Movable Objects

Over the last few weeks my laptop has taken on an increasingly stationary role. I’ve pulled it away from the current set-up exactly twice–once for Write Club and an afternoon at the university, and once when it was necessary to write away from the desk due to other things going on in the flat. the rest of the time it’s sat in the same spot, with the same peripherals plugged in or attached to the bluetooth. Surrounded by the same tools, the same books, the same project notes.

After two or three years of migrating around the flat two or three times every work day, the steady routine of being able to just sit and write is surprising.

Of course, give that it’s Wednesday as this post goes live, I’m probably engaging in my once-weekly ritual of carting the computer across town to get work done.

On the downside, I’ve been in a stretch of letting my phones get smarter again. More notifications, more access to distracting stuff. Just as making the laptop less movable has had some surprising benefits, it may be time to dumb down the tools that get used for jobs that aren’t writing.