I am a firm believer that workspaces make a huge difference to your work ethic and how productive you are (or not). In this post I’ll outline my workspace, why I love it, what I would change if I could, and loads more.
<
I am lucky enough to have a pretty big desk (used to be our kitchen table!) and I absolutely love having a desk this size. Whilst it is true that often I don’t use the space fully I enjoy having it. So, what are the key elements of my workspace?
17inch PowerPC G5 iMac
A great example that you don’t need the latest tech to be ok. The iMac is around 5 years old but still runs fantastically well, I often have Coda, Firefox, Photoshop, Fireworks, Mail, Tweetie, Safari, Things, iCal, Skype & Textmate open at the same time and it does not even stutter. It runs OS X Leopard and is to be frank a joy to use. I’ve expressed my love of Macs many a time, and when the time comes to upgrade, I will be buying Apple. No question.
Cibox 19inch Widescreen Monitor
You can never fully appreciated dual screen monitors until you use them. Having Textmate on one and Firefox on the other is just fantastic, you don’t have to fanny around switching windows like you do with one monitor. When I’m just browsing I’ll have Skype + Tweetie sat over there with my main app that I’m using (Mail / Safari / etc) in the main window.
Big Ass Whiteboard
I’ve no idea how big it is, and while it might not be the biggest whiteboard you have ever seen, it’s stupidly useful for me. Usually (like in the pic) it contains some stuff I need to get done (all of that is for tomorrow!) and some doodles, if you look closely you can see some kinda scribble thing which will eventually form a mockup.
Logic3 iStation
I love my music and working without music is just a huge no no for me. I invested in these speakers from Amazon at a cost of £45, mainly as they provide excellent sound quality (I think so anyway) and more importantly have a stand from which I can sync my iPod with iTunes. I’m a huge fan of a minimal approach so killing two birds with one stone (syncing + music playing) is a bonus.
Moleskine
You might just have a notepad, I invested in one of these before a web conference because I needed half an excuse, and I really enjoy using it. In hindsight it’s probably a bit small, and a larger one is on my birthday list (you know your life is at a peak when a notepad is on your birthday list) but they are a joy to write in. On that note, can anyone recommend a really nice pen to go with it?
Is it always that clean?
I’ve always been asked this, is it this clean at all times or do you just tidy it for the camera? It used to be the latter, it would get shit messy until I cleaned it, and then the cycle repeated. Now I keep it as tidy as I can.
What would I like to Upgrade?
Well I’ve been promised by the parents a Macbook Pro if I hit my target A-Level grades in the summer so that’s the biggy. If I don’t get them then I’ll be saving up or waiting for Xmas to get one. I’d like a 1TB hard drive for back ups (currently have a 160GB HD but another is always good) and I will also be purchasing in the next month or so the Apple Magic Mouse. In an ideal world I’d ditch my keyboard for the smaller, wireless one but it’s a bit pointless.
Be Featured!
I’m starting a new series soon looking at other people’s work spaces. If you’re using Windows, Macs or Linux and fancy being a part of this blog then let me know, chuck me a message on Twitter (@Jack_Franklin).
