Do You Have an Analog AND a Digital Desk?
..and what is the difference
Goal: To discuss the different styles of thinking that I use based on my desk
Like this photo above, I always have two desks in my office. It is by design that I have always had two desks. Even when I have had a cubicle, one side of the desk was treated differently than the other.
Why do I have two desks?
One of my desks is what I would label my Analog desk. The purpose of this desk, which is often a round table, is to disconnect from the internet and do some deep work.
I define deep work as work that should be done is larger blocks of time and without a computer. For me I consider this type of thinking necessary. This is the type of thinking that I do when I
- read proposals, contracts, and documents with a lot of details
- develop an execution strategy for a project
- think through planning of tasks
- review and create performance documents for projects and people
- work on my white board
These require some deep thinking without interruption. I have been fortunate to have an office with a door in my last several roles and this is the time I would close it and focus.
My second desk is what I call my digital desk. This is where I will
- write reports and emails
- prepare budgets
- execute tactics that I developed during strategy
- direct and delegate the actions of others
- communicate the status and needs for a project to stakeholders
As you can tell these activities, a sample of all I do, are very different in their nature. I change the style of thinking when I am sitting behind each one.
Most importantly, it forces me to realize that those types of tasks are different and should be done with different frame of mind. It is very hard to do both types of thinking at the same time.
I am not a believer in multi-tasking and the idea behind these desks to me is to provide that separation between the types of work in order to function more optimally. If I was sitting behind a computer, I can forget about doing some strategic thinking. It just does not happen for me.
Hopefully this article teaches you about the need for that separation. To me it is a game changer…
PRODUCT LIST 2021
My first product of the year is the t-shirt with a circle. It can be purchased at
https://teespring.com/be-adaptive?pid=212&cid=5819
My second product is MyLin app. It can be viewed following the link below:
My Third product is a clean design T-shirt available on Amazon:
