Step into my Soft Office

Desk? I don't know her.

When I was a teenager, the desk in my bedroom was a sacred space. Neatly tucked into a corner of my bedroom, it was the site of many hours of writing, drawing, planning, daydreaming and more than one emotional breakdown over trigonometry. The wall above the desk was covered in a collage of cards, drawings, photos, lucky charms, motivational quotes and all sorts of ephemera from my teenage and early adult life. The desk itself was also stacked with books and stationery, a mix of school or uni work and an ever-growing To Be Read pile. This corner of my bedroom was my personality, my interests and my creativity come to life. I would spend hours in the chair, scribbling away, feeling productive and inspired while I drew up grand plans and steered towards the future from my own eclectic, messy flightdeck.

My teenage and early 20s desk, hidden in a decade-deep scroll of my IG.

Cut to today. My current desk is out of commission. The second bedroom in our flat is used as an office, spare room and, like many spare rooms when they’re not in use and storage is at a premium, a general dumping ground. Current contents of the spare room include a mountain of clothes waiting to be Vinted-ed and a dismantled sofa, not to mention other general shite that just piles up when you’re short on time and energy.

Because I have been short on both of those things recently. April was a mental month (anyone else?). Every weekend was booked up with appointments, a hen do, work, birthdays, family events. Every week day was filled with more work, plus the ongoing work of living: food shopping, cleaning, cooking, eating, exercising, socialising, getting enough sleep so you can get up and do it all again the next day…throw in a two week-long bout of flu and that was basically the month done. Even as May is making its sunny, springy presence felt, reverting the spare room to a work-friendly zone is still way, way, way down on the priority list.

So, where’s a gal to work from?

Answer: the Soft Office.

The Soft Office is not my invention, but I am fully sinking into its cosy, pillowy arms. Sometimes known as WFB (Working From Bed) or the Couch Desk, the Soft Office gets a bad rap. There are plenty who think that working from the same place that you relax in is demotivating, distracting and Not Good For You. I would argue that plenty of communal offices could be described in the same way…

It’s true: the Soft Office is all about comfort, though not necessarily relaxation. When I’m tired, short on time or just can’t be arsed, but still need to crack on with some work, I’m looking for anything that makes getting into focus and flow as easy as possible. This is where the Soft Office comes into its own. Prop me up on some cushions with a blanket and a cup of tea within reach and I’ll have that article written before you can say ‘ergonomic lumbar support chair’.

Both my Day Job and freelance work involve a lot of writing i.e. hours spent hunched, prawn-like, over a computer screen, usually at a desk. Sadly, the vast majority of office furniture and I are not compatible. I am barely grazing five foot one, with a short body and (proportionally, though not actually) long legs. Desks are either too high or too low. ‘Supportive’ chairs seem to be built for bodies that need supporting in a different way to mine. The one time I’ve ever had a ‘safe workspace assessment’ in a job, my chair had to be tilted so far forward I was basically standing. None of this lends itself to focused periods of concentration. All I’m thinking about is then next time I get to stretch my legs en route to the kitchen for another coffee.

This is why, when I come home to start work on my second job, I am relieved to be taken into the 15-tog embrace of the Soft Office. That’s not to say that my workspace in the actual office isn’t as special as the one I had in my teenage bedroom. I’ve added some bits of art and photos, plus there’s usually a bunch of flowers and a nice candle burning close by. But it’s also a shared space and right now, we need the storage more than we need a tidy table to work from. Add to this the arrival of our new sofa and I’m even less inclined to do any tidying. The Soft Office has had an upgrade in our house, so it would amiss not to enjoy it for a bit. The carnage of the spare room can wait another day or two.

The desk in the spare room when its not covered in clothes for Vinted; a snap of the new and improved Soft Office.

Now, physios and occupational therapists, please don’t come for me. I know, I know, long periods of time spent working from bed or a sofa aren’t necessarily good for you. But neither are long periods in a squeaky office chair with one dodgy wheel and overhead LED panels. Sometimes I just need a squishy pillow or four and some good task lighting to get my work done. And anyway, I’ve just discovered Yoga with Adriene’s Yoga For Writers, so that’ll keep any Soft Office-induced back problems at bay, right?