One day, while staring deep into the lava lamp on my desk (and avoiding work), I wondered what do others have on their desks. Is a lava lamp unusual? How long to people spend at their desks? What is their view like? I bet folks have some unique memorabilia they keep in their space…and I wanted to know all about it. If you want to feature your desk, don’t be afraid to reach out to me. In the meantime, read on to see what Nick Pinizzotto has on his desk at his home office. Nick has been a long-time supporter of me and my work, so I’m pleased to have him be our inaugural feature. All photos are by Nick. – Michelle Scheuermann, editor, Archery Wire.
Nick, explain a few noteworthy items on/around your desk – why are they there?
I have a few noteworthy items, but what stands out is a clock that my brother got me when I was best man in his wedding. It has a message engraved on it that says “No matter where in the world you are, you will always be my best man.” I travel a lot, so the message is perfect. I also have the most recent art project from my two year old hanging on my wall, as well as a really cool steel road sign from my undergraduate university. I didn’t steal it! It was purchased at an auction. And who doesn’t need an “easy” button from Staples?
Give the readers a little written ‘tour’ of your office. Explain where it is located (house, office) – where does it overlook – and how large is the space?
I am fortunate (or unfortunate) to work from home, so I don’t have a daily commute to the office. My office is on the third floor of the house in a pretty unique space. The house will be 100 years old this year, so there are some cool spaces that aren’t your typical rectangular layout. The walls slope from about mid-wall to the ceiling, so if I’m not careful I hit my head on them. Yes, it happens on the regular. There is a decent-sized closet and two storage areas that are part of the attic. I live in a small college town of about 15,000 people, so one window overlooks the back yard and there’s a decent view of some of the older homes and buildings, while the other window has a bit of a secluded view thanks to some large pine trees. For some reason I have three desks in the room, but one of them is just a catch-all and I should probably get rid of it. My main desks are old, solid wood models that also came from the auction that my sign came from. They’re not pretty, but they’re rock solid. I’m planning to refinish them this summer.
How much time do you spend in your office?
When I’m not traveling, I’m in my office a solid six to eight hours on a regular work day. I also have other personal interests that can sometimes put me in there for longer at my other computer. When the weather is nicer, I’ll get out of the office and spend time working from the back patio, and I’ve also taken advantage of free WiFi at a local coffee shop from time to time. It’s good to break it up a bit.
What’s a typical workday for you??
I’m not sure I have a typical day because of travel and other things that come up, but ideally I’m at the gym at 5:30 a.m., and then starting work by 7:30 a.m. I’m way better in the morning than the afternoon! Coffee intake is usually wrapped up by 10 a.m. unless my son didn’t have a great night of sleep. I usually take a brief lunch break, and better than 50% of the time I’m eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If I’m feeling really crazy I’ll walk down town and grab something “fancy” for my wife and I, who also works from home. Yes, we see a lot of each other, and I feel bad for her for having to put up with me. I like to wrap up by no later than 4:30 p.m., but sometimes it’s a little sooner or later.
Working from home has it’s disadvantages, which many people don’t talk about. Your work is always just a few steps away, and I have a really bad habit of feeling like I need to respond to things that pop up on my phone no matter what hour of the day it is. I also find that I edit the NDA On Watch newsletter after hours, as well as the Coffee and Deer Show. It’s hard to squeeze those in during the regular business day. I have a poster in my closet titled “Working From Home is Both Awesome and Horrible,” which I reread for entertainment on occasion.