Hello from New York City and Mexico! Here is another fun guest article contributed by Eddie Barksdale from Porkbun. Low End Box and @Not_Oles appreciate this personalized look inside the home offices of three Porkbun staffers, Alex, Eddie, and Andy. Here are extra oinks for Eddie — thanks for contributing this article. And for Alex and Andy — thanks for awesome support for all Porkbun customers! — @Not_Oles
Have you ever been in a chat with someone at Porkbun and wondered, “What does it look like on their end?”
Wonder no more! Porkbun went fully remote in 2020 and we’ve found the benefits far outweigh the cons. We went around the “virtual” office and asked some folks here at Porkbun to share their desk setups and any knowledge they can share after two years of Work From Home.
Clean, Crisp, & Refreshing
Hey there Low End Box, it’s Alex from Porkbun Support. For me working from home is kind of ideal. I consider myself a bit of a homebody, which is not to say that I don’t like going to many of Florida’s breezy beaches, I just like being at home. For me to do my best work, I need a home office space that is comfortable and well-appointed. I love natural light and thankfully my office has a large window that provides a ton of sunlight all day. Unfortunately, there’s no view, but I’ll take the natural light. Having a workspace that is calm, cozy, and bright is my magic formula for effectiveness throughout the day.
While I can’t find a single complaint about the overall comfort of my office, the most important lesson I’ve learned about working from home is to snap out of it. I have created this incredibly pleasant and calming space and at times while working from home I’ve found myself in a trance. I get stuck in a flow where time seems to pass by rapidly and I forget to eat, drink, or sometimes blink. I like to think there are others that become so focused on work that they forget to break away for a few moments too.
Traditional office spaces are rife with small distractions that create moments for you to break away. Working from home, I’ve found that I need to create those moments. I started with a series of timed alerts to snap me out of my automaton-like state to drink water, get up, walk around, and stretch. I also created some on-the-hour alerts just to remind myself of how much time has passed. In addition to alerts, a furry companion can help. Whether they’re shouting about food, wanting to cuddle, or needing to romp around outside, they can fill the need for distracting co-workers.
I think it’s important to drink water, stretch, and forget about work for a few minutes and it’s an enjoyable way to break up your day. Additionally, I don’t think there’s a doctor out there that would disagree. So take a tip from me and snap out of it with some small breaks. You’ve earned them.
Marketing by Day, Gaming by Night
Hi Low End Box! I’m Eddie, a Marketing Specialist here at Porkbun. My home office serves double duty as both a place of work and place of leisure once 5 pm rolls around. Thus, there’s a bit more packed in here than the usual work vibe. This includes a second computer for gaming and video editing, a giant 2.1 speaker system, and of course an ultrawide primary display. While those are all nice, the real MVP is an old IKEA coffee table that’s positioned under my desk as a footrest, allowing for maximum comfort. Oh, and as Steve’s dad, I need to be sure she’s nearby!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working from home, it is that keeping the desk organized is maybe even more important than it is in an office setting. Sure, you’re the only one who sees it, but a clean desk can help keep you focused on the task at hand when you’re in your own personal home full of distractions. Anything that helps make more room on the desk is a huge benefit, whether that’s mounting monitors on arms or risers, using caddies or trays to house the small often used things, or a simple vertical stand for your laptop.
A Setup Ready For Adventure
Hello Low End Box! I’m Andy, another support engineer here at Porkbun, working from Maine. For me, the defining trait of working from home has been trading a morning commute for a pre-work bike ride, or breakfast in bed — both of which I prefer to wrestling with traffic, even the Maine variety. As a tech geek, I already had a space pretty well suited to work from home, and keeping the bike within arms reach is great for those times when a quick getaway is needed at the end of the day!
My setup prioritizes three things: having office-class tools, having a comfortable setup, and having one which blends into my home space. To help with having office-class tools, I use a docking station which allows me to easily connect to a monitor, keyboard, mouse, webcam, and more. My one fun hack here is my audio setup for calls. While I have a headset that is pretty good, I’ve taken to using my AirPods Pros in conjunction with a lavalier mic. This creates a lightweight setup for maximum comfort while delivering near studio quality sound. Beyond the docking station (which also connects to my PC gaming laptop to help this all fit into my home space), you’ll find a coffee cup and water bottle, along with a notebook for doodling and a hacky sack for when the doodling pad just isn’t enough.
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Love this post and seeing the world from the other side!! So many cool ideas.
Want to ask what is the ultra wide monitor Edidie is using?
Need one for my home/office setup.
Sorry I do not know which monitor Eddie is using. If you email Porkbun and ask, I bet they will tell you. :)