Until a few weeks ago I had never had an office of my own. Sure, I had shared some office space with a number of graduate students ranging from two to twenty, but I never had a desk, computer, or chair dedicated solely to my own use.
It is nice.
At my old university, office space was at a premium, especially for graduate students. At my undergraduate institution it was even worse, with faculty members in a number of departments sharing office space. I haven’t actually seen the offices of faculty members in any other departments at my new place of employment, but I’ve been told that ours are among the nicest. My current office is about 50% larger than that of my undergraduate mentor, who had his own office but no window, and maybe 30% larger than that of my dissertation chair.
One function of having so much space is that what appeared to be a sizable academic book collection last year in my apartment leaves leagues of empty space on my office shelves. I am hoping that another function of having my own office will be greatly increased productivity. I have already found myself working in my office during the afternoon and wishing I could take a nap. At home, I would have. In my office… so far, so good.
Of course, should I ever feel overwhelmed by the need for a quick nap, I do have a door. It sure beats this:
Image from Scanners. The link also includes other iconic office settings.
Memoirs of a SLACer 
[…] of the opportunity afforded by a space with no couch on which to nap. Now that I’ve had my own office for over six months, I can report that conforming to a regular work schedule has allowed me to be […]
[…] my current institution, the entire department had moved and received new furniture a few years before I began, so I […]
[…] been cleaning out my office as I prepare to transition to another institution. When I moved into my current office I had just completed my dissertation, which prevented me from taking the time I should have to weed […]