Mike Kim

Live Your Message. Love Your Work. Leave Your Mark On The World.

BEWARE: The Entrepreneur’s Most Lethal Household Item

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If you’re an entrepreneur, chances are you’ll spend at least some portion of your time working at home. The temptation is to work in the most familiar and leisurely places of your house. I recommend against it. Behold the entrepreneur’s most lethal household item…

The couch.

Beware the couch.

Beware this cushioned cathedra of cozy complacency! 

You and your couch have a history. Like mine, it’s probably not a good one:

  • My couch is comfortable. Too comfortable.
  • My couch is safe. Too safe.
  • My couch is the pew from whence I worship the television.
  • My couch is where I eat unhealthy food. (No gourmet meals are served at my couch)
  • My couch is a place of rest. Unrestful rest.

Yes, rest is a weapon. But safety, comfort, TV, and unrestful “rest” isn’t what you need to reach the next level. (Not sure about you, but sleeping on my couch is never as restful as sleeping in my bed). You need bravery. Courage. Attitude. Efficiency. Hustle.

The challenge of working from home…is working from home.

The psychological associations we have with our couches are powerful. Not all of it is bad, of course. I treasure the conversations I’ve had with friends and family on the couch. It’s just not conducive to productive work. Instead of trying to rewrite history by turning my couch into a workspace, I’ve started a new history by:

  • working at my dining table (we never eat there)
  • working on the balcony
  • using the top counter of our stairwell as a standing desk

Associating these locations with work has been a simple and powerful tool. Sitting has some nasty physical effects to boot. Look at these alarming stats:

  • Sitting six or more hours a day equates to a 40% increase you’ll die within 15 years compared to someone who only sits for 3 hours a day.
  • People that sit for 3 or more hours a day watching TV are 64% more likely to die from heart disease than those who do less.

I haven’t yet totally adopted the “standing desk” phenomenon. But I have put the kibosh on working from my couch. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Question:  Where do you do your most productive work?