I was originally going to title this post “My Home Office” but after thinking about it this doesn’t really fit how I work. I work from many different places depending on my mood. Let’s start out, though, with my office.

My Office

Computer Hardware

I have a pretty normal Lenovo desktop. It generally gets the job done. Attached to it I have 3 monitors. I divvy up my active work, notes, and communication between them. The keyboard I use is a Das Keyboard. I also have a phone on my desk for conference calls and general testing.

Chair

When starting consulting over 10 years ago I grabbed a pretty basic desk and chair. As time went on I replaced the chair a few times but never really changed the desk. This changed when I invested in an Aeron chair. I bought it used but the cost was still more than a chair from Staples. This is something I don’t at all regret doing. Once you have an Aeron anything less seems cheap and uncomfortable. I also know that it’ll likely last me longer than the chairs I’ve had previously.

Desk

I’ve continued changing up my office in recent times by investing in a sit stand desk. These have dropped in price in recent years to be affordable and the ability to easily move your desk up and down is great. The company I went with is called Anthrodesk here in Canada and the desk I purchased was the electric standing desk. Currently I find myself standing for about half the time and sitting for the other half. Even with this ratio I find myself being more productive and having more energy. It’s great.

If there’s one piece of advice I can give… it’s to invest in your office. You’re likely to spend a lot of time at your desk.

My Downtown Office

I’ve written about Workspace Moncton previously but it’s a co-working space in Moncton. You pay for a monthly membership and you gain access to the space. It’s a nice place to meet people, establish connections, and generally work from. In my case the change of scenery gets my mind to think about problems or ideas in a new way, yielding interesting results.

Coffee Shop

A lot of people say you should just go to a coffee shop and work from it. I actually disagree with this slightly. You have to find the coffee shop that fits you best. Not all are equal. Bad atmosphere and vibe or crappy internet are all things that can throw off your productivity. Personally I haven’t found the right coffee shop for me. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t drink coffee!

Can you recommend one in Moncton? Hit me up on Twitter at @joshnet

Moving Around

I don’t confine myself to strictly working from my home office as you can see above. I think this is something you can’t be afraid of trying even when working in a traditional office environment. You might find your office is actually confining your ideas.

Where are you most productive?