Having a proper and ideal set up if you work from home is quite a necessity. I recently read a few workspace content on Hive and was inspired to share the progress I made with mine. You can say that now I am retiring from moving around too much and deciding to actually work from home and building some roots like many others. In the past, my setup was something that you can see below; it was pretty humble. I had a table and the chair that I got from saving up for a few months. Alas, now that chair is broken and I was using a plastic stool.

My old workspace

The layout that I did before was based on how I want to see the window and next to the door but apparently, according to a fengshui, the optimal way to place the desk is in the centre and as long as our back is not facing the door. To achieve that kind of layout, it was pretty challenging since my room is tiny. So, I ended up having a wall view instead of a window view. I thought that it would be bad but it’s proven to be better as I also minimise a lot of distractions that otherwise I get from a window view.

Overtime, I added more books to fill out the side of the table and added a lamp to help me get more lights, especially during the night and when I take pictures. I also added a coaster for my coffee mugs. I had a cactus then but after leaving the room for many months, I have yet replacing it with a new plant.

My current working Space

I also have only been back in less than a month and I also wanted to free up my room even more. The last time I did a clean up was in December with my mom. I don’t really like a lot of clutter on my table, so I often keep it sort of sleek. As this is a work in progress, there are a few things that I will change such as the colour of the wall. I might also add a few more posters and as you can see, the Hive poster is in the middle of my workspace.

Since this room is really small and I have to fit my life into it, the most challenging part is creating a space that makes me feel like I transfer to another spot as if it were a home. The workspace is the most important part of my day and where I spend the most time. Hence making sure that the space is comfortable was also a part of my tasks.

I was thinking about getting a minimalist chair but I know that they won’t be comfortable for sitting more than 6 hours. I know it won’t be because I visited cafes and often test the chair. Only a few would pass and that’s why I opt for a gaming-office chair style. Remember when I mentioned that I’ve been using a plastic stool? I finally decided to upgrade mine to a gaming chair.

At first, I was hesitant because I should be fine with an office chair. However, my one requirement is that I need a chair with an iron base instead of a plastic one. I have to say that it’s not worth it to get the plastic one because after 3 years, mine breaks. Feeling quite a trauma from it, I search for any iron base.

Turns out, the iron base office chair that I wanted was out of stock. The store only has the expensive chairs that are way beyond my budget. As I browsed more, I ended up finding a place where they sell a gaming chair with an iron base.

Picking The Right Chair

There are a few gaming chairs out there but I eventually choose the one from Dragonwar.

The seller is also near my place and I picked the option for instant delivery. Before the chair came, I was watching how to assemble one because unlike my previous one that was already assembled, this chair is entirely in parts.

Thankfully, the chair is quite easy to assemble and I got it done within 25 minutes. But during the process, I got annoyed because it felt like a puzzle and there was an instruction that wasn’t clear at all.

It has quite a comfortable armrest and is able to lay down up to130 degrees. Now I think I might as well sleep on the chair. I also remember reading a post from Hive account@storiesoferne about picking chairs. I remember mentioning that I got one without a proper lumbar support and I damn well learned my lesson. At least this one has a pillow around the lumbar area and is pretty comfortable to sit for long without breaking my back. Arm rest is also important as it adds more comfort when typing especially for long hours.

Looking back, after 2 years, I eventually have a proper chair and the one that supports my back. Just like Erne said in his post, a work chair is your partner for life. I hope mine stays that way, at least 3-5 years 😀. But again, what I love the most about this chair is the iron base that I know would last quite longer than a plastic base. The wheel is pretty fine and firm which is quite good because you don’t want an excessively slimy wheel that keeps moving every time you sit. My old one used to be like that.

Now, here’s my current setup. There’s quite a bit to work on but for now, I have to say that my progress is around 50% before I can ideally build a proper workspace that I truly want. But overall, I am happy with the way it is now, considering I was using a plastic stool for the last 2 weeks now.