workspace wednesday | airporting
Remember when I talked about how productive I can be when I just leave the house? Well, I think I may have found my most productive workplace yet: THE AIRPORT!
As someone who is perpetually fifteen (twenty, twenty-five…) minutes behind schedule, I rarely have the opportunity to really take full advantage of the airport setting. I’m usually trying to race through security, grab a bottle of water, and get onboard before my plane leaves the runway. Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad (most of the time), but it’s not often that I get to wander through an airport and take a moment to breathe before takeoff.
On Friday morning, I had an early flight to Salt Lake and was pleasantly surprised when the usual weekend rush at LAX was nonexistent. In fact, I was able to get through security in less than three minutes – victory! So I went over to Coffee Bean and picked up coffee + oatmeal (that came with steamed milk – heaven!) and sat down to enjoy my meal. I can’t even tell you how nice that was for a change. Especially since it meant I could avoid the always-futile juggling act of lugging my carry-on suitcase, my laptop, and a large cup of hot coffee down that narrow aisle to my seat (lord beer me strength). Once it was time to take to the skies, I opened up my laptop and got to work! I edited photos, I composed a blog post, and I reveled in the fact that I could be so productive at such an early (read: 7am) hour! There’s something to be said about having to remain stationary for an extended period of time that really allows me to focus and get things done.
On Sunday when I was flying out of SLC, I had to get to the airport extra early to turn in my rental car and on top of that, my flight was delayed. But you know what? I didn’t mind it one bit. Salt Lake has a fantastic airport with plenty of tables, comfy chairs, and outlets coupled with a wide selection of dining options (including coffee! and alcohol! go utah!). I was more than happy to get my standard coffee + oatmeal and find a table where I could take advantage of the several unscheduled hours I had before me. It was kind of the best thing ever.
If I could hang out in that airport at one of the tables overlooking the runway, I would do it every single day. Ahhh, I love flying.