Getting Away From the Office

You’re staring at those same four walls again. The paint is a sort of light brown color with what you think is a just a hint of pink. You wonder for the thousandth time what that color is called. The same tired spider plant is sitting on the same gray filing cabinet where it’s been since what feels like the beginning of time. When the light hits it in the afternoon, you can swear it seems to perk up. You know this because you’ve spent entirely too much time in the office.

It might just be time to shake things up and leave those four walls and the spider plant behind for a little while. Even when you can’t get away, sometimes you still need to get away. 

Leaving the office doesn’t mean leaving your work behind. Our mobile society has plenty of ways to stay productive while you’re on the go. Try changing up the scenery. Do some work in the local park, filled with sunshine, fresh air and plants that aren’t in pots. Different stimuli will often help you see things in a new way. In fact, many ideas for products were inspired by nature including Velcro and super-fast bullet trains. 

Even if you’re taking a break from that important project, there’s no reason you can’t get something done. How about a marketing tour of the neighborhood to get to know the people around you? Introduce yourself and see what unexpected opportunities you might uncover. At the very least, it’s a great way to generate some goodwill. After all, you live and work there too. 

Another way to remain productive is to learn something. Take an afternoon to go to a business class, or maybe even teach one. Learn how to fence or stretch out the kinks with a Yoga class.  Unleash your inner Mozart by attending a music workshop or channel the hidden Rembrandt within by taking an art class. It can spark unexpected avenues of creativity, as Leonardo Da Vinci found out. The visual arts and productivity in the office often go hand in hand.

If all else fails, just take a moment to reconnect with the world around you. Go to a movie, take a drive or hit the weights in the gym. You can also try different stimulations— anything but those same four walls— like going to the mall or the local market. Smell is perhaps our most primordial sense, so indulge it by visiting a candle shop, a bath and body store or even a coffee house.

So if the office is feeling more like a prison and less like a productive work environment, don’t hesitate to step out of it. You’ll return feeling refreshed and more creative. And don’t worry— the four walls and their strange color of paint will still be there for you.