I've been working from home since the pandemic started in March 2020, a little over 4 years. When I first had to do so, I was renting a small 1-bedroom apartment with one bedroom and another room combining a kitchen and living space (even the bathroom was carved out of this room).
I already had a desk, a decent chair, and a small file cabinet, so it was pretty easy to move my job home. Because, at this point, I'd already spent numerous years editing videos for YouTube and working on hobby projects, so I had a desktop PC with 2 monitors and pretty much all the infrastructure I needed to get started right away.
My girlfriend (my wife now) moved in later in 2020, and we then had an incredibly cramped apartment. She also switched jobs and started working from home soon after moving in, so we had to figure out a second workspace. We removed the sofa and table from the living room, bought a cheap desk (which I assembled!), and started working from home. It was pretty rough, but we made it work.
We spent over 2 years in this flat before moving to a bigger place. We now have 2 bedrooms, a large living area, a separate dining area, and 2 bathrooms. On top of that, we have a garage, a basement, and an attic. It's not a huge apartment, but it's almost 3 times larger than our small rented flat.
My fantastic wife allowed me to turn the 2nd bedroom into an office, which was very cool for a bit before I realized it has to become our little boy's room soon enough.
Over the past year, the amount of baby stuff piling in my office has slowly increased to where I now reside in a quarter of the room. Pretty soon, I'll have to vacate the premises.
That's where the attic comes in.
Each apartment in our building has a full-height small room in the attic. There's a nice window, it's enough for a decent office, and there's even a shared restroom for the 5 rooms up there. It sounds pretty promising.
Right now it's full of old books and clothes, so it needs to be cleaned. I also have to check the electrical situation. The place needs to run 2 desktop computers, a 3D printer, video lights, recording equipment, etc. I also have to see if my internet provider can install a 2nd point for a reduced monthly fee.
The best part is that the room is big enough for my desk, some cabinets, and a nice chill area, so essentially, we are talking of not simply an office but more of a man cave, a place that can be my sanctuary to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams and hobbies.
It might sound a bit spoiled, but working from home gets pretty hard when my wife and baby are always around. I can always close my office/bedroom door, but I rarely do it. It makes me feel as if I am turning my back on them. I understand it's probably completely irrational, but it's how I feel whenever I have to close the door and jump on a call.
I believe turning the attic into an office will solve this. Additionally, I will be able to impose more strict working hours on myself and be more consistent with spending time with my family. And last but not least, I'll have room for a permanent YouTube recording set. This alone is a massive improvement from my current situation, where I have to take out and assemble all light stands, lights, tripods, camera gear, etc., whenever I want to record a quick talking head video.
We are getting ready to clear out all the books and junk up there so I can start turning our attic into my dream office & studio. I honestly can't thank my wonderful wife enough for being so generous and supportive with my hobbies and side hustles. And I can't wait to make a video about my new studio!
Anyway, the whole point was mainly to share with you how excited I am and how lucky I feel to have this fantastic opportunity to build my own space. I will definitely share more details about the process once I get started.
At the end of the day, the transformation of our attic into an office symbolizes more than just a physical space for work. It also supports the balance between my professional and personal lives. This endeavor reminds me how important it is to create a dedicated workspace that nurtures our professional goals while respecting our personal lives. It's a testament to how, with creativity and support, we can craft an environment that genuinely supports our aspirations.
I guess that's all I had for you today. As usual, extra brownie points to those who share the newsletter with their second best friend.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and I'll catch you next week!
Best,
Dobri