Bookshelves (08) / #100DaysToOffload

• This post is Day 8 of my #100DaysToOffload challenge. Want to get involved? Find out more at 100daystooffload.com.

Is it really so bad that the backdrop for your Zoom or Teams call, while you work at home, is a bookshelf?

If this is the natural spot you are working from, and this is the way your desk is orientated, then why is so much fuss being made of having a full, partially full, or nearly empty bookshelf behind you?

Even if it’s not, then why does the bookshelf get so much heated commentary? If you’re really paying attention to the speaker or the purpose of the meeting/call, then the backdrop shouldn’t matter at all – whether it’s someone’s bedroom, bookshelves, fake-Zoom background, the Death Star, a family photo in a sunset … it doesn’t matter.

That person is working at home, often in an environment they wouldn’t usually share with their work colleagues – under-the-stairs cubbyhole, bedroom, study, kitchen, etc. Give them support, not a hard time.

Focus on the positives, stay away from the detractors or moaners. The person sitting there talking to you is where your focus should be. Give them the credit for that, don’t judge someone on their choice (or not?) of where they work.

Photo by Aneta Pawlik on Unsplash