I'm moving places in a couple weeks and I'm primed to really create a great home office situation.
How should I go about doing this, any tips?
I'm moving places in a couple weeks and I'm primed to really create a great home office situation.
How should I go about doing this, any tips?
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Top comments (61)
Some of these points have already been made, but this is what I look for in a home office:
I'm guilty here. I have an IKEA long desk that I paid 64$ for. It's something I'm looking to upgrade next year. We have standing desks at work, so I will probably go with one as well for home (suggestions welcome 😉)UPDATE: I just got a standing desk setup.My standing desk was delivered and I just got it all assembled this evening.
So I went with the black desktop. Really excited to start working on this badass piece of office furniture.
The big win of this is it’s a 1000$ CAD desk that was on sale for 439.99$ + tax and I had awards points from work for some cool stuff I’ve done over the past little while, so the grand total came to 27.94$.
How to Pick a Good Monitor for Software Development
Nick Janetakis ・ Jun 5 '18
What's the Honeywell device at the back-right?
Just a little desk fan I bought. It's the Honeywell HTF210BC QuietSet® 13" Table Fan, Black, with Oscillation, Slim Profile, and Easy-Touch Display.
Disagree with you here, Nick. KungFu Hamster is absolutely not optional.
I like the tiger plants. The best things about them are that they don't require too much care and remove toxins (some of them) from the air. Aaand look great of course.
I like a nice and tidy place. Although that is not always the case :D Bausachverständiger Nuernberg
Dont forget good ventilation, nice odor. (Candles are welcome), and good light.
Plants! 🌱🌿🌾
I really underestimated how they make a space feel. I'm currently trying to automate a watering system 😊.
In the same vane as underestimating the plants value, don’t underestimate how good it feels taking care of something (despite the extra effort)
Automating is a cool project, but doesn’t it bring you a feeling of joy when you water them yourself? 💦 🌱 = 😊
I agree!
The automation is for when I'm away for a while.
Super cool. What’s your approach looking like?
Preliminary research at the moment.
I have a few Raspberry Pis and bits and bobs I've been testing but I'll be buying the watering parts this week 😊.
So cool! Best of luck.
Thoughts on fake plants?
Or do real plants make a significant difference?
I prefer real because then actions are required. It’s the caring that’s significant for me.
Fake can still look nice though 🙂
Never thought of it that way. I always thought it just the green that helped.
Any plants you recommend?
Sansevieria. It's hardy and doesn't need tons of water or light.
I highly recommend tiger plants and/or aloe vera. They don't require much care so you don't have to worry about them and they'll be always green. I believe it's enough to water them once a month. And they not fake :D
I have a separate room on my home. But sometimes i go to the garden or to a Tim Hortons / Starbucks or any kind of restaurant to work. I also some times work on our living room or even in bed. But those are exceptions.
My wife puts odor candles in my office so it smells very nice. It is also very clean and well ventilated.
This is my setup. I also have. One window. Two ferns (one looke more like a little tree) both of them are fake.
And believe it or not we have one big religious image It's a statue of the Virgen de Guadalupe.
I'm always doing home office. In my house I have a reserved room with a table, lot of books.
But the most important part is make sure that you can isolate yourself from your house. Prepare for work: water, coffee and close the door.
I could work from home all maternity license from my wife... Six months!
A nice view! One that you can stare at while you sit behind your desk.
Being able to not look at the problem you are working on is a valuable tool to solve problems. It's also a nice way to relieve stress. The most perfect case would also allow you to go outside a bit (e.g. a balcony).
Definitely ergonomics. You are sacrificing a lot by staying alone at home, so why not make it a win?
Everything else is a plus. I'm yet to experiment with good lighting BTW.
I really like your setup. I have a beautiful extra room which is similar to the room you are describing. I think I will work on it some and see what comes out of it.
Splurge on the tools to make it comfortable! You'll be spending a lot of time in your home office, so you should make it a place you look forward to being in.
I've invested in a CODE Keyboard, a nice monitor (surprisingly, from a thrift store!), a comfortable Logitech mouse, and pretty sweet JVC HA-NC250 noise-cancelling headphones. I've also been blessed with a solid wood desk from a friend, and a wonderful high-back chair I was given for my birthday a couple of years ago.
I also love physical books, so I have a handy reference section on my desk. I've got a couple of whiteboards, a corkboard, a desk calendar, and this dude for rubber-ducking...
As a result, my workspace is somewhere I legitimately enjoy working.
I listed out the rest of my hardware and software gear here:
The Gear I Use
Jason C. McDonald ・ Jul 23 ・ 3 min read
Not really a home setup, but more of a temporary Airbnb setup:
Separate work\other stuff location
Headphones (Construction site nearby)
Comfort (I travel with my mechanical keyboard and an adjustable stand)
Something to look at (either a picture or a window) while thinking
My home office is designed to help me focus, but also to satisfy my wandering mind.
I can't stress how much having plants in my office has improved my general mood. I have a dieffenbachia, a sansevieria, and two ZZ plants in my office, all great in low light and hard to kill.
It's pretty great to have a whiteboard in my home office. It helps me keep track of the things that float out of my head during the workweek. I also use notebooks like crazy for this!
I've also found that having my Bass in my office is a great way to take a break from writing (words or code). The same goes for having some books in my office. I keep about a fourth of my home library in my office (a few dozen are on the floor and need some shelving).
I have a second desk (previously my gaming desk) that my brother will sometimes use when we pair program on stuff. Generally, though, I prefer others don't come in my office, so it remains a space focused on work for me. My wife (who works from home too) tends to keep to her office (down the hall) or one of the other rooms in our house while I work.
Also, I'm a big fan of candles/scent diffusers, but sometimes I have to ventilate the room when I overuse them.
Unfortunately, I haven't done a great job of decorating the walls in my office and I think that would have a pretty positive impact on my mood. That and adding some ambient lighting are the next two things on my wishlist.
Other things I wish my home office had: better wall colors, more windows (stuck with one at the moment), and sit/stand desk (missing this from my old office job).
My desks, some books, and the walls:

My Bass and some of the plants:

If there isn't a big window, or you live in a country far from the equator where you can feel winter is coming already like me, then get some sort of ”lightbox” to ensure that you have a bright environment that simulates natural daylight in your field of vision while you are working. This has a huge effect for me.
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