Q. What does my ideal working space look like?
Every week, we share a new question you can add to your Manual of Me, a tool designed to help you explore and understand how you work best with others. We’re currently posting questions from the Manual of Me: At Home edition, designed to help us work better together whilst apart, due to COVID.
As we think about what 'returning to work' looks like, we need to redesign physical spaces to enable us to work together better, whether that be from a shared space or remotely.
This exercise is about visualising the things in your workspace that are important to you - not just physical objects, but those things which help you be you - people, light, sounds, experiences.
How to find your answer:
1. This is a drawing exercise, so make sure you're grabbing a piece of paper and pencil, rather than typing.
2. Start by listing all of the things you feel you need in a workspace - they might be practical, like a chair, a laptop.
3. Then add all the things you'd want in a workspace - these might be idealistic, but that's okay. A huge breakout room, free lunch, beanbags.
4. Then list all of things you must consider too - perhaps you have children, or you need special access adjustments.
5. Finally add some really random things which make you happy - ice cream parlour, a dog, holographic xbox projector.
6. Now, flip the paper over and select a handful of the items from above and draw a layout of your workspace. Don't worry about drawing skills - this isn't art class.
7. Think about the things you’ve drawn and included in your space - why are they important to you, what is missing that’s critical from your current workspace, and what (from the more fun items) would you want to make happen, and why?
Answer this question yourself, and send it to your team, so they can answer too!
Manual of Me. is a tool to help you work better together with others.
We’re looking for beta testers for our new Manual of Me for Teams. You’ll get free access to the platform, in return for helping us shape the experience. Join the waitlist here, and we’ll get you onboarded.