I stopped with music for awhile from the feeling of needing out of that room I work in. Just moved homes and have a dedicated music room and already picking back up.
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Iāve crammed everything into this corner. Work laptop, personal laptop, synths etc. I have a chair too, so itās kind of like a sit/stand thing at the moment. If I want to sit, I just put a laptop on the keyboard tray thing, and move the keyboard/mouse down a level.
My music making has taken a huge hit during lockdown though. Not been feeling very inspired at all. Iāve been more focused on making music-related things instead, hence the 3d printer. Iām trying my hand at developing some custom hardware.
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Work edition
Music Edition
Plus some Digitakt and MicroFreak added to the desk as needed.
When not in use the work laptop slids into a vertical stand next to my personal laptop.
My laptop keyboard and mouse slid under the Force when not needed. When I use my own laptop for music or programming I use the 2 monitors.
This helps me keep work and personal separated. The space is the same but the tools on my desk are pretty much mutually exclusive.
This is also a gaming corner. There a Nintendo Switch at the back of the desk connected to a 3-way switch to the left monitor.
The desk is an electric desk so I can stand if needed.
This was not an easy setup to sort.
I have a very similar set up to yours, and the same issue, kind ofā¦
I find it really, really, hard to focus on working with all my music gear around meā¦ I always end up either playing something or hitting play on something else.
So, Iām being less productive with work by having it mixed in one space.
Iāve recently made an effort to set a space up outside of my WFH set up, that I go to and set up specifically to make music, this has helped focus me musically, but Iām not quite there with the work-side yet.
I just bought a timer/stopwatch to sit on my desk, and Iām trying to hit start on it every time I start messing with gear or start working, to be conscious of my time and help manage it.
after not really having a work space for most of the past year, i grabbed a corner of our guest bedroom this march when changing jobs. we have a large shared desk downstairs, but my wife is basically in meetings all day, so itās not conducive to working side by side. iāve basically been in someone elseās meetings for a year. and working from the couch or kitchen table didnāt really work. i was going to make a hardwood desk but also donāt need another project, so instead, i whipped up this simple standing desk from a 2āx4ā butcher block top and some steel pipes. itās a good height for me, and the bottom 6" can be removed to bring it to a decent sitting height. plus, it doesnāt take up much space. quick, easy, effectiveā¦ the typhon, micromonsta 2, and controller are there in case i want to plonk out some chords or whip up a patch. we actually found the keyboard stand on the sidewalk on trash day. itās perfectly usable! sometimes just plugging in the controller and playing random chords via garageband helps me think (or provides a small diversion). the space has never been very organized, but itās definitely a step up from not really having a space.
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Iāve worked from home since Feb 2011.
I used to work at a (lash up, boxes etc) standing desk in a spare room that was for work only. I was very productive, and I had sore feet/calves for months.
I had to give up that room to a kid, so I started working at a standing desk in the garage, too cold!
So now I work in my arm chair and it is fine. I have a Varier Gravity Balans, and it is great. I used to use a Varier Moove stool for standing work, and I use a Varier Multi folding chair as well, with a folding ikea desk, when I feel the need to work at a desk (eg a lot of writing)
The BIGGEST thing for productivity for me has been ear plugs, and ear defenders, so that I can tune out all noise when I am coding.
The other thing is keep mobile (you have your pull up bar!) and keep talking to people. It is easy to slip into isolation. AND REMEMBER TO QUIT at the end of the day.
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Sore calves and freezing in my garage since November during a remodel. I feel your pain!
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pro tip for people looking for good desk chairs: check office supply/liquidators. lots of offices closed this past year, and there are places that either supply office furniture or buy used stuff that are also hurting. sometimes, theyāll sell to individuals. i picked up a couple of decent desk chairs for basically the āon saleā price of one. you may even find offices just giving stuff away, so itās worth asking around.
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I hated it at first. Always told my boss never to let me work at home as I just wouldnāt do anything. That had been my previous experience until we were all made to do it a year ago. I reckon it took me about 9 months to get used to it but since NY2021 Iāve been quite happy, itās all about routine I reckon.
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Routine, focus, and discipline for sure. I work for myself so it is easier to focus. If Iām not working I canāt afford this cool gear next to me (or food for the fam but thatās boring).
Sounds like you have the furniture and hardware side of things sorted. Iāve been working from home since Nov 2020 and so far have accrued the following:
Massive desk (custom-made on Etsy from reclaimed planks - massive and sturdy as I have all my music hardware on it too).
IKEA Markus office chair - worth every penny, super affordable comfy office chair.
Ducky One2 Plus keyboard - gorgeous wired clicky keyboard, lovely keyfeel, makes me feel like a boss.
Various stands - got a nice adjustable laptop stand from Amazon which holds not only the work laptop but also my Polyend Tracker and most other slim pieces of gear.
Keyboard + mouse wristrest - essential for me as I sit for long hours taking calls and my tender wrists need some cushioning.
I did grab a 4k Samsung monitor but itās been redundant since my company rolled out a security update forbidding the connection of USB-C devicesā¦ As the work laptop doesnāt have an HDMI output the monitor has been gathering dust.
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Same experience for me. The initial shift was very difficult ā in fact, right up until we were forced to work from home, and after we had all been given the option to WFH, me and a handful of others still went in every day. The CEO came in one day and joked about how we werenāt afraid of the virus.
I still struggle sometimes with productivity, but have found a lot of it is in my head and that I have to be nice to myself. There were plenty of distractions and unproductive days in the office too, but just being there felt more productive.
More on-topic: at first I thought I needed a standing desk to keep my body moving, because Iām lazy and havenāt started a good exercise routine yet. Turns out what I really needed was a nice chair, so I got one of the entry-level Steelcase chairs and it made a world of difference.
But I already had two monitors (provided by company), a keyboard, and a mouse. I probably would have still started with the chair in hindsight. Hopefully for all of you also forced to WFH, and whose companies are making that shift permanent, youāre also offered a stipend. If not, you should push for one.
I also share an office with my studio, but I donāt find that too problematic, besides initially having everything in the background of video calls and being embarrassed. No one ever asked about it though! Sometimes I take little breaks to play and itās nice ā couldnāt do that before.
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Agree with all that 100% and it does have lots of advantages like not sitting up waiting for the washing at 11pm because youāve forgotten to put it on in t morning again 
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I can relate to all of this. for the video part, I usually use blurred or silly backgrounds. or just turn my camera towards a blank wall. even then though, I can get the question āwhy do you have blank canvases hung on your wallsā¦?ā (i.e. studio treatment) fortunately, most of my calls are audio only.
I had more issues getting any music done last year than I do this year. itās less about being in the same space that I worked in all day, and more about my wife being here almost all the time too. I hate making someone else listen to the same four bar loop for hours on end, haha. but Iāve gotten accustomed to working at a lower volume now, which is certainly better for my hearing anyway.
I do typically kind of have an āend of dayā separation though. time to get up for a bit, have a snack, a beer, whatever. go outside and relax for a bit and let my dogs go nuts. having a break makes it easier to kind of separate into āOK now I want to work on musicā versus just staying in the same space and switching one machine for another.
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During Homeoffice (1-3 days a week)
What my colleagues see in a video meeting:
What they don`t see
perfect angle to pretend iām not distracted by āmy hobbyā lol
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Iāve got my company-issued machine (Microsoft Surface) on a folding TV table, just like these:
I set it up next to the desk where I have my iMac, so I can use my iMac to look up stuff, play videos, Bandcamp tracks, etc. and use the Surface just for work. Chair is an $80 one that I bought at Office Depot or something. I remember choosing it for compatibility with the recommended techniques for sitting in this book - the chair not having arms was a big plus.
Within my first 2 weeks at my newest job, my boss recommended I configure RingCentral - the company video conferencing app - with a background image, so that peeps wouldnāt be distracted by what they could see in my living room. It was kind of a pain to get it to work, but it definitely helps me feel less self-conscious about guitars, synths, etc. that might otherwise be visible during meetings.
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I can recommend those for greater mobility in the home office, if you want to shift between different desks. I thought of getting a ergo chair - but those are really expensive. (and ofc add those skates aswell.)
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yes, skate wheels are a must for desk chairs.
Back into home office again as another corona wave is hitting Germany at the moment, so I thought it would be a good time to revive this thread.
Having music gear on the same desk I have to work on for 8 hours a day is killing the vibe for me, so I completely removed all the music gear.
I just had a really nice configuration of op-1, poly beebo, DN, DT and the linnstrument128 to jam around, which could be considered a rather small setup for elektronaut standards. However, I spend much more time creating patches and testing out midi/audio routings rather than actually writing songs. So I think Iāll take this āopportunityā to just focus on one device at a time, maybe on the couch or in the kitchen (with headphones). The desk is now a dedicated place for working so I can properly āleave the officeā at the end of the working day.
Iām hoping this will spark the motivation to create some music again, as I havenāt finished a song in ages. I released 3 albums in 2020, but even these were mostly written and recorded in 2018-2020. So I am not sure if Iām just now in the phase of taking new inspiration in and another wave of motivation for making music will come automatically in time, or if itās really the lack of work/music separation that has been the norm for me in the last 1.5 years. Anybody can relate? Any advice to share to step out of this rut?
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Iām not sure to be honest. All my music stuff is on my desk (the size of a small raft) which I also use to WFH. I love this setup but at the same time I donāt like spending time making music at my desk as I associate it with work. I have an MPC which is take off the desk and work with on the sofa, same with my laptop, so I guess my recommendation would be to sample your desk-based hardware then take the sampler/laptop elsewhere.
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