6 ms·

Not just when you’re at work, unless you tear down your desk and store it out of sight every single day!

by tshaddox 5y ago

Dylan16807 5y ago
Only if you got an extra work-only desk. Even then, an extra desk by itself isn't very big.
- tshaddox 5y ago
  A desk is big if you live somewhere where property and rent prices are high. Like California, for instance.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    Still, it's a tenth of what an entire room costs. When you do something like weigh the cost of commuting vs. the cost of that space, a desk is probably going to win. And maybe I'm weird but I'm going to have a desk no matter what.
    - tshaddox 5y ago
      If you already have a desk that easily accommodates both your work computer and whatever other non-work things you use the desk for, then sure, but you could say the same thing for any new at-home requirements for a job that you just happen to already satisfy. I don't have any reason non-work reason to have living space dedicated to a computer desk, and I suspect that's true for most people.
      - Dylan16807 5y ago
        > I don't have any reason non-work reason to have living space dedicated to a computer desk, and I suspect that's true for most people. How do you typically browse websites at home? Do you play any PC video games? Steam has a ton of users. (And if you use a table, then you could use the same table for working.)
        tshaddox 5y ago
        Home computer use is limited to my phone and tablet on the couch or in bed. Haven't had a gaming PC (or any Windows computer) since around 2013. I get enough desktop computing exposure at my day job, thank you very much! It's true that PC gaming is as popular as ever, but I suspect its rise has been at least somewhat countered with a decrease in desktop computing at home as smartphones became ubiquitous.
        Dylan16807 5y ago
        Unless you're typing all these comments with no keyboard (why??), then I think your work experience, with getting your fill there, isn't the most typical. And there's been a decrease in desktops, but far more households have a desktop/laptop than a tablet and it's not far behind the rate of having broadband.
        tshaddox 5y ago
        We're probably both just swapping anecdotes, but I suspect you might be surprised just how many general computer users overwhelmingly use their smartphones for nearly everything. I remember years ago being confused by the steady and swift increase in smartphone screen size. Why in the world would people want the little communication gadget in their pocket to be larger? The reason, I realized, is that it's not "the communication gadget in their pocket." It's their only computer.
        Dylan16807 5y ago
        I'm not working off anecdotes. It's 78% of people that have a desktop or laptop at home. Households that only have a phone or tablet as a computer are only 14%.
        tshaddox 5y ago
        Laptop is a different story, because of the whole lap top thing.
- RHSeeger 5y ago
  Desk, monitors, keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, and other things that go on a desk. I'm certainly not going to tear all that down every evening and set it back up every day. Plus a separate office means a door to keep out noise, room for bookshelves and other office items, and the ability to just "put things down" without having to spend time cleaning off the kitchen table before dinner. Any setup other than having a specific office for work is, in my opinion, sub-optimal. Sure, you can make due... but you could make due with a poor environment in an office building too... but why would you? You can't compare the setup in an office building to a much worse environment at home and then say "home is cheaper". For a like-for-like comparison, it costs the employee more to work from home.
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    > Desk, monitors, keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, and other things that go on a desk. I'm certainly not going to tear all that down every evening and set it back up every day. At worst that's still only a desk of space wasted. And if you're willing to commute, you should probably be willing to spend 2 minutes putting all that stuff away. If you still decide not to, then it's because that space isn't needed very much. > Any setup other than having a specific office for work is, in my opinion, sub-optimal. I agree, but this line of conversation is specifically about if you don't have a separate office.
    - RHSeeger 5y ago
      If you don't have a separate office, then odds are you have a sub-optimal work environment. So you're not considering "if you can save money working from home" but rather "if you can save money by working from a worse work environment". Which I guess is a valid argument, it's just somewhat orthogonal to the question of whether or not working from home saves money. > only a desk of space wasted There is a lot more to a dedicated, optimal work environment than "only a desk of space". Plus the fact that a LOT of people live in places that don't have an extra "desk of space". Approximately half the places I've worked couldn't give up a desk's worth of space without it being in everyone's way.
    - tshaddox 5y ago

Not just when you’re at work, unless you tear down your desk and store it out of sight every single day!

Dylan16807 5y ago

Only if you got an extra work-only desk. Even then, an extra desk by itself isn't very big.

tshaddox 5y ago
A desk is big if you live somewhere where property and rent prices are high. Like California, for instance.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  Still, it's a tenth of what an entire room costs. When you do something like weigh the cost of commuting vs. the cost of that space, a desk is probably going to win. And maybe I'm weird but I'm going to have a desk no matter what.
  - tshaddox 5y ago
    If you already have a desk that easily accommodates both your work computer and whatever other non-work things you use the desk for, then sure, but you could say the same thing for any new at-home requirements for a job that you just happen to already satisfy. I don't have any reason non-work reason to have living space dedicated to a computer desk, and I suspect that's true for most people.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      > I don't have any reason non-work reason to have living space dedicated to a computer desk, and I suspect that's true for most people. How do you typically browse websites at home? Do you play any PC video games? Steam has a ton of users. (And if you use a table, then you could use the same table for working.)
      - tshaddox 5y ago
        Home computer use is limited to my phone and tablet on the couch or in bed. Haven't had a gaming PC (or any Windows computer) since around 2013. I get enough desktop computing exposure at my day job, thank you very much! It's true that PC gaming is as popular as ever, but I suspect its rise has been at least somewhat countered with a decrease in desktop computing at home as smartphones became ubiquitous.
        Dylan16807 5y ago
        Unless you're typing all these comments with no keyboard (why??), then I think your work experience, with getting your fill there, isn't the most typical. And there's been a decrease in desktops, but far more households have a desktop/laptop than a tablet and it's not far behind the rate of having broadband.
        tshaddox 5y ago
        We're probably both just swapping anecdotes, but I suspect you might be surprised just how many general computer users overwhelmingly use their smartphones for nearly everything. I remember years ago being confused by the steady and swift increase in smartphone screen size. Why in the world would people want the little communication gadget in their pocket to be larger? The reason, I realized, is that it's not "the communication gadget in their pocket." It's their only computer.
        Dylan16807 5y ago
        I'm not working off anecdotes. It's 78% of people that have a desktop or laptop at home. Households that only have a phone or tablet as a computer are only 14%.
        tshaddox 5y ago
        Laptop is a different story, because of the whole lap top thing.
RHSeeger 5y ago
Desk, monitors, keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, and other things that go on a desk. I'm certainly not going to tear all that down every evening and set it back up every day. Plus a separate office means a door to keep out noise, room for bookshelves and other office items, and the ability to just "put things down" without having to spend time cleaning off the kitchen table before dinner. Any setup other than having a specific office for work is, in my opinion, sub-optimal. Sure, you can make due... but you could make due with a poor environment in an office building too... but why would you? You can't compare the setup in an office building to a much worse environment at home and then say "home is cheaper". For a like-for-like comparison, it costs the employee more to work from home.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  > Desk, monitors, keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, and other things that go on a desk. I'm certainly not going to tear all that down every evening and set it back up every day. At worst that's still only a desk of space wasted. And if you're willing to commute, you should probably be willing to spend 2 minutes putting all that stuff away. If you still decide not to, then it's because that space isn't needed very much. > Any setup other than having a specific office for work is, in my opinion, sub-optimal. I agree, but this line of conversation is specifically about if you don't have a separate office.
  - RHSeeger 5y ago
    If you don't have a separate office, then odds are you have a sub-optimal work environment. So you're not considering "if you can save money working from home" but rather "if you can save money by working from a worse work environment". Which I guess is a valid argument, it's just somewhat orthogonal to the question of whether or not working from home saves money. > only a desk of space wasted There is a lot more to a dedicated, optimal work environment than "only a desk of space". Plus the fact that a LOT of people live in places that don't have an extra "desk of space". Approximately half the places I've worked couldn't give up a desk's worth of space without it being in everyone's way.
  - tshaddox 5y ago