Backstory: This is about shaking things up. Getting out of the routine (aka rut). Nudging myself, literally, out of the nest of my own making.

I work from an office in our home. I love doing this, but I have to be hyper-aware of the toll isolation takes on me. In previous years, I made a point of going out to lunch once a week with a client to make sure I had human contact. It’s a little harder to do now because most of my clients are remote. (One of my all-time favorite clients lives in Detroit.) I spend all day, every day, on a computer, communicating with friends, family, and clients through emails and text messages. When I start talking with my Head of Security (Louie, the dog) and expecting him to answer, I know I have to get out.

Maybe I’ll take my laptop to a coffeehouse. Maybe I’ll take a folder and review it in the park (sitting in my car, if the weather is too chilly). Maybe this is the week I check out the other nearby library branch, to see if they have a cool workspace.

What Happened: I’m writing this from a coffeehouse down the street. I got out, I walked here. I fired up my laptop and was immediately annoyed by the loud music. “I’ll never get anything done here!!!” I lamented—silently, of course. And then I started working and tuned everything out. I sipped a delish mocha, I reviewed some notes for a project, I did some research for an upcoming interview.

You know what was really nice? I could only work on the three things I brought with me. When I’m home, I’m easily distracted by the phones, the pinging emails and text messages, the dog, the stack of files that need to be filed, the to do lists on my desk and white board and desk top. Here it’s just me, my laptop, and my thoughts.

The Ah-Ha: That bit about No Distractions. Among the three projects I brought with me is something I’ve been putting on the backburner while other tasks took priority. Here I have no choice but to focus on this one thing. Hmmm. There’s something here that needs further examination.