My workspace has been very unsettled ever since last September. I opted to move out of my studio space in order to save money, a decision for which I am so grateful today. After that, I tried to work out of our tiny bungalow, but it proved to be unhealthy in terms of stopping working at the end of the day. We had also just finished making over the living room and just… didn’t want my small space home office to be here! So we moved it 3 blocks north to Sean’s dad’s house. Now that there’s a freaking pandemic, I made the decision again to move my desk back into our 640 sqft home so that both Andy and I can avoid potentially infecting each other. I’ve shared a bit about this on Instagram, but have gotten lots of questions over the past week. So I wanted to share a mini tour of my current home office in case you’re also suddenly working out of your small space!
How I Work From Home: My Temporary Small Space Home Office
As you can see from the photos of what our living room USED to look like, I am crammed into a corner that is very close to our entirely-too-large television and our credenza. It’s not ideal, but given how scary things are right now, it’s best for me to work from the house for now. Now that I’ve taken photos and posted them on the internet… I can’t believe that I haven’t bundled my cords yet! Not gonna lie, I thought about photoshopping them out. But given how many of us are currently self-isolating and working from home, I figured it best to be authentic and let my cords all hang out!
Standing desk + stool
Every time I share a peek of my office, I am always asked about my standing desk! It’s the Jarvis adjustable desk and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. This desk is pricey, but I have not regretted the purchase a single day that I’ve used it. The height adjusts very easily with the push of a button and it is so sturdy. I also purchased this saddle chair for when I do feel like sitting down.
I’ve found that a standing desk reallllly helps me be more productive and have more energy throughout the day. Often, I put on thumping music and dance around while I’m writing posts, editing photos, etc. Yep, I’m a nerd and damn proud of it.
Desk decor
I’m trying to keep my desktop pretty clean and tidy since it’s in our tiny house, but there are still a few essentials. I pulled this lamp off our bookcase to illuminate my desk when I work late. It’s on a stack of books that I need to read, but also so that there’s some height to it. I hate how empty the walls feel right now!
I also have a few small ceramics to gather my personal items like pens, a letter opener, crystals, and the boutonniere Sean wore on our wedding day. Oh, and all of my favorite notebooks from Appointed. I am definitely a pen and paper sort of note taker.
Tech Tools I Use Every Day
There are a few tech tools that I use pretty much every day when I work. I wanted to break them down for you and share what they are and why I use them. Admittedly, I have sort of a specific work set up because I struggle with ADHD. A lot of this office set up is here so that I can focus better and be more productive.
Thunderbolt display
You probably noticed the giant monitor first… it’s not a computer, instead it’s an old monitor that connects to my Macbook Pro that is wayyy too old. While I was a textile designer at Anthropologie, I realized that I focused better when I had a larger screen. It’s something about feeling like I’m totally immersed in my work that really helps me. I also tend to have a LOT of windows and applications open at the same time. So having more screen real estate really helps.
Wacom tablet
So, I don’t use a mouse… like ever. Even if I am only working on my laptop! I will either use the trackpad or bring this Wacom tablet with me. I use the pen to navigate across the screen, just like you would with a mouse… but in pen-form. This is another habit from when I designed products full-time. I used the Wacom to draw artwork and eventually learned to love using it in place of a mouse. I even bring the tablet with me when I travel!
Back up hard drives
I am fanatical about backing up my files. Behind my monitor, I have 2 giant external drives, each at least 2 terabytes. I’ve set up software to auto-back up my files any time anything on my desktop changes, but just to be safe, I also back up everything to Dropbox.
I also have a smaller hard drive that I travel with so that I can access ALL of my images as needed, even if I’m on an airplane.
Miscellaneous tools
I use a few other random tech tools, so here’s a quick rundown:
- Wireless keyboard
- Memory card reader — I like this one because it works for pretty much any size
- Laptop holder
- Noise cancelling headphones
- Surge protector — I keep this in the rattan basket you see and try to keep the cords contained in that as much as possible. As you can tell, it is not ideal!
- Printer
- Tripod
- Softbox light
To make it easier for you to find what I use and shop this post, I added as many of my home office essentials to my Amazon Shop btw! What do you think of my temporary small space home office??
