no other living material growing in the office space or showcase family pictures or any other knick knacks that people seem to accumulate over time including some wine their former boss passed them three Xmases ago. I make an effort to also ditch all paper since theoretically we are living in the land of paperless offices.
I am not a fan of any organized sport or religion either so that helps to declutter my surroundings. Same with all manners of food products - which in America you can procure within minutes. So why keep them at your desk? Frankly the desk is also an outdated man made concoction since you can connect remotely any time any where. Marissa Mayer at Yahoo thinks different. But hey to each her own.
Unless you are in a classroom type setting or where you need to enjoy the complete chemistry of the larger populations you are not adding any incremental value to a conversation or deal by just being there (with or without your accouterments).
You are a farmer you have to be in the office - you cannot remotely trim your crop or check for infections - at least not yet. Same with food processing or medical advice and services. Some of the latter can be managed through a camera and a high speed data connection but it has its shortcomings.
Finally on the subject of books that people like to show off including trophies and titles and awards - that accumulate space in their offices - they are more a distraction than anything. If I came to talk to you I do not really care if you got a five year award for outstanding service. I am interested in your servicing my needs now while I am INSITTING!
This autumn the weather gods cooperated as we took a family trip in the northeast to see six states that qualify or makeup what is known colloquially in America as New England. Mass, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island (tiniest state in the union). The outing helped tally up the states we either lived in, visited or have worked in to 47. Guess which three have eluded this intrepid traveling family. Any rate the drive was all in about 1,800 miles and included some memorable geographic wonders or points of interest. Easternmost part of state of Massachusetts being one. Furthest drivable road east in Mass being another. Visit to all Ivy League schools (term harkens to a collegiate athletics conference and generally regarded as elite academic institutes of some repute worldwide) is another random bucket list item of which this trip afforded the chance to knock two more of the list. Dartmouth in Hanover, NH and Brown (and its sister institute the RISD - school f
The books in your office show how intelligent you were ..the tense is past, unfortunately. Present is there for all to see, in plain view.
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