One room. One large window. White-shelved walls. Two identical work spaces.

     This is what Amira, my sister, and I saw when we walked into our new office for the first time after moving in. The space had two identical desk areas, shelves wrapping around the walls. Amira, being older, had first pick and chose the side with more desk space, luckily leaving me with the window space.

     Over the years, we’ve made each side our own in different ways. Our office spaces might have looked the same 5 years ago, empty, but today, they are two distinct sides. 

     My office space is further from the doors than Amira’s. Most days my desk is clean and organized. Various mugs and cups hold markers, highlighters, pens, and pencils. On my magnet board, I display quotes, drawings, paintings, and song lyrics. 

     If you look up from my desk, you’ll find my center shelves holding certificates, photo frames and artwork I’ve received from my friends. Origami, stacked rocks, decorative erasers, painted cd’s, and sticky note doodles all sit in front of these larger items.

     To the sides are more shelves. I keep various sketchbooks and planners to the right side, and hold journals, planners, and folders for projects on the left. 

     At this point, there are more shelves than I know what to do with. Because even further to the left are more shelves, where you’ll find art supplies, watercolor paintings, more gifts from friends, and pottery projects from the past. More to the right is where the window is. I always keep the window blinds open, and the window seat bench stores loose papers, folders, and sweatshirts.

     Then there’s Amira’s side. School binders, notebooks, and folders fill every shelf. More binders, more notebooks, and more folders cover her desk. Loose papers scatter about her space. Certificates, awards, and 2 baby photos are on display. Pens, pencils, and a handful of trinkets from me are stored in a plastic holder.

     Now it might be that I had more to say about my desk area because it’s mine, and I have more attention to detail to my side than hers. This is probably true, but anyone looking at our desk spaces would be able to see that Amira’s is focused primarily around work, while mine is more focused around life. 

     While I don’t think that one approach to decorating is necessarily “better” than the other, I do believe that it significantly impacts how we work.

     When I get home from school, I will go upstairs to the office. I’ll first do any “easy” homework or tasks I need to complete. Then I’ll walk around downstairs and go back up to the office to take notes or make a to-do list. I’ll start on a “harder” assignment and then go downstairs to get water or talk to my mom. Down to practice piano, back up to the office. Down to work out, and back up to the office. I’m in and out of the office a lot, and when I’m up there, I don’t just work on schoolwork. Sometimes I’m working, sometimes I’m planning, sometimes I’m creating, and sometimes I’m just having fun. 

     Meanwhile, Amira will get home, go to the office, shut the door, and won’t leave until her work is done. How long is that? It could be anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours. Multiple times a week, Amira goes to Gallery Row, a coffee shop downtown, to get a “change of scenery”.  

     I’ve never felt like needing to work somewhere else for a change of scenery, and I think this is partly caused by the way I’ve chosen to decorate. When I’m sitting at my desk, I’m surrounded by things I love. When Amira is sitting at her desk, she’s surrounded by work. She might choose to work at Gallery Row as a way to escape the all-work environment she’s created at home. 

    I think the differences in our working styles is partly due to our office spaces. When I’m in the office, my outside life and office work are interconnected through the environment I’ve created. However, Amira’s space creates a separation from her work life and outside life. This difference has influenced the way we approach work: I tend to go back and forth often between my work and activities, while Amira likes to focus on one thing at a time for long periods, keeping work and activities separate.

     The ways in which we’ve chosen to fill our office space reflect our personality types and work styles. However, it’s important to note that the choices we’ve made in shaping our space have, in turn, shaped our daily habits and routines. From this, workplaces don’t just reflect who we are as workers; they can also shape who we are while working.