“Remoted” – Workday Ten (Monday)

While executing project “controlling my environment” this weekend, I got an itch in the back of my brain. Instead of sacrificing my dining room, once my favorite room in the house for its serene feeling, for the hub of work from home, why not repurpose the kitchen nook with the bistro table and convert it to an office?

The “nook” was a porch once upon a time before me as evidenced by the floor, sloped for drainage, like the now enclosed front porch. The previous owner had carpeted the kitchen (yes, I know …) and the slope of the nook was not noticeable until the wall-to-wall was taken up. When my friends and I redid the floors, the nook floor was leveled.

Today it's a "coffee nook."
Maybe it will soon be an office.

For the first year or so, there was not much in the nook beyond a bookcase with some cook books. I finally got around to replacing the rubber stoppers to support the glass table atop the metal pipe legs and set up the bistro set that had been my grandmother’s. I imagined the area to be a cozy coffee nook. In all the time it’s been set up, I have sat there for coffee exactly once. It turns out, I prefer drinking my coffee in the living room. The breakfast nook holds a dog bed when I work away from home, but that is in the dining room now, too.

The kitchen nook turned office idea started as a seed this past weekend while shredding many pounds of paper. I was thinking about a very successful writer I met in Tennessee who has written her books from a closet. If a published book author can write in a closet, why don't I convert my closet sized nook for work?

After work on Remote Workday Ten, my email had an Overstock email promoting a home office sale. Of course, today is the last day. Usually I delete the Overstock emails without opening, but today I opened it.

I had already measured the wall with the window that overlooks the back yard and for two hours after work, it was a cyber rabbit hole of online furniture shopping. So many cute desks and chairs that would fit the space and the feel of the nook.

It’s a bit overwhelming. Between Overstock and Amazon, there wasn’t anything I absolutely “HAD” to have, but a whole lot of stuff I really like that would work great in the kitchen of now and the guest room/office of the future. There are two cyber shopping carts packed with office furniture now, but this deserves a sleep before the money starts flying around. And maybe it's just a passing fancy.

Lessons from Remote Workday Ten

1. A lot can be done in a minute. I've known this, but today I put science to it while waiting for my instant oatmeal to cook in the microwave. During that one minute, I put away all the silverware from the dishwasher. Later, while waiting for my tea water in the microwave (1.5 minutes) I decided to do jumping jacks. It took only 20 seconds to feel it. Tomorrow I’ll try it again. New fitness goal!
2. There is a lot of nice looking home office furniture available. Most people probably know this, but most people also shop a lot more than I do. Some of the desks had helpful descriptions like “the box is heavy, so make sure you have a friend”, and “definitely takes two adults to assemble.” Those were great looking desks, but I don’t have the kind of local friends I can ask that favor of, even in times not requiring social distancing.