What’s an Internet Marketer’s Home Office Look Like?
It’s another Expert Briefs, where I ask really smart business owners to answer your burning questions.
If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>
This week I asked our panel of experts a question that I knew would spur me into action. (I needed to clean my office…) 😉
“People oftentimes ask about my home office and how I've set it up. I thought it would be fun to share pics or videos of our offices this week.
Give us a tour and show us where you work.”
Mark Mason of MasonWorld.com says:
My home office is centered around my 27″ iMac. About a year ago I got my wife an iMac, and I was so impressed by it that I bought one for myself. In the photo, you can see lots of kid pictures, a shot of Kyle Field (Texas A&M University), my podcasting mic, and some harman/kardon speakers. My printer is in the desk cabinet (not shown) and there is a big leather chair for reading on the other side of the room (behind the camera).
The office is enclosed, which is perfect for podcasting late at night. In the past (in my PC days) I had multiple monitors. But with the iMac I find that the single 27″ monitor is plenty.
If you look closely in front of the monitor, you can see my MasonWorld coffee mug. I have a Keurig single cup coffee maker in the kitchen, and that is probably just as important as my iMac.
Nicole's Notes:
– Coffee is goooood.
– Love the pics of the fam!
Melissa Ingold of Internet Marketing Sweetie sent in this video:
Nicole's Notes from watching this video:
– Melissa is too stinkin' cute. 🙂
– She likes plants, too.
– Light is super important to me, too.Too Funny!
When Melissa opened her binder in the video, I realized that we're studying and learning from the SAME private newsletter and we didn't even know it.
Click here to check it out.
Scott Tousignant of FatLossQuickie.com sent in a video, too:
Nicole's Notes from watching this video:
– Scott is too stinkin' cute, too. 🙂
– There's no dust on that exercise equipment!
– I love seeing how everyone organizes their days. Love your promo calendar!
Alice Seba of Contentrix says:
Well, I have a lovely home office where I have a nice desk, shelves for my books, a filing cabinet, some white boards and other stuff you'd expect in an office. But I never use it and because it's in a bit of disarray, you're not going to see it. 😉
But what you can see in my photo here is my true home office. I don't like paper, don't really care for sitting at a desk and work almost completely virtually. My office is wherever my laptop and/or iPhone goes. Sometimes that's sitting on the couch, sometimes sitting on the bed (snuggling with my toddler and boys) or in a coffee shop. Simply put…wherever.
Nicole's Notes:
– It's funny how some people prefer the separation of work and family and others do fine in an immersion. For me, I prefer to have my office separate so there's a line between work time and mommy time. I think it's also partly how my brain is wired. I don't have music playing, podcasts going, or any noise normally while I work. I find it easier to focus. You must have a better filter than I do. Mine is malfunctioning. lol!
Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:
I recorded a video, too.
Things mentioned in the video…
– Note the dust on my keyboard. lol!
– Get a comfy chair. It's hard to work with a messed up back.
– If you want the “Maverick” Poster I have, it's part of this program: Maverick Learning.
– You'll note we all have planning/brainstorming methods. (I have my whiteboard & my weekly action list that you see in this video.)
If you'd like to post photos or videos of your office on your blog, comment here with links so we can check it out.
Also, let me know what you think of these videos. 🙂
Warmly,
Nicole Dean
PS. I have created brandable reports from several of the previous Expert Brief columns that you can use to earn commissions by giving them away.
If you’re new to expert briefs, don’t miss these favorites:
Nell
November 11, 2010 at 11:57 amIs your office really that clean on a regular basis? 😉 Loved the tour of your place, Nik. I so HEART the poster about romance pooping on your head. It is so you. LOL
Nell
Nicole Dean
November 11, 2010 at 11:59 amOh no. The papers take over. I picked up before filming. 🙂
The Mom
November 11, 2010 at 11:37 amHey Nicole… where’s Eddie? He’s usually laying under your desk. 😉
And, might I add, if it’s after 5, you would normally see The Mom’s butt plopped in that rocker with a glass of wine. tee hee
Nicole
November 11, 2010 at 11:42 amEddie saw the camera and ran — as usual. What a nut that dog is.
Good point on the after 5:00. You crack me up, mom! Love you.
Scott Tousignant
November 11, 2010 at 12:12 pmWay fun to see pics and videos of our fellow homepreneur’s offices.
Hey Nik, at what time does that mug of yours get topped up with wine? 😀
Love the exercise station!
I do however have a bit of white board envy after seeing your gynormous one 😉
Certain times throughout my day I will bring my laptop to a different room in the house or outside… like now, when Angie is recording a workout video in our office 😉 I just got the boot!
Nicole
November 11, 2010 at 1:25 pmI’m like you, Scott. If I’m going to watch a video or listen to a training audio, I like to be moving – walking or on the bike.
Although I have to say I enjoy listening to audios in bed or in the bathtub, too. I had some good laughs with Dan Thies about that one day when I told him I took a bath with him! lol.
I just get antsy sitting at my desk listening to stuff. It feels like a waste of time.
Kelly
November 11, 2010 at 12:15 pmThat’s so fun Nicole! I love seeing where people work 🙂
If you want to see some more home offices – we did something like this last year at Sparkplugging:
http://www.sparkplugging.com/sparkplug-ceo/workspace-photos-where-do-you-work/
Nicole
November 11, 2010 at 4:50 pmGreat minds think alike! 🙂
Angie Newton
November 11, 2010 at 1:45 pmAwesome brief this week! I enjoyed seeing the variety. And I’m like you, Nicole, I need to work in quiet to concentrate.
Would you be able to expand on ideas on how you use the whiteboard? I have one that I just cleaned off and am ready to get more organized.
Oh and I have to say it was so cool to see your marathon medal. Kev and I are going to be walking the Reggae Marathon half very soon and I’m looking forward to that medal because I worked hard for it. And I LOVE your spin bike. We go to spin classes 3x a week and love it.
We are looking at turning our garage into a fitness ‘center’ and spin bikes are on the top of the list.
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:40 amYes, of course. I’d be happy to do that.
Mine is double sided. So, I roll it out and use the back to make big mind maps. I find I’m more creative making mind maps from my brain to paper and then translating them into the computer – than to try to do them directly in the computer from my brain.
On the front, I have a big target drawn that says “My Focal Point” which has my main projects underneath.
Actually this is a really good question and I think I may need to turn this into a separate blog post. Off to think it through on my white board. lol!
Angie Newton
November 14, 2010 at 6:39 pmAwesome, I can’t wait to see the blog post. It will be very helpful. Thanks for the info.
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:41 amI’ve got a recumbant exercise bike, too, but nothing beats standing on a spinner. Even 10 minutes and it’s awesome exercise!
Have fun on your marathon! Looking forward to the pics.
Angie Newton
November 14, 2010 at 6:40 pmOh yea the recumbent bike doesn’t even come close to the workout on a spin bike phew!
Will definitely be sharing pictures from the marathon and maybe even some video LOL
Peggy Baron
November 11, 2010 at 1:02 pmOoh, I love to see IMers offices! Ahem, mine needs a bit of tidying up before I’ll show it.
Anyway, your To Do list caught my attention. It looks pretty long! Do you just have things sorted out by Critical, Important, If I Get To It, etc? Or do you group them by areas of your business like EasyPLR, my blog, YummyPLR, etc?
Thanks,
Peggy
P.S. I didn’t know you used to live in Oregon! I lived in Tigard, outside of Portland for years. I still miss it too.
Nicole
November 11, 2010 at 1:38 pmThe list looks long, but it’s all small stuff and it’s done over the course of an entire week.
For instance this week’s list includes:
– Quick Pick up office.
– Record Video of My Office
– Uploaded Video of Office Onto YouTube (private)
– Check with Loretta to See if She Can get Draft ready by Wed. with responses in Expert Briefs email account
– Add/Tweak & Schedule Expert Briefs by Thursday
– Mention EB in email to lists where appropriate.
Each of those things was part of a larger task that could have been one line “Post Expert Briefs”. I choose to have them broken down because it’s easier for me – and more rewarding to move items to the “DONE” area. (And, I archive my lists so I can copy/paste procedures in when I need to do something again.)
Plus, now I have a process after I post the Expert Briefs where my helpers go and grab these posts and we repurpose them in several ways. So, that part is handed off after I’m done.
That’s the snapshot of it. I change things all the time, but it’s working well – especially when I email my action list to my accountability partners during the week and they ask about the items that aren’t done yet — and why they aren’t.
I love Tigard! We lived in Beaverton (almost in Tigard) & Hillsboro over the course of 8 years. 🙂
Peggy Baron
November 11, 2010 at 1:10 pmP.S. I forgot to mention I get the same private newsletter you and Melissa do! I recognized his mug immediately. 🙂
Lexi Rodrigo
November 11, 2010 at 1:29 pmThanks for putting this together, Nik! I feel so much better about my clutter now. Or rather, my children’s clutter that always manages to invade my working space.
Lexi
Nicole
November 11, 2010 at 1:39 pmSo you like my closet, eh? lmao!
Lain Ehmann
November 11, 2010 at 2:57 pmLove love LOVE this. My office is such a pit right now I’m not showing anyone anything! 😉 But after I pick up a make a few runs to the Goodwill drop off… EVERYONE needs to see my wrestling mat!
xoxoox
Lain
PS that rock is DEFINITELY from the moon.
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:42 amI, personally, love your wrestling mat.
re: “that rock is DEFINITELY from the moon” – I KNOW, right? 😀
Christina Lemmey
November 11, 2010 at 3:55 pmGreat videos Nicole! Thanks for sharing. My hubby has been giving me the evil eye lately because of all the clutter in my office. Considering how much online banking etc I do, we are just inundated with papers! Plus kids’ stuff because they use the desktop in here and God forbid they put their stuff away 😉
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:43 amThe kids are the WORST as far as paperwork.
Mine have their own desk. If I let them use mine — not good.
Can you set up a small desk somewhere that’s for their stuff?
Rick Wilson
November 11, 2010 at 4:06 pmNice post, Nicole!
It’s kool to see how others “hunker down” in their home work space.
Here’s MY “thrown together” temporary setup while I try to do some condo/house hunting this winter:
Have Fun!
Rick Wilson aka CorpRebel 😎
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:45 amFor “thrown together” — that kinda rocks.
Alice Seba
November 17, 2010 at 4:04 pmHave you got a whole crew working in there or what? Who needs so many screens…LOL. 😉
Melissa Ingold
November 17, 2010 at 6:37 pmLOL! I don’t think I could handle more than one screen myself. It can be distracting enough looking at one, let alone having multiple screens 😀
Rick Wilson
November 17, 2010 at 11:30 pmNah … NO “crew”. LOL Only have the desktop w/2 displays and my notebook.
The room isn’t all that big. The two 23″ displays are mainly for a few reasons.
1 – While I’m trying to learn Photoshop & other software, it’s nice to have one screen for the software and the other screen to put up the tutorials.
2 – I also do daytrading 3 mornings a week. Variety, ya know?? heh heh
3 – On the weekends, I can put up streaming football games on one screen while I tinker away on some other stuff on the other screen. 😉
PLUS, the extra real estate is there when I need it. Convenience factor.
My trusty notebook is obviously for the portability.
NEXT addition is one of those small refrigerators! LOL
Have Fun!
Rick Wilson aka CorpRebel 😎
Melissa Ingold
November 18, 2010 at 6:34 amLOL! Well in that case, it sounds like you’re making good use of them all 😀
Melissa Ingold
November 11, 2010 at 5:19 pmEveryone else’s office makes mine look sad, LOL!
I don’t always work at my desk though, cause I like to snuggle in bed with my laptop too 😀
I’m starting to wonder if maybe I should move everything back downstairs to my “real” office, just to make the separation between work/home. Like Nicole, I really need to step away from work to focus on family. I have a hard time making them work together. But we’ll see!
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:47 amIf I need to write – like a whole report or ebook, I’ll take my laptop outside or in my bed. I’ve considered getting a hotel room and sequestering myself there until it’s finished on bigger projects that I’m really procrastinating. (Jimmy taught me that. lol!)
If only I could find a laptop that worked in the shower. That’s still where I do my best thinking.
Melissa Ingld
November 14, 2010 at 9:36 amUgh! You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to spend a weekend in a hotel room to do nothing but work without interruptions, lol!
Order room service. Take short breaks and use the hotel’s exercise room and pool.
Sounds so nice 🙂
Ronnie Nijmeh
November 11, 2010 at 7:37 pmThat was awesome! It was fun to see everyone’s office. One day when I clean mine, I’ll make a video too! haha 🙂
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:48 amlol. You saw my closet, right?
Ronnie Nijmeh
November 12, 2010 at 10:16 amhaha… have you seen mine?
Since we’ve moved into our new place, our two spare rooms are known as “junk rooms”… haha 🙂
Web Design Houston
November 12, 2010 at 12:15 amI like Melisa’s type of Home Office. It think plants can help relieve stress and the light that would make clear out your eyes from too much exposure to computer.
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:49 amThe plants do help – at least they help me. I’ve had fish on my desk, too, which has been relaxing. Been thinking about a water fountain for the background noise. 🙂
I’m always looking for ways to make my office home-like.
Melissa Ingld
November 14, 2010 at 9:39 amLOL! Yeah, it’s not fancy, but it sure is cozy here 😀
Bill Millikin
November 12, 2010 at 5:51 amThanx for this series, Nicole. It reminds that fancy space isn’t required, just comfortable space that feels good to work in. Each of these videos seems to make the office space appear an extension of the owner’s personality and life.
My space is a large table for me to work and to hold up my clutter (mostly paper), with bookshelves around and behind, and a decent chair that feels like home.
Thanx, again..
Nicole
November 12, 2010 at 9:49 am“Each of these videos seems to make the office space appear an extension of the owner’s personality and life.”
Exactly. 🙂
Angie Dixon
December 2, 2010 at 1:08 pmI’ll third you on the personality thing. I was sitting here reading this and thought, “I wish I knew where those pics I took of my office are, but I’m too lazy to take more right now.”
First, I have two monitors, but the one on the left (they’re both 21″ LCD) is rotated vertical. I spend most of my time writing, so that way I can see the whole page, or a whole web page. It is major cool.
Second, about a year ago I painted my office walls kind of a light dark orange (I know, but I mean, it’s a light shade of dark orange, like an orange–not like clown hair), with dark red trim on the baseboards and window facings. I have always had a band of wallpaper border around the top, that has been painted over before, so that is electric blue, as is the inside of the door (the outside of the door is orange).
For artwork, I have 8 x 10s of WPA posters, and fruit crate labels, scattered around the walls.
It is super-awesome, as my daughter says.
But it is definitely *my* office; no one else could make that wild color scheme work. Of course, as you may remember, Nicole, “I am the Angie Dixon Who…” (another funny me thing from my website).
Some of these offices would work for me, but I do need something that is bright and fun and accomodates clutter well. I don’t have a closet.
Laura
November 12, 2010 at 10:16 amI have the exact same desk, Nicole! In fact, I have two of them across from each other. The only problem is it creates a little bit of wasted space in the corner because it’s not a true corner desk, but I shoved a speaker behind one of them and the other I have against a flat wall instead of in a corner.
They’re big desks but I manage to stuff them pretty full!
Rhonda
November 12, 2010 at 2:32 pmNicole,
Love the fact that you have an exercise bicycle in your office! It’s a great way for work at home moms to stay fit…plus you can multi-task exercising while watching those online videos. (:
Michael in the UK
November 13, 2010 at 2:46 amHey, the idea of videoing our littl offices is really cool. Nobody has done that. it’s inspired me to do a video of myself for the Internet and get over my inhibitions!
I’ll look for that straw!!!
GREAT STUFF NICOLE……
I just have a laptop, one website i’m preparing for 2011 and a mountain of paperwork that i’ve collected over 20 years.
Rhonda
November 13, 2010 at 6:18 pmOkay, Nicole…I finally did my very first video ever! I look quite silly because I was soooo nervous! Anyway, I’m showing off my home office here: Video of My Home Office
Alyssa
November 13, 2010 at 6:49 pmI love peeking into people’s offices. 🙂
Alyssa
November 13, 2010 at 7:06 pmI decided to craft a post on my home office – – looks like I need to get some plants, but I’m thinking I have a black thumb. Recommendations for a newbie? My home office post: http://alyssaavant.com/2010/11/14/my-home-office/
Melissa Ingold
November 14, 2010 at 9:45 amI thought I would share my other office space, which is even more cozy and comfortable. It’s a great place for writing and snuggling with kiddos 🙂
Alyssa
November 14, 2010 at 12:55 pmMelissa that link didn’t take us anywhere. . . would love to see… but no link! Thanks
Nicole
November 14, 2010 at 2:30 pmShould be fixed. 🙂
Melissa Ingld
November 14, 2010 at 2:40 pmIt’s just my bedroom 😀
elsadra
November 16, 2010 at 8:17 pmI prefer Mark Mason’s Home Office… its very interesting for me to condition my online work…
Nicole
November 24, 2010 at 12:28 pmThe video is cute! Thanks for the blog response. 🙂
Lynn Brown
December 3, 2010 at 10:22 amGreat post Nicole. My home office at times may look like a paper mill exploded but generally I have to have it organized I would go crazy. This is a great idea that I would like to share with my clients -hope you don’t mind Nicole that I make up a similar post – I will certainly add a link back to this post – as there are a lot of great ideas and input.
Kathy
December 14, 2010 at 8:03 amHi Nicole:
It’s my first time to your blog. So happy I’ve found it!
Here’s my office. It looks so bare compared to everyone elses. Sadly, I think this is a direct reflection of the amount of work I’m getting done. ahhhh.
Kathy
don’t know if we can emed:
or here’s a simple link: http://vimeo.com/17803347
Nicole
December 14, 2010 at 8:36 amHow awesome is that?! I love this video.
As for your blog – cool concept – great look – love the humor!
The reason you might be having difficulty blogging is because the topic is so narrow. I think I’d add some blog posts about handling stress. Obviously your clients give you quite a bit of that. 😉
Come back soon!
N
Kathy
December 14, 2010 at 9:06 amWhat a great idea! It seems so obvious, but really never occurred to me. Amazing what a second, fresh mind can see. thanks!! I’ll add some stress topics to the now rapidly filling cork board!
thanks!
tinagleisner
January 27, 2012 at 10:05 amWhat a great idea to not only take photos of your home office, but to do a video tour as that’s when you really get a sense out of the environment you’ve created and you love of mementos of your life was very evident throughout the tour. Thanks