First desk

A priest friend of mine told me once that he found it hard to pray in his own church. "It's as if someone is watching you," he said, "and it's common for parishioners to interrupt your prayer time with a question or concern."

That's when he decided he needed to find a secondary location for his prayer time. He chose a small chapel nearby where he could retreat and spend time alone with God. It worked perfectly. This became his secondary "desk" or place to do spiritual work, otherwise known as prayer.

While I'm not a minister, I do know what it's like to find it difficult to work at my desk. Take today for example, my lunch-break didn't come until 3pm and even when I had a warmed tupperware container on my desk, I still couldn't fend off the interruptions that arrived. (above photo)

One person needed to talk.

An employee needed direction on a project.

An urgent phone call came through.

Granted, it's up to me to carve out the time to really crank and get my work done. No one to blame but myself but still, work at my own desk can be difficult. Kind of like my friend Kevin at his church. In my case, my warmed up lasagna quickly turned into a cold item that had to be reheated later. Not ideal.

That's why everyone needs a second desk. My friend's second desk is a small chapel. My second desk is a conference table (see below) where I find some of my most creative work is accomplished. It's only five feet from my first desk but what magic comes from that short distance. I try to spend the first hour of my day there before the interruptions come, and they always do.

Second desk

I think that everyone can benefit from a second desk. That's why people have theatre rooms in their homes. They want to get away and enjoy some quality time but they want to do it away from the high-traffic area of their living room.

It probably also explains why people have both home and work offices. The primary is vital but the secondary space might be just as valuable because it's often there that true creativity occurs.

I wonder too if this is the reason why Jesus "got away" to pray, to his second desk. Imagine if you were the Son of God- the interruptions!

Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."

Now this is true (spiritual) productivity modeled for us int the New Testament. If a second desk was necessary for Jesus, why not consider one for yourself. It might only be five feet from your first desk but what a difference that short distance can make!

Where is your second desk for work, prayer, writing, creative work?