Backing Up a Campus Email Account: GMail, iCal, and a Desktop Application

August 6, 2010, 08:00 AM ET

How is Your Workspace Furnished?

Recently the Chronicle ran a column asking “Do All Faculty Members Really Need Private Offices?” Over 100 comments and several pages of discussion on the CHE Forums suggest that having a “Room of One’s Own” is an important part of the job for many academics. But if you are lucky enough to have a room of your own, what do you put in it?

How we arrange our workspaces can make the difference between a productive afternoon and an unproductive one. It can enable us to work free from distraction. It can provide us with a surface or surfaces on which to spread our research materials as we work on that manuscript. Lastly, it can provide us with a place to store our books, our research, and the stacks of papers that we must retain for a semester (or sometimes an academic year) after a class has ended.

My college provides us with a desk, a computer, 2 chairs (an ergonomic one for me, one for visitors), file cabinets, and a few bookshelves. I supplemented these furnishings with a few items of my own. First and foremost, I have an electric kettle. I drink a lot of tea, and having the kettle means that I can just walk down the hall to the water fountain any time I need a caffeine fix. I brought in another chair, this one from IKEA, which gives me a comfortable place to grade papers away from the computer. One of my colleagues graciously brought in a rug, which she can’t use anymore. Finally, I have a few African violets. They’re pretty and fairly easy to take care of. Even so, my space is still rather Spartan; I haven’t hung anything on the walls yet, and most of my books are still at home.

Probably the most important fixture in the office is the ergonomic desk chair. I spend several hours a week in my office. During the vast majority of them, my butt is planted in that chair, whether conferencing with students, prepping for class, or grading papers. The ergonomic chair has been very helpful in lessening lower-back strain.

Faculty at other institutions might be given a budget and left to make their own decisions about how to furnish their workspace. Many colleges and universities prefer a kind of uniformity across their campuses, so faculty might get to choose their own chairs, but all use the same desk. Or perhaps you can choose the color of your office paint, but you must select from a palette approved by the Physical Plant personnel. Or perhaps all offices on your campus are identical: same furniture, same paint, same square footage, and same layout.

Not all academics, however, are lucky enough to have their own offices. Many graduate students and adjunct faculty share their campus workspace. In these situations, the choices as to what furnishings an office might have are certainly more limited. Nevertheless, there are things that you can do to make a workspace more pleasant and productive. You might adopt a plant or two. You might bring in a picture of your dog or your family. You might bring in a lamp to improve the lighting.

How is your office furnished? How much discretion do you have in making these decisions? What items are most important to you? Please share in the comments section below.

[Creative Commons licensed photo by Flickr user Alex E. Proimos.]

E-mail

Comments

1. heatherwhitney - August 06, 2010 at 10:12 am

I love talking about workspaces and how design can affect our work. We just moved into our new science building on campus, and were provided with a desk chair, bookshelves, two filing cabinets, a white board, two visitor's chairs, and some closed shelving. I hear that a lamp might be arriving soon. All of these things were arranged in the design of the new building. My colleagues got to choose their office colors from a set palette, but that decision was made for my office before I was hired. But I am happy with the color, and it's nice that we have variety between offices.

At my previous institution, I had hand-me-down office furniture, either from the campus or from acquaintances who had retired and gave me their office furniture.

Personally, I've brought in the Orgel table lamp from IKEA , happily just $9.99. I too keep an electric kettle and stash of tea in my office. A treasured item is the big captain's chair my adviser gave me when I finished my Ph.D. It's got my Ph.D. institution's logo engraved on it, as well as my name and the name of my lab. People seem to really take notice of it and it's comfortable for visitors to sit in.

Other than that I'm starting to collect brightly colored block prints. I just picked up this print on Etsy and am really pleased with it.

Thanks for the suggestion on plants! I definitely need to add a few.

2. michaelnelson - August 06, 2010 at 10:56 am

This sounds like a good thread. It reminds me of Lifehacker's series of posts on home offices and workspaces (complete with pictures and contests). If I get to my office before taking off for vacation, I'll try posting a photo. Offices on our campus are pretty eclectic. Not everyone is given exactly the same thing, and while they are usually reasonable about meeting basic needs (desk, chair, filing cabinet, bookshelves), you are just as likely to get an old piece of furniture as something new.

I actually have a question for readers, which is whether we should in fact think about being more innovative with our workplaces. I often find myself drooling over the pictures of Google and Pixar's workspaces. And while their businesses probably require higher levels of collaboration amongst workers (and hence less emphasis on the private office), I do see my field of political science moving in that direction.

So how about it. Does anyone else have an interest in seeing an academic workspace that looks like these:

http://positivesharing.com/2006/10/10-seeeeeriously-cool-workplaces/

3. peril - August 06, 2010 at 11:22 am

white desk, provided anti-static chair, Cisco phone, and extra LCD for my personal macbook pro. The laptop sits on one of those elivator things with a paper bin under it which holds what "work". More often it feels like a second, smaller, recycling bin...
The walls are faily baren save for a penny-arcade comic and some birthday cards standing on the powerstrip railing. I could put things up, but never seem to remember when I have things on hand.

The coffee machine gets a fair amount of use- it keeps me from killing students and users alike ;) My iPad stands on the edge of the desk flipping through photos.

It's a smaller work area, but then I'm a grad student so I'm happy to have it :)

4. danquigs - August 06, 2010 at 11:34 am

I have the standard stuff...hand me down desk, small filing cabinet from the school.

Two items that I brought in are a "Santa Chair"...wide enough wing back for an adult and child to sit and read together...something I used to do when the kids were younger and the chair was at home. I bought it at a thrift store over 20 years ago while in South Bend for about $20. I thought it would be a great place to do all the reading as a started the dissertation process. I never could use it for that, as I habitually fell asleep in it...which is its current role in my office...

I also abhor overhead florescent light, so I have two desk top lamps that, along with light from the window, allow me to light my office without the harsh light from above.

5. ryancordell - August 06, 2010 at 11:57 am

My office is in writing center in the library, which is the newest building on campus, and is more like some of the cool spaces michaelnelson posted than most academic spaces I've inhabited:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/492930/WCphoto.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/492930/WCphoto2.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/492930/WCphoto3.JPG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/492930/WCphoto4.JPG

The 4th photo is my actual office. I love all the light in the room--I usually don't need to turn on the overhead lights at all. The exercise ball you see there is my primary chair. I'm still looking to spruce this up and personalize it a bit. Looking for ideas here!

6. ryancordell - August 06, 2010 at 12:18 pm

Though I have to say, Pixar looks like an amazing space/place to work.

7. eetempleton - August 06, 2010 at 06:17 pm

Thanks for the link, michaelnelson--some great spaces (though I don't think I would be very productive in the one that look like a dollhouse. I need clean and minimalist. Unfortunately, I'm in an older building on campus, so there's only so much that I can do.

@danquigs: I abhor overhead lighting too. I should buy a few inexpensive lamps. It just never occurred to me until reading your comment. The right lamps can make a really big difference both in the quality of light as well as the decor.

8. sdblogger - August 07, 2010 at 01:31 am

I have a mini-frig that keeps me going! And, I also have an electric kettle, tea and sometimes snacks (if I bring in holiday left-overs) that I offer to students or co-workers who stop in.

9. dwilliams5 - August 09, 2010 at 08:58 am

gave away my desk and desk chair, brought in my old recliner from home, picked up a small sofa, two chairs and a side table from an retiring faculty member, then there are floor to ceiling bookshelves on one wall, and half height bookshelves on two others. Laptops + a commitment to having conversations with people when they came into my office made that setup workable and enjoyable.

10. nklein - August 09, 2010 at 11:25 am

Our university has very little display space for its considerable art collection. Faculty and staff are allowed to browse and select pieces of art that are then brought to our offices and professionally installed. When you are tired of them, you can pick out different pieces. It has allowed me to decorate what would be a very spartan office space and visitors often comment on the art.

11. tcstanley - August 09, 2010 at 12:47 pm

My office is a scant bigger than others because I am a library director, but we have exactly the same grey industrial furniture. When I first started here my desk was set up so my back was to the door - not very inviting. So I moved my computer and could greet students. Then when I moved up, I wanted the desk moved so my L was facing the door - again to greet students. (facilities not happy)

The big kicker was after we moved back from a Title V renovation, the other librarians asked to have their desks rotated so they too would be facing the door and we were told it couldn't be done! I pointed out that other faculty had done it. I even had a floorplan drawn up to indicate a 90 degree rotation. Finally, they agreed to "try it" and of course all worked out.

I do add alot of personal touches. I have a bright pink boa around my white board. I have 2 plants. Colorful magnets (some with pictures). I am slowly bringing my library from home in. (Just finished my final defense for my dissertation, so more useful to me here.) I plan on putting up a wallhanging (small quilt I made) and a Vermeer print. Of course a microwave and coffeemaker. Oh, and I too have brought in a (red) Ikea chair. (Our chairs are over 10 years old and comfort level is near zero!)

I am here more than at home, so trying to make it more appealing to both myself and students.

12. lnava - August 09, 2010 at 04:02 pm

My office is quite comfortable and well lived in -- I've got a blue accent wall, where I've hung some of my favorite art from Diego Rivera, Gauguin and Hiroshige. There's also ethnic art that I've received from friends and family as they've traveled -- everything from African batik to Filipino tribal sculptures to Venetian glass. I've also got several family photos, playful toys that help others de-stress, a beautiful glass water carafe and a scented candle that serves as aromatherapy when needed.

But, the one thing I probably couldn't live without is the small space heater under my desk -- it gets entirely too cold in my building and it helps me defrost my feet and fingers when needed!

13. annm1363 - August 09, 2010 at 11:58 pm

I have two tanks, one with a fish (a beta) and the other with two frogs named Type I and Type II. I asked someone in HR how many different types of creatures you can have before being considered 'eccentric'. She says it is not so much the number as the type, "If you had one full-grown alligator in your office you would be considered eccentric." So, I guess I am okay.

14. kendye - August 10, 2010 at 04:10 am

Great office... Floor to ceiling bookcases, fireplace, custom desk for computers and audio gear

Nice windows with a view. Swiss expresso machine next door.

15. kendye - August 10, 2010 at 04:32 am

Whoops...

Clarification... its my kitchen table...