I’ve been at the lab today from morning until evening, and for most of that time I have been the only one here. The atmosphere is the exact opposite of the frenzied end of semester rush of this past week.
Within the eerie silence, I have been accomplishing an enormous amount of work. I also feel calm and relaxed here today in a way I have not felt for quite a while.
This morning it really hit home to me why a lab can be such a difficult place to get work done. It isn’t the presence of other people per se, but rather the nature of how we communicate.
During the semester, at any moment somebody might need something from me — and several times every hour, somebody generally does. Yet today, it’s just the four of us here: the computer, the whiteboard, the coffee machine and me.
I am happy to report that the four of us are getting along splendidly. And a lot of work is getting done.