Welcome to My New Office

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My first professional web development was at a small print shop where I sat in a windowless cubical all day. I suffered that boxed in environment for almost five years before I was able to find a remote job where I worked from home. The first thing I told myself when leaving that first job was that I’d never let myself work in a box again, and if possible, I’d never work outside the home.

Three years ago I wrote Welcome to My Office, which gave you all a glimpse of work environment. I loved that office setup but after a few years I decided to refresh and improve my workspace. I’ve had my new office for a few months and I absolutely love it.

Welcome to my new office!

Office Location

I work remotely and have chosen to have a home office instead of use a coworking space — I’m a homebody that, despite the interruption caused by family, love to be there for them.  My office’s location within the house isn’t ideal — it’s right off of the front door.  Lots of traffic and noise but I’ll show you how I deal with that in a moment.

I love the French doors but they give me the feeling that I’m being watched; maybe that’s what keeps me on task most of the time.

Beer…Beverage Fridge & Coffee Maker

Having both a fridge and a coffee maker in my office is a must! I can enjoy refreshments without leaving my office, which is really important since I can get sidetracked by my family or my own curiosity when I step out.

Since I do a fair amount of late night blogging and gaming in my office, I’m known to sneak a beer or two to fuel my creativity. Most of the time, however, I’m guzzling sparkling water, fruit smoothies, or making myself an afternoon coffee.

Desk

My previous office had standing desk and ergonomic chair which I enjoyed for a while but the truth is that those items are prone to breaking constantly since they’re moved so frequently. When I refreshed my office, I went all on a beast of a desk.

This Evodesk desk has loads of cool features:

• Adjustable height via digital control pad
• Desktop computer mounting station
• Dual monitor arms (with 24″ monitors)
• Speakers and mounted subwoofer
• 12-slot power outlet mounted under the desk to minimize power cords above the desk
• Built in USB power station

I enjoy having two monitors; one is usually displaying some type of entertainment (Pandora, Netflix, YouTube TV, etc) while the other features Firefox Nightly for Windows (so I can troubleshoot CSS issues in the DevTools Debugger) or PUBG during my late night gaming sessions. I was worried that the monitors would cover up too much of the window but that hasn’t been the case.

A few other notables on my desk:

• HTC Vive – Allows me to take a break from work to join virtual reality and shoot zombies in Arizona Sunshine or marvel at the amazing Rec Room VR experience.
• Podcast & Broadcasting Equipment – The mounted Heil microphone has been amazing for podcasting and general gaming. Being able to move it around has made broadcasting so comfortable. There is also a dbx preamp processor and Focusrite Scarlett to allow me to improve the quality of microphone input. Lastly, I have a Logitech webcam which I use with OBS when I stream to Twitch.
• Fan – The desk fan is for more than cooling me down during hot summer days — it provides a calming sound that helps me to relax during those tense debugging sessions.
• HyperX Cloud Alpha Headphones – These new headphones are really impressive; the noise canceling is amazing and audio quality is epic.

Window

Having a window to look out at the real world is essential to my happiness. Seeing the snow fall is incredibly calming, while seeing the sun shine on a bright summer day inspires me to get outside and take a quick bike ride during lunch.

Combine the awesome view with a glass of Champagne on Fridays…

…and work feels a whole lot more comfortable.

Couch and Guitar

Since my office is oftentimes on of the first things guests to my home see, it’s important to me that it feel warm and look nice. It’s also where I spend loads of time, so if I get tired of sitting at the desk, a relaxing couch is the perfect place to hunker down.

The black leather couch is super comfortable but not too comfortable — that feeling keeps me from falling asleep on the job. My office’s newest addition, an autographed Tom Petty guitar, puts a smile on my face and reminds me of jamming to Petty as a teenager. My Fox squishable is also a great partner to have at my side.

Broadcasting Equipment

I’ve dabbled with streaming video games on Twitch and I really want to do it right. I’ve configured OBS software to use this nice green screen so I can overlay myself on the game without seeing the background of my office.

I also purchased the lighting lamps to make the green screen and general broadcasting look brighter. Neither were expensive and it’s amazing how quickly you can put together a professional looking stream!

TV and Gaming

You’ve probably already picked up on the fact that this office is also my recreation room, and so it’s only natural I have a big screen TV mounted in here as well.

Connected to the TV are:

• Roku Stick – So I can stream Netflix, YouTube TV, HBO, Showtime and other content
• Xbox One X – I get little time to game but my son and I enjoy a bit of Rocket League. Also used for streaming.
• wii U – Sometimes I just need to get my Super Mario Maker fix in
• Nintendo 64 – The best gaming console ever created with an incredible library of games. Don’t challenge me at Mario Kart 64!

My office is more than an office; it’s a cafe, arcade, lounge, and entertainment center all in one room. Being near the front door isn’t ideal but the room is big, the view is great, and it’s just mine. I love my office and hope to work from here for the rest of my life!

Am I missing anything! Let me know if you have questions or suggestions!

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