When I tell people I work from home, the obvious first reaction is generally that of envy. I completely understand the seeming appeal of it. There are many perks to working solo in the comfort of your own apartment. The concept of showering is gradually replaced with a firm ‘no pants before noon’ rule, mid-afternoon beer runs become commonplace and the barista at Starbucks is grinding out your non-fat latte before you’re barely through the doors.
In reality, there’s a downside to solitary work confinement. There are the obvious distractions – unwatched episodes of Jersey Shore on DVR, eleven o’clock gym classes or that dream where you’re dating Ryan Gosling and it’s just about to get to the good part. Clocking in at home forces me to self-monitor my own productivity with a critical eye because despite all appearances (cut to me napping in the 2pm sun like a fat, lazy house cat), I do have work responsibilities. And for some reason, slacking off at work in a cubicle seems more acceptable than pretending to be productive in my pj’s.
One of the biggest challenges of post-grad adulthood has been separating my professional life from my personal time. For instance, I only recently acknowledged that sleeping with my iphone was probably unhealthy. But my line of work inherently cock blocks my life, so when I was first informed of our big office move into my tiny ass apartment, I wasn’t exactly thrilled.
Now, I encourage anybody who works from home to spend a day or two at a nearby cafe where free wi-fi has become the standard (more on this later). It’s good to be in the company of actual human beings once in a while and its also prime time for local celeb spotting (Hey! @Mshowalter). But after spending 30 dollars one day on a handful of non-fat lattes, I realized this wasn’t the most fiscally responsible alternative. With all of this in mind, I decided that I needed to set up a home office that was clearly defined as a space where I could devote to work alone. Thanks to a relatively spacious apartment (800-900 square feet) and two incredibly patient and understanding roommates (Hi Xtine and Nic), I set up a little work station with the basic elements of a functioning office.
Unfortunately, four months into my at-homery, I’m finding that my set up isn’t as conducive to productivity as I had wished. My little work area is quickly turning into a dusty rest stop for all the junk I can’t hide in drawers and 8 straight hours on the couch isn’t really doing my back any favors. As an at-homer, its essential to designate a part of your abode to do business. That said, I apparently didn’t put much thought into the execution and efficiency of the space as evidenced by its increasingly hoarder-ish aesthetic.
Now that we’ve decided to extend our lease, I realized its time I invest some real time and money int0 creating an environment that I can proudly call my home office. So, I’m giving myself an interior decorating assignment and will track my progress on this blog! It’s the Benjy and a Month challenge. I’m giving myself 100 dollars and 30 days to redecorate this space with the resources I have around my neighborhood. Okay, so this should really take a Sunday afternoon but I want to get creative and I promise you the results will be worth it!
Luckily, Target and Ikea are great options for budget friendly ideas and both happen to be a stone’s throw from me (Another Gobble Hill perk!). But there are other bargain/99cent/hardware stores that should offer a ton of creative alternatives.
Keep track of my progress here and I’ll make sure to keep you all posted on any good finds! Happy Decorating!
Here’s a pic of my home office, on a good day:
