Touring Spaceship You

This week, I thought I’d offer a tour of the room I’ve been referring to as my Spaceship all week. Going through what’s in each station, and how I use it, might be a fun alternative to the usual post on here.

Getting Things Done – The Creation Station

The best place to start is where I spend a good portion of each day, my work desk. This is where I go while working remotely for my day job and on personal projects, like writing this post.

I’ve been referring to this as the work station throughout this series of posts, but I now prefer Grey’s original name, the creation station. The name decouples the space from the burden of work and offers its purpose as a place to get things done.

It’s a simple setup with a desk I’m borrowing from a roommate, the box from my bed, and a couple of white boards. I like having the option to sit or stand depending on how I’m feeling, though as of late it’s been a lot more sitting.

Hanging the white boards was a recent addition just before starting this trial. Before, I just had one that drifted around the room for jotting down quick notes. Now, I have one that’s used for quick note taking, and the other acts as a reminder board. The reminders consist of my goals for the year and the things I want to get done in a given day, week, and month. It’s beneficial to jot down and review notes for just about any project or goal.

Unwinding – The Recreation Station

This desk was actually where I was working for a long time before the release of the Spaceship You video. After watching it, I decided to isolate the two areas. The breakdown of that boundary being a major inspiration for starting this trial.

Since setting this area aside, I feel I’ve given myself permission to play more games. Last year around this time, I actually didn’t boot up my gaming PC for something like four months. I kept finding other ways to stay busy that I didn’t spend as much time gaming. Throughout the quarantine and general uncertainty of our times, I’ve had a lot of great times playing games of all kinds alone and with others.

Admittedly, the scale has begun to tip. A desire to start playing the game Destiny 2 again has led to some late nights. Setting limits here is something I’ve needed in the past, and I’m glad I had those in place. The biggest of which is a scheduled shutdown on my PC at 11 PM, which has been utilized more than once just this week.

While gaming on my PC is one of the frequent activities in the recreation station, I also use this desk for reading, streaming videos, and chatting with friends and family. I do spend more time watching shows or movies in the living room, but in terms of the space in my room, this is the place to do it.

Sharpen the Saw – The Exercise Station

While definitely the least used station it is far from the least useful. Having a quick and easy way to exercise all but forces me to get some kind of workout in before the day is over. Whether it’s a few bodyweight sets, pulling some resistance bands, or a yoga session, I can do something with my body that almost always has me feeling better both mentally and physically.

This time of the year does offer the added bonus of nice weather allowing for little friction in going out for a walk or run. The former is probably my favorite form of exercise. A few hours walking around the city listening to an audiobook is a nice cheat to get both reading and exercise in. My preferred walking method is to put on some instrumental music and let my mind wander to wherever it wants to go. It’s a great way to wind down a long day.

Due to being simply a rolled out yoga mat, I can “enter” the workout station whenever I need to tell myself  it’s time to work out. I’m considering leaving the mat rolled out, but I fear it will lose that intentionality of setting it out at exercise time.

I like being able to keep nearly all my gear in a single section of a small shelf. The only exception is a door frame pull-up bar that I need to use on a frame downstairs.

Closing it Down – The Sleep Station

Sleep is one of the most important things we can do to improve our health, productivity, and mood. That impact is the reason that I set a goal to fall asleep faster at the beginning of this trial. Often abused for playing, watching, and reading, my bed became just a thing in my room, not a place for sleep.

About a year ago, I changed my bed from a large memory foam mattress to this small Japanese style futon. It was an interesting change that took some adjustment, but after that trial period, I really enjoy sleeping on it.

One benefit to the futon mattress is that it’s hard to use without intention. Western style mattresses are so tall that it can be easy to sit on it for one thing, and next thing you know it, you’re laying down. It’s a bit more of a challenge to get down on the floor to just hang out without planning on laying down.