Table Of Contents
1. The Home Office: Funny Delusions
We envisioned the work-from-home setup as a no-pressure, easy environment. In the home office, you can wear comfortable stretch pants and share work gossip with your favorite cat or dog. Start late or end early, because there’s no commute. We looked forward to less social pressure to keep up with appearances and look the part. We imagined snacks and distractions right at our fingertips. We’d be home to receive that package without a blip in our workday. Let in the dishwasher repair guy? Not a problem in the home office We envisioned nirvana. Hey, we could even blast Nirvana in the background, because no one would be controlling the volume in our work-from-home setup. Some of this turned out to be happily true, some of it patently false. And some of it we now wish hadn’t turned out to be true. (Anybody else wearing an extra 15 pounds from the “home office snack” diet?)2. The Work-from-Home Setup Dilema
We overlooked a basic problem: many of us don’t have a built-in, resourced home office. “Not everyone’s workspace or lifestyle allows the setting for what they really need to do at work. Sometimes they lack the resources, sometimes they lack the privacy,” notes Yamilay Leger, a Sr. People Leader who has facilitated remote workforces at various times in her career. “Flexibility is important. That’s how you keep someone engaged, that’s how you maintain the human connections. Everyone’s situation is different and acknowledging that is important. But you need to set expectations–some ‘must-haves.’” Having standards for your home office is important. “Your work-from-home setup can have a major impact on your mental health. How you set up your office can either boost your productivity or lead to distractions,” says Kyle Elliot, career and life coach and member of the Forbes Coaches Council. Must-haves for a work-from-home setup often include a dedicated space, a desk, and a door that will close to shut out your barking dog. Some of us have coped with our home office in funny and creative ways: but hey, if the problem is solved, funny works. Why shouldn’t your work-from-home setup bring joy to your working hours? “You want to create an environment that is conducive to your working style,” says Elliot. “For example, I am a fan of working from coffee shops. I work to bring the coffee shop to my home office by making iced coffee, playing fun music, and working on my back patio. Here are some creative work-from-home setups you can use to make your home workspace effective for you… Or, at least, to entertain you.3. Problem #1: We don’t have enough space!
Turn that bathroom into your work-from-home setup If you don’t live alone, let’s hope you have another bathroom or this could become pretty awkward. Can you fit your chair and laptop into your shower? Then, hey —what’s all this whining about not having a home office space!










Image Source: Twitteri don’t think my makeshift WFH office in the garage is going to work out today. pic.twitter.com/V4M9PrpUwZ
— Kenton Brice (@KentonBrice) April 3, 2020
4. Problem #2: We don’t have a desk!
There are many solutions (boxes, tables, crates, step stools, and laundry baskets), but one of the weirdest desk substitutions is a viable option: ironing boards seem to be the go-to alternative to a desk.Cheap, already available, quickly moved or folded away, and usually height adjustable. Why haven’t we always used our ironing boards? Mount them on a table. Use a mini ironing board to sit cross-legged on the floor. Ironing boards aren’t usually in heavy demand in most households. So you can enlist yours full-time. Who needs desks anyway?!So, us Unity folks are officially in WFH mode for the next few weeks, which has meant some of our employees have had to get creative with their ‘office space’
My personal highlight has been the ironing board desk ?#remoteworking #unity3d pic.twitter.com/aS0ZqHgRHE — Bex Holland (@bexx_bass) March 13, 2020
Image Source: Twitter When Kamala Harris ran for DA in San Francisco in 2003, she used an ironing board desk. Rolling Stone magazine quotes Harris as saying, “I would campaign with my ironing board. The ironing board makes a great standing desk.” There you have it: a Vice-Presidential candidate-endorsed desk alternative: the ironing board.Just found out that I’ll be #WFH until at least Sept. Think it’s time to look at buying some actual home office furniture. #ReclaimTheDiningRoomTable #IroningBoardStandingDesk#WFHHack pic.twitter.com/tpMaY0wDI6
— ??♂️Grayson (@TVGuyGrayson) April 23, 2020

5. Problem #3: We’re feeling cooped up!
You’re probably tired by now of all the shots people post of their outdoor office space as they escape to their lake house, mountain cabin, or beach bungalow. Don’t have one? Here are some wacky alternatives for your office setup so you, too, can feel the call of the great outdoors in your workspace setup. Work-from-balcony, anyone? For those with an apartment in an urban setting, move your work setup to the balcony.



Image Source: Twitter Don’t get discouraged by the numerous idyllic #WFH tweets and Instagram shots of glorious, high tech work setups, some tastefully minimalist and some intricately decorated. Your work-from-home setup may be much more grunge than glamour; if so, you’re like the rest of us. We’re grateful for the people who keep it real. Here’s the tastefully minimalist.Another one is the crazy workspace setups that people post.
You see it and start shouting “God when?” That someone has 3 monitors does not mean they can code. Learn patience. Dont allow social media devs to put unnecessary pressure on you. — Ebenezer Don (@ebenezerDN) August 22, 2020

