The horror was written all over my face.
“Do you struggle with change?” he says. “NO!” I deny vehemently, “I embrace it… normally…. but perhaps this is where that 4 year difference in our age you are always referring to is showing…..”
I was ambivalent about a change in working environment, having never been in the least concerned about where my desk was situated in the past, but found myself on Days One and Two in 240 Blackfriars in a fog of panic. Alright, I confess, it did not help at all that I was one of the only TWO people who “forgot their pass” day one. Let me tell you, without your pass, NOTHING works. I couldn’t open my locker or buy a cup of calming chamomile tea. Monitor struggles, phone struggles…. and the box in the morning thing….
There is a modern trend for minimalist living which I think will only grow – with books downloaded, pictures on phones, films on demand – who needs the shelves full of books, pictures and DVDs any more – and this is reflected in the modern working environment with little need for paper. But it’s something I’ve struggled with – my house is always (pleasantly I like to think) cluttered and my desk at 245 was (possibly unpleasantly) untidy…. I think part of my sense of belonging comes from having my “stuff” and my friends around me.
But the thing is, as I always tell my elderly parents, who struggle with it ALL, you either embrace it or go and bury your head underground somewhere. And by the end of day two, I noticed some things….
1. I am genuinely more productive without all that stuff around me
2. Booking a room ad hoc rather than for an hour at a time, means meetings happen in 15 minutes rather than an hour
3. Decisions seem to be even quicker than before
3. Sitting with different people every day genuinely does mean I get to meet and spend time with not only different people in my team, but people outside of my team
4. Benugos is 100 times better in this building and I can’t wait to get a Pret.
5. The view is utterly stupefying and I’m privileged to enjoy it
6. I actually feel younger and more happening (do I look different?)
And what on earth do I actually need which I brought over in that box???
…I tell you, next I will be decluttering my house.
heatherbeachosh 