Oh, the cubicle. That noble 125 cubic feet of space you occupy during most of your waking hours. Behold the grey, the white, the laminate, the medium-density-fiberboard. How it hearkens to a thousand Ikea displays, of Nordic efficiency – of Mies van der Rohe run amok.
But seriously: who can live in the grey and the white and the beige? We are not PC’s of old – those dull beige boxes, as beautiful as cinder blocks – NO: we are individuals! multi-colored iMacs – to complete the analogy! It’s time we discuss the finer points of interior cubicle decorating.
Picture it: It’s 2012, the glorious (jetpack optional) future, and you are back at the office in the same old cubicle, and staring at the same old… everything. Blech.
Well – this New Year it’s time to de-clutter, re-organize, and en-awesome to create a fantastic fashionable environment for you to do phenomenal work. For those hoarders out there (you know who you are) with your piles of papers, forms, notepads, souvenir post-its from DEF CON 2, please consider this: filing cabinets are designed for files, and pads, and papers, and all the assorted treasures you’ve collected along the way. They’re especially handy for keeping your things at bay so they’re not overflowing onto your desk. And so we don’t have to see them. Think of this: only bring to the office what you need for work. For example, your collection of shot glasses, your empty champagne bottles, your old Starbucks cups (I know the red cup is a special time of year – but really) – these don’t tell us that you are a person of unique interests and charming personality. They tell us you should be on reality television with a therapist and a clean-up crew. Try this instead: have a few photos of family/friends, some tasteful art, maybe even a suitably chosen tschotcke to tell people all about you. You can also always find office supplies customized to your particular tastes too for whatever office vibe you’re going for. Be careful with any awards you display. We may think you’re important; we may also think you’re a jerk, and poison your coffee, or trip you during the annual firedrill.
It just takes a little bit of perception management on your part and your cubicle can be your second home. Since most of us have high traffic at our desks, it’s probably best to keep things clean and simple anyway. Mies van der Rohe had some great ideas after all: minimalism is so the new black.
