WFH versus office life. How Dave Caffery gets creative.
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Dining table versus desk. Laptop versus desktop. PJ’s versus suit. As part of a continuing series we consider the pros and cons of new flexible work arrangements in this post-pandemic age.
This week we ask cultural creative genius Dave Caffery (Director of Dionysus, President of MusicACT and a Director of Australian Dance Party) where he gets his work done.
What’s your WFH set-up?
When the second lockdown hit, Alison and I converted our bedroom into her dance studio and my office/clothes room. We set up a ‘sleeping room’ downstairs, which doesn’t have much more than a bed and, now, a bassinet!
The dance studio / workspace is a mezzanine with two bright skylights, a guest bed, a vintage bar for my clothes (drawers are too much work) and a sit-stand desk with a red gum slab crafted by the wonderful Paul Jamison. The ensuite door was painted by my talented friend Tommy Balogh, over the bed is a quintessential Straight Face by the now-international Luke Chiswell, near the bar are nine beautiful mini sculptures by Jacob England and around these is a cleverly painted effect by Simon Sawell. They are all friends of ours and we are nurtured by their creativity every day. Over the bookshelf are three small paintings by Warlukurlangu artists that we bought from the annual Indigenous Arts Fair, and I love going down the stairs to encounter a sublime abstract piece by Joseph Nuttall, which was a birthday present from a dear colleague (Hi Tegan!).
Has it changed much over three years?
Covid changed how everyone perceives work—many people have slowed down—and I’m no exception. Having a baby was a joyous factor, but events are hard and I have slowed down a little by ‘working smarter, not harder’. I’m only working late one or two nights a week, now, whereas it used to be 4-5 nights per week till well after 1am. I’m still a little disappointed to not be as productive as I was, but sleeping with a baby is a rare gift and the late nights, broken sleeps and morning meetings were unsustainable. To help this, our new work space is nourishing—open but creative, comfortable but energetic—and this makes it very productive.
Dave’s creative mind works best with creative pieces all around.
What split of time do you make between WFH and office life now we are free to choose?
A sagacious gentleman named Dr Geoff Garrett recently helped me to reserve one hour a day to myself for ‘strategy and firefighting’. So that’s set in stone at home, every morning. Then it’s the office, City, Braddon, Haig Park, Dickson or Dairy Road—my focus precincts—until dinner with my girls, work guests or friends. Then I WFH a couple of nights each week.
What’s the best bit about WFH? And the worst?
Long, undistracted periods of time are essential for achieving goals, so I’m more productive at home.
What do you love about the office? And hate?
My team bounce ideas around the office like a basketball court—people scoring everywhere! It’s beautifully rewarding to play with them, and we’ve made an office more like a lounge with a bar, so escaping is rarely needed.
Where do you get more work done and why?
Our organisation gets its best ideas on our event sites, and we crack problems in the office. But we all probably get the most work organised from home.
What’s on your desk at home and how is it different to your desk at work?
Introducing the Dionysian Bell. The bell is a simple productivity tool that works exactly like one rung by a cashier when they shout ‘NEXT!’. It has a good, unavoidably long ring. It works like this: when someone suggests something riddled with traps, or will get us nowhere at a ludicrous cost, you politely ding the bell. NEXT!
Most essential work items no matter where you are?
Laptops for the win. I’m a believer in getting work done then and there—don’t make a list of 10 important things and do none of them in the hope you’ll have heaps of time later, but we often don’t, so take the first move on key items in the meeting, or as you think of them, so balls get rolling.
Can you make your own coffee as well as your barista?
That’s a dangerous prospect. I was a barista at uni and learned that having free access to a coffee machine will simply cause a heart attack. So no, I make a solid, freshly ground black coffee but reserve the joy of double-shot flat whites for cafes.
What helps you become more productive at home?
Late nights, when emails slow, my phone gets conveniently lost and the real work gets done. And beats—good, long soundcloud sets.
What are the worst distractions?
The BEST distraction is our angelic three-month old girl, Cora. She has started making cute little sighs, squawks and giggles. I cannot work when that happens. She doesn’t mind dancing with me in front of a computer… for about three minutes, then it’s aeroplane and cuddle time.
The best sort of work distraction…Cora!
