Nicholas Bate

Zen & The Art of Cubicle Freedom: handy, free, downloadable pdf.

Zen & The Art of Cubicle Freedom . Print. Tape into book. Read daily in coffee shop pre-work. Plan escape.

From Cubicle to Freedom 7

The back story:

Cubicle to Freedom 1

Cubicle to Freedom 2

Cubicle to Freedom 3

Cubicle to Freedom 4

Cubicle to Freedom 5

Cubicle to Freedom 6

Our Manifesto

Zen and the Art of Cubicle Freedom: print and place at eye level in cubicle.

1. I am not my cubicle.
2. My cubicle may limit me physically but it cannot do so mentally.
3. Every day I will work on my cubicle escape plan.
4. My plan requires an idea. I can find one.
5. My plan requires courage. I can build such courage.
6. My plan requires action. I am committed to such.
7. I am not my cubicle.

I am not my cubicle...

I am not my cubicle. I am not my e-mail address. I am certainly not my security badge encircling my neck like a small child on a school trip to the zoo. I am definitely not the photo on that badge. I am not my regular lasagne and salad in the staff canteen. I am not the back seat on the shuttle bus from the station to the offices. I am not my medium latte, extra shot, dash of vanilla. I am not the guy staring out the window from the eighth floor wondering where did a decade go? I am not the zombie sitting in the Tuesday 0930-1100 project meeting. I am not the guy who keeps missing his daughter's bath time and his son's junior football because of poor planning by the Head Office. I am not the guy who thought my health was an appropriate cost to pay for a fancy job title. I am not my job grade. I am not my 'look after it carefully' wrist-band to the staff party. I am not my rejected strategic plan. I am not the five billion unread slide-decks sitting on my lap-top. I am not even my limited edition corporate logo emblazoned Moleskine. I am not the feed-back given to me at the bell-curve adjusted quarterly review. I am not my 'adjusted-just-for-me' office chair. I am not my tea mug in the cupboard in the galley kitchen. I am not the 'handed down' values.

I am a free person and I will start thinking for myself again.

From Cubicle To Freedom 6

The back story:

Cubicle to Freedom 1

Cubicle to Freedom 2

Cubicle to Freedom 3

Cubicle to Freedom 4

Cubicle to Freedom 5

Our Manifesto

Zen and the Art of Cubicle Freedom: print and place at eye level in cubicle.

1. I am not my cubicle.
2. My cubicle may limit me physically but it cannot do so mentally.
3. Every day I will work on my cubicle escape plan.
4. My plan requires an idea. I can find one.
5. My plan requires courage. I can build such courage.
6. My plan requires action. I am committed to such.
7. I am not my cubicle.

And how do we get action (6)?

By making it a habit. Like brushing your teeth. Or checking your stock price. Or walking the dog. By starting small. By starting easy. By reminding yourself why it is critical. By not expecting it to be easy. By not listening to the 'nay-sayers'. By getting up when you fall. By trying again. By trying another approach. By making it even smaller. By making it a habit.

That's how we get action. For stage 6. Of our cubicle escape plan.

Cubicle to Freedom 5

The back story:

Cubicle to Freedom 1

Cubicle to Freedom 2

Cubicle to Freedom 3

Cubicle to Freedom 4

Our Manifesto

Zen and the Art of Cubicle Freedom: print and place at eye level in cubicle.

1. I am not my cubicle.
2. My cubicle may limit me physically but it cannot do so mentally.
3. Every day I will work on my cubicle escape plan.
4. My plan requires an idea. I can find one.
5. My plan requires courage. I can build such courage.
6. My plan requires action. I am committed to such.
7. I am not my cubicle.

And how do we get courage (5)?

By getting good at something. Really good. Rock star good. It doesn't really matter whether it is making bread, making music, parenting, football or archery. Or writing or drawing or thinking or sewing or knitting or cooking. Or leading. Or selling. But no longer playing. No longer amateur. No longer a kid. Growing up and excelling. Once we have that brilliance at something it gives us courage to step into an area where we know we need to learn. But with courage we can learn fast. Very fast indeed. By waking up. By getting real. By taking action.

That's how we get courage. For stage 5. Of our cubicle escape plan.

From Cubicle To Freedom, 4

The back story:

Cubicle to Freedom 1

Cubicle to Freedom 2

Cubicle to Freedom 3

Our Manifesto

Zen and the Art of Cubicle Freedom: print and place at eye level in cubicle.

1. I am not my cubicle.
2. My cubicle may limit me physically but it cannot do so mentally.
3. Every day I will work on my cubicle escape plan.
4. My plan requires an idea. I can find one.
5. My plan requires courage. I can build such courage.
6. My plan requires action. I am committed to such.
7. I am not my cubicle.

And how do we get that breakthrough idea (4)?

By believing in ourselves. By dreaming. But not by hallucinating. By giving ourselves permission to take a break every day and think. To write like we have never written before until the hand aches or the typing fingers are blistered. To enhance clearer thinking by gulping fresh air, looking up and staring at a star studded sky and realising it all started out there somewhere. To reduce hallucination by reducing drastically corn syrup laden sodas, meetings which revolve around the choice of which donut/doughnut and bags of chips/crisps on the passenger seat as we hurtle up the highway/motorway to a meeting. By realising that the idea is within us struggling to get out like a creature in the first Alien film. By realising we will either have no rest until we get on that quest or we will have to give up and become so dulled that we will be only able to create excitement in our life by waiting for Skyfall 2. By waking up. By getting real. By taking action.

That's how we get our idea. For stage 4. Of our cubicle escape plane.