Summary
- Adding a TV to my office would let me put news or ambient visuals on during the workday, alternately helping me keep up to date or stay calm.
- In an ideal world, I’d be able to hook up a game console for weekend fun, or watch movies and TV shows during short work breaks.
- I’d also like the option of watching movies and routines during home workouts, although I really need a full-scale gym at this point to match my lifting ambitions.
One of the subtle aspects of my job is managing distractions. I do, of course, need to maintain enough focus to research and write my pieces, which can be tough on a good day. Without something to liven things up, however, it would be tough to muster the will to write day-in and day-out. Smart lights make my office more visually appealing, and my entire day is set to a soundtrack on Spotify. If you’re curious about what I listen to, it’s usually material from my Release Radar mixed in with a million different genres, from ambient through to power electronics.
Something I haven’t risked so far is putting a TV in my office. Cost aside, that would potentially be the death of my productivity. But there are some obvious incentives to get one, some of which might at least nominally have a productive side as well. We’ll see — maybe I’ll make the leap once focus is no longer a major concern. You may have better luck with these ideas.
Hooking up a game console
Time for a well-deserved break?
For a lot of people, their office is really a multi-purpose space. Sure, they might use it to get some work done, but they also want to relax there during off hours. And one of the main forms of entertainment these days is gaming — an evening playing Hades II can be just as worthwhile as catching a couple of episodes of Andor or Curb Your Enthusiasm. It’s certainly more mentally stimulating than America’s Got Talent or another home renovation show.
You can connect a console directly to your PC monitor, but the advantage of a TV hookup is a dedicated screen, eliminating the need to switch inputs. TVs are typically larger than monitors, too, which allows for a “lean-back” experience with a gamepad. In my dream office, I might combine a TV with a couch or a beanbag chair for those rare moments when I get to unwind.
Keeping tabs on the news
Cable TV or otherwise
Being a tech journalist, part of my job involves keeping tabs on industry developments, and not just the ones that come across my inbox. On top of scanning web feeds, I’ll sometimes put radio and video news on in the background while I’m handling other tasks. I never know when something in the wider world is going to affect mine. During my morning shower and shave, one combo I like is following up NPR’s Up First podcast with Reuters TV. That might sound depressing to some of you, but I’d be even more worried if I was out of the loop.
A TV would let me play video news without it hijacking my laptop or iPad displays, though that might just create an unnecessary distraction. Alternately, I could mirror my iPad to the TV, and keep at least one news-related app going alongside things like WhatsApp or Philips Hue. It would certainly be easier to read news feeds on a 43-inch 4K set than on an 11-inch iPad, even though I can bring a tablet closer to my chair. I’d also rather watch Apple and Google’s press events that way.
Ambient sounds and visuals
Aid to troubled minds
Every night, I cast a custom YouTube playlist to my Nest Hub when I go to bed. The first video or two will be something I expect to stay awake for — say, something about electric unicycles, or the latest episode of Best of the Worst — but everything else is designed to lull me to sleep and keep me that way, such as old episodes of MST3K or the Joy of Painting. The sledgehammer in my arsenal is always an ambient video — ocean waves breaking on cliffs, for example, or someone taking a rainy night walk through Tokyo or Savannah.
I’m an anxious person, so I’d probably benefit from ambient sounds and visuals during the workday too. That’s especially true now that I live in Alberta instead of Texas — Canadian winters can be brutal, so anything that reminds me of warmer places is a welcome antidote. If I can move to the Pacific northwest day, I might just enjoy the rain hitting my window instead.
Taking a movie break
Or more likely, a TV show break
Realistically, I rarely ever have the time to take a break that isn’t lunch, in which case I’m more likely to go sit down in the dining room than bring food back to my desk. Burnout is a real concern, however, and sometimes, there’s nothing I would love more than to be able to put on a movie or TV show for 30 minutes while I rest. It might seem strange, one of the things that soothes is putting on an ’80s action movie — something like Cobra or Conan the Barbarian will do the trick. Failing that, I might use the time to catch up on shows like Alien: Earth.
Hypothetically, it might even result in better productivity on the flip side. The real catch would be setting up the right furniture. I’d rather watch a movie on a couch or loveseat than sitting bolt upright in a swivel chair, but my office is pretty cramped, and finding the room for both a new TV and new furniture would be a challenge — never mind the budget.
Stay-at-home fitness
Both a fallback and a dream
Normally, working out at home isn’t the best option for me. My main hobby is weightlifting, and without a power rack and a deadlift platform, a home session just can’t compare to what I can achieve at the gym. I doubt my neighbors would be too pleased with me dropping hundreds of pounds over and over, anyway.
Some exercise is better than none when I’m sick or pressed for time though. If there isn’t a specific routine I want to follow on YouTube, I’ll put on a movie. That’s how I saw the first four Rocky releases, as well as multiple Bond movies, and even some dramas and comedies.
You might be wondering why I’m not considering a subscription service like Peloton or Apple Fitness+. That’s a valid question, and the answer is simple: you won’t find a standalone subscription service that goes beyond entry-level strength training. With a smart gym package like Tonal, you might reach the intermediate range, but even then they’re not about to teach you advanced powerlifting techniques.
