When I was in grad school at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA (or SLO, pronounced “slow” by the locals), one of the things I loved about the campus was all of the outdoor nooks and crannies where I could hole up and study while surrounded by trees and plants. The weather was spectacular year-round, and I took every opportunity to be outside.
What a great environment for writing! If I could, I'd tote my MacBook and a sack lunch to Cal Poly–or nearby Shell Beach!–every day and write for hours. Unfortunately, I'm a few thousand miles away, but, the longing got me thinking about my ideal office. I came up with a short list of things my perfect writing space would have.
- Lots of light, but no glare (maybe even a sky light)
- Plenty of greenery, both inside and out
- Lots of windows to let in the light, the breeze, and the view
- A great view, preferably with some water in it
- A desk at the perfect height for typing on a laptop
- A comfortable office chair
- A cozy chair for curling up to read, or taking a break from the desk (I like the one-and-a-half-sized armchairs)
- Large dry erase and magnet boards
- A tall bookshelf
I'm sure I could go on, but I really should start working on my book…
What would your ideal workspace be like?
P.S. My site's header photo is from a spot in Shell Beach (one of my favorites in the world) just below Spyglass Park. You can tell I took the photo in winter because the mountains are green instead of yellow.