Monthly Archives: November 2011

Lately, in the midst of the hurly-burly my life has become I’ve renewed my efforts to stop, especially when I’m crazy busy, to think about how fortunate I am. First of all, I live in Istanbul. I mean, seriously, sometimes I sort of forget, and look up on my way home, when my mind is going in a million directions, and there’s the Blue Mosque by moonlight. How fabulous is that? If you’ve ever been to Istanbul you know how lucky I am. If you haven’t, well get yourself over here and you’ll see! In the six years I’ve been traveling/living here I’ve met exactly one person who didn’t love it (I think it had something to do with the fact that you can’t get a good burger here. If you really need a good burger in order to be happy then maybe this is not the place for you, but really, the meatballs are a pretty awesome substitute).

I’ve been working on lots of long- and medium-range projects and stressing about the short term lately. Of course all my coach training tells me that is counter productive, but knowing and feeling are two different things. So how do I flip the switch, turn off the stress, and get back to being happily productive?

I look around.

I am a very physical, visual person so my surroundings and how I feel in them are incredibly important to me. I really hate sitting at a table in straight backed chair. In fact, I don’t like sitting in most chairs unless they allow me to sprawl, or sit cross-legged or drape my legs over the arm. I would always rather sit on the floor. So that’s what I do.

On summer mornings, I sit on my balcony, on a rug, back to the wall. Here’s my view:

And here are my supplies:

In the winter, I move inside, where it’s warm, there’s plenty of light and space, and I can sit and sprawl on a my fluffy rug.

This method of working doesn’t work for everyone. Some people really need a desk and a chair. Or a separate room. Or a cafe. For me a desk has always just been a place where you pile stuff. I’ve never really wanted to sit and work or write there, so I don’t. At the end of the work day I pack up my supplies and put them on a shelf. Simple, accessible, and it works for me.

Oh, and I strongly recommend a quiet, supportive colleague. Here’s mine. She doesn’t take my calls, but she rarely distracts me with office gossip.

What works best for you?

Are there any ways you can change your environment to be more comfortable and less stressful physically or psychically?