Today I’m going to talk to you about a place where I spend most of my time. My home office. I used to spend most of my time in coffee shops, working on my laptop. As my office took shape, I found myself addicted to working here.

Our office is actually an offshoot of our bedroom space… For the size of our house, the bedroom is actually quite large. We tried a lot of different arrangements for this cozy space, and ultimately decided that it would be best suited as our home office. It’s upstairs and away from the noise of the rest of the house, so when Rachel and I take our shifts, we get to work in peace.

This is my desk area. It’s actually an old drafting table my brother recovered from the side of the road. It is not quite as deep as a conventional desk, which works great for the space, and it’s got some shelving below where I keep our printer and some extra paper. We set it up in front of the window overlooking the street, which isn’t much of a view, but when it rains I open up the blinds and enjoy the softer, overcast light and the rain streaming down the window as I work. I have a 27 inch iMac accompanied by a 17 inch Dell monitor extended desktop to give me a little bit of extra working space when I need it.

I also have a Yeti Blue USB microphone that I can easily swing over for anything I need to record. This is a great and easy way to quickly capture my thoughts if typing won’t keep up, and it will definitely be useful when I start the “In the Boat With Ben” Podcast.

Though the desk area isn’t very deep, one of the great things about having an iMac is that it doesn’t take up a lot of real estate, so I’ve got plenty of room to push the keyboard back and work on art.

Finally, another favorite spot of mine is that blue armchair next to the bookshelf. I use this space to shift my perspective a little bit, both physically and mentally. Here I can break out my laptop, put my feet up on the coffee table (that’s allowed in my office) sip some coffee and write, or brainstorm, or just think, or take a break.

A few months back I was given a “day off” for my birthday. Rachel took care of the kids and said, “You go do whatever you want. Have fun.” I wasn’t out long before I eventually found myself back in the home office, setting it up to look the way that it does today. It may not be the ideal place for someone else, but I love it.

My office is my helm. It’s where I come to steer the ship. It is in the best interest of my work to set up an environment that allows my work to thrive. Give yourself permission to turn your workspace into a place where you love to be. Take some time, rearrange some things. Buy some stuff, or just make what you have work. The work that you do is too important to not live in an environment where it can thrive.