Hey, everybody!

If you've ever been at CubeSpace after 3pm or so, you've probably seen me behind the desk. My name's Leigh, and I'm one of your Cubists -- the smiling staff who keep this place running smoothly. But I'm also a Cubester -- a working professional who uses CubeSpace as my base of operations. In other words, I not only work for CubeSpace, I also work at CubeSpace. In my other career, I handle publicity for a critically acclaimed graphic novel publisher, Top Shelf Productions. But since there's no centralized Top Shelf office for me to go to, I do a lot of that publicity work here, in one of the cubes (usually Animal, for some reason. We're both red-headed drummers).

As a result of my employment situation, I'm in a pretty unique position, standing in the overlapping space in the Venn diagram of "member" and "staff." So we all thought it would be a neat idea for me to start regularly blogging about life at CubeSpace -- sharing my perspective on what it's like to be a part of this community, and why it makes sense for my needs. We're calling this feature... CubeFace. (read more...)

As it turns out, CubeSpace is optimally set up for people whose professional lives, like mine, don't fit into simple categories. Working for a small publisher, I don't have a predictable schedule or workflow. That's a pretty common situation with microbusinesses, judging from the conversations I've had with employees and entrepreneurs. When there's only one or two heads in your company, each head has to wear lots of hats. Being at CubeSpace gives me the tools and the flexibility to tackle whatever comes along, from document layout, to media outreach, to business meetings, to assembling packages for mailing.

Maybe more importantly, CubeSpace helps me keep my life in balance. It's less likely that my job will take over my life when I have a physical place to put it... and keep it there. If I can mentally categorize my CubeSpace cube as "work space" and my house as "living space" -- if I work hard when I'm here and stop working when I leave -- then I can ride home at the end of the day with a clear conscience.

Sounds great in theory, but how well does that play out in practice? I hope you'll follow me in the weeks ahead as I blog about the ups and downs of my working life here at CubeSpace. I've got plenty to talk about! Here are a few topics that I've got planned:

• What is my job, exactly?: the excitement and frustration of working in a vaguely-defined position
• I thought you were handling that!: Telecommuting and communication in a small business
• Working from the West coast in an East-coast world
• Fake it till you make it: How indirect "peer pressure" and a professional environment can help you trick yourself into getting work done
• Scheduling your day when there's nobody to schedule it for you
• Putting on the costume: why I dress for work even when nobody cares what I wear

Hopefully, you'll find that some of my experiences relate to your own work situation -- that you'll discover some useful ideas in what I have to say, and share your own tips and experiences with me!

Until next time,
Leigh