Blog Post

Home Office Workspace

May 31, 2015
remote

Whenever people ask what it is like to work from home, they often want to know what I have in my home office. I like to think I keep it pretty simple but once I am done listing all the items, I feel that it may not be too simple.

 



 Obviously, the number one item is my Macbook. My Macbook setup is pretty low-key, I'd say:

  • Terminal
  • Atom
  • Chrome browser (Jira, local environment)
  • Mail app
  • Hipchat
I get all my coding done on this machine. I have Photoshop but rarely find myself using it -- designing in the browser is my preference.

 



 My Chromebook is my personal machine so I keep it pretty chill.

  • Spotify
  • personal Gmail
  • Leisure Web Browsing
    • Reddit (r/webdev, r/frontend, r/design_critiques)
    • Smashing Magazine
    • Codepen
    • Twitter
    • Twitch.tv
  • Netflix
I've gotten into watching live coding on Twitch (shout out to flip4bytes & syntag) so if they're streaming, I connect my Chromebook to Chromecast on my TV (not pictured -- but the remote is next to my apple) while I'm working. I don't like it being dead silent in here so that certainly helps with that. My Sony bluetooth headphones are also kept here but typically only used if I go into the office downtown. Yes, my Xbox is in my office. Unfortunately, it rarely gets used these days. I used to play it during my lunch time or after work but I've been too busy. (Game of preference: Halo Reach)

 



 I have a few notepads (typically used for lists), post-its (quick notes about a task), and Moleskine notebooks (for sketching). I have pencils but mostly use my Precise V5 - Extra Fine pens. I also have my whiteboard for when I really need to get a lot written down. This is incredibly nice to have when I am building a feature that contains smaller features that need to be spec'd out.

A few flash drives are kept in case I need to transfer anything but they don't go used much anymore with the cloud and all. I have an external hard drive that I use for backing up important things but that's about the only one that gets any love now.

Oh... and that's Mexican pesos... I kept forgetting where I placed it and decided to leave it in plain sight. I am going to Mexico in a couple weeks and definitely don't want to lose it again!

Books are definitely a must-have. I keep my favorite books and even a few comic books in the bookshelf attached below my desk. There is always a point during the week where I just feel like reading some fun Javascript writing assignment in "If Hemingway Wrote Javascript" or open up "Don't Make Me Think"/"Universal Principles of Design" to revisit some examples in those books.  Getting away from screens can be very relaxing!
I have the Polaroid box here, too, since that is where I keep the charger and don't like to misplace it. I guess if you look close enough, you'll see random objets such as a business card box, Yahtzee - Mario edition, ET dressed up, and a box that has a bunch of extra pens.

If you guys have any questions about anything, feel free to ask. I am also looking to buy a new desk too so any recommendations are welcome as well!