For one job, I go to the office and sit behind a desk. Sometimes I go out to meetings, luncheons, or to the scene of emergencies to work with the media. For another job, I sit in a recliner with my laptop.  I field phone calls, answer emails, moderate comments (oh those spammers are so horrible!).

I have a non-traditional office, for sure!  When you work-at-home, you have to stay focused and that is definitely a challenge sometimes!  Sometimes an actual office inside the home works, while others thrive like I do in a comfortable chair in the living room.  From Apartment Therapy,

His job requires a lot of phone calls, filing, and storage, where my writing needs are much more mobile, so we decided right away that his desk should go in the spare bedroom, and he’s been happy there ever since. I, on the other hand, have moved from a small desk setup in the open kitchen/living room area, to the dining room, which doubles as the library, and even to the bedroom, where I had a desk/nightstand combo for a while.

Sitting in a home office can be so isolating so I definitely understand the need to change locations within the home!

Keeping a clean office is extremely important if you have clients that might like to pop in to see what you’re working on. If someone were to walk in my house today, I’d be embarrassed because it needs vacuumed and dusted.  Plus my kids’ shoes are scattered all over the living room and there is a pile of clothes that need folded and put away.  The embarrassment would be much worse if it was a client to step through my door!

If you have to clean an office FAST for a last-minute client visit, Apartment Therapy offers some tips on making your work space presentable,

• Use a lint brush on your desktop and keyboard for a quick dusting (especially if you have pets). If you have time, deep clean your keyboard with tape or a sticky note.
• If you’ve got a rip or stain on your office chair, cover it with a decorative throw or a small pillow.
• Stack books and magazines in neat piles, or place them into files or bins, like these inexpensive ones from IKEA ($1.99 for a pack of 5). You can keep them folded and ready to go for clutter-clearing emergencies.

Great tips! Life saver!

Photo by love Maegan.

If it was an attic office at my parents house, I’d have to say no because the pull down stairs are not something I’d want to wrestle every day. However if you have a regular set of stairs, an attic office could be a great option for those who work at home.  From Better Homes & Gardens,

 A quiet attic can provide the perfect opportunity to put an underutilized space to work. A long desk along one of the walls offers plenty of workspace for two people and is simply a tabletop mounted to a series of cabinets. The window in front of the desk provides natural light, while adjustable wall-mount lamps offer task lighting.

Lovely! Thank you BHG for sharing!

Without stating the obvious computer and phone, my must-have for an office includes a fax machine, comfortable chair, and wireless internet. Jason of The Virtual Leader has his own list of three things he must have,

A second monitor.  Plugging an old, yet large, monitor into my laptop gives me dual screen capability so I can multitask or manage online training sessions easily.  For example, notes or slides to myself on one screen while sharing the other screen with online participants.

Jason also has a good headset and a powerline adapter as his own must-haves. What’s on your list?

Photo by Sean MacEntee.

I finally bit the bullet and went back to work in an office job about six months ago.  It doesn’t leave me much free time to do my “home” work but I squeeze it in on weekends and in the evenings.

I so miss the freedom I had just a few months ago.  Go where I wanted when I wanted.  Have time to do philanthropic work.  Take an occasional road trip to see the parents.  And eat salsa right out of the jar, just like Will Bailey of nailsbails,

I work from home, which means I have a lot of…freedom [shudder]. Horrible, limitless, malaise-inducing freedom. For instance, my current outfit consists of boxer briefs and slippers, I just ate a bunch of salsa straight from the jar, and in about five minutes I’m going to lie face-down on my bed as a reward for writing this.

I miss my window from home as I sit in my office with two red brick walls and two regular walls (but no window).

Photo by Amy Loves Yah.

All I want in an office is a window.  I’ve ha plenty of offices without them. And plenty with them.  If I didn’t have a window, though, having a cardboard office might be kind of high on the awesome scale. From Inhabitat,

… we bring you the Rabobank Headquarters in the Netherlands, a 25 storey office building decked out in immaculately-crafted Washi paper and paperboard that delights the senses. Skylights give the building’s partitioning a pleasant visual sheen, and the design enhances the positive emotional environment as well.

Photo by twidget via Flickr Creative Commons.

I once had a job when my babies were growing up where I regularly worked 50 and 60 hour weeks.  It was during that job that an abundance of health issues hit me hard – even my Mom said, “That job is killing you!”

After much discussion with my husband, I accepted another position for 1/3 less of the salary I made at the busier job.  It felt so foreign to come home from a job at a normal time, to not work weekends, to not fly to different parts of the country for work.  It was wonderful!

Yes, jobs can kill you.  Steve at BripBlap shares his story,

I was getting ready to go to work one morning.  I had a cold and was feeling a bit woozy, but it was a big meeting.  As I put on my tie, I fell down on the floor and passed out for a few minutes.  When I got up, I STILL went to work (not the hospital).  I waited until after the meeting to go to my doctor, who informed me that I didn’t have a cold – I had pneumonia AND bronchitis.  And that I would probably be dead in six months if I didn’t address my health.

Really – he said that.  Dead in six months. He wasn’t kidding.  He said it in a very doctor-ish tone, so I knew he was serious.

I think changing jobs easily added 10 to 20 years to my life.  My hair stopped graying so quickly.  The increasing wrinkles began to slow. And I no longer felt a desire to drive my car into a tree rather than driving into the parking garage.

What about you?  What was your worst job?

Photo by archie4oz via flickr creative commons.
And what’s with the nice view being blocked by he cubicle wall?

Photo by boulter via Flickr Creative Commons.