The place where you work shapes the quality of your focus. Today, I see young adults increasingly using their beds and sofas to work on laptops or to read books. If you watch older movies, people usually had a table and chair to do their work. Pop culture now, in the name of convenience and portability, is moving everything toward comfort. But why is it bad to work from anywhere?
Earlier, work naturally happened at a table and chair because tools were not portable. You were forced to use a stable table-and-chair environment to work. Paperwork required space, and computers required huge setups—again, space. With portable devices such as iPads, Kindles, and laptops, more information is contained in a smaller space. That makes it easy to work from anywhere. However, it comes with a cost.
It hampers our ability to focus. Our brains naturally associate places with activities—beds with sleep, sofas with relaxation, and desks with work. Sofas and beds are places to relax, talk, watch TV, and sleep. When you mix them with focus-intensive tasks such as reading or working, it becomes counterproductive. It is no surprise that today’s generation struggles to maintain deep focus for long hours. They do very well at multitasking, but it is hard to produce quality results while multitasking.
Having a dedicated space helps build discipline. In my case, it is a small corner with a table, a straight-backed chair, and my laptop waiting there—almost like an invitation to do something meaningful. I prefer to do some personal work after office hours, such as writing blogs, working on websites, reading, or doing online research. I prefer my corner, which has a vibe of productivity. I can certainly do that work from other places, and sometimes I do. But I find that my dedicated corner is where I am most productive. When I sit on that chair, I automatically do something productive—no matter how little. When I sit on the sofa, I watch TV with focus. It helps me create mental separation between activities.
Physical health is another obvious benefit. A proper chair supports posture and keeps your spine aligned, which helps prevent long-term back strain. A chair helps you sit straight without stressing your back as much as a bed or sofa might. When I work from bed, I start with good posture. Five minutes later, I am all over the place. My back starts hurting, and I know I am in a bad posture.
Life is not just 9–5. You have to work on your dreams after 5. Dreams are not realized in comfort; they require discipline and focus. Having a dedicated space to pursue those dreams helps significantly.
There is nothing worse than not having ambition outside of work. If you have ambition, you will have a table and a chair.
Peace.
