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Ask HN: What do you have in your office that inspires/amuses you?

17 points by reacharavindh ↗ HN
I finally have the luxury of a dedicated home office room after decades of living in apartments with some corner repurposed as office..

My office is pretty much blank other than a bunch of plants and I would love to hear what interesting things(posters, desk top sized marvels, whatever else) you have that inspires/amuses you while you work?

22 comments

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seydor
a keyboard or guitar. mirror. a nice window on the side so you can rest your eyes far every few minutes. green plants within view
reacharavindh
Why mirror?
seydor
I don't know. Light. Check posture. Make sure there's not a bear behind you.
esperent
Depending on your work environment, the last one may be especially important. I'm more worried about snakes personally having found a pit viper napping in the garden last week.
kratom_sandwich
What I always find inspiring is stationary, e.g. a stack of writing pads and some pens. Gives me a sense of possibility and lets me dream of being creative and sketching cool stuff.
Raed667
I keep a guitar on a stand next to my workspace, and reach out to it from time to time when waiting for a build.
Jaruzel
I also have a guitar on my workspace. However it's job is to sit there and mock me for the past 10 years for not being good enough to learn how to play it.
Jaruzel
Home offices, like most well used areas around the house tend to evolve organically as time goes on.

Without any preplanning, mine has a small wooden posable 'artists' hand that I fiddle with during calls, a small metal Twinings Tea vintage delivery truck, a Kinder Egg Batman figure who protects my router, and my guitar (see other comment).

cpach
Maybe a stack of nice books!? Preferably about broader topics than just CS/math. Maybe throw in some history, philosophy, etc?

If you can afford to, maybe buy some nice oil paintings to hang there. Could be very inspiring.

llaolleh
This. So. Much.

I've always wondered why so many huge companies don't have a huge company library with their gigantic profits.

As an employer, I'd want employees to always be excited about reading and learning new things. The usual PR mumbo jumbo they spew.

Doesn't a company book space support that? A bookspace has extremely high ROI imo. Better than the massive amount of money we pay for some goons to talk for an hour on Zoom to answer questions with some run of the mill generic answer.

dominotw
cat tree. I love hanging out with my cat during workday.
aynyc
Pictures of my family. Sounds corny but they inspire me.
wernsey
My mom once gave me a sign that reads "How can I think outside the box when I work in a cubicle"
esperent
The back of my office is a small workout space. I bought 12 gym mats and it's enough space for me and my partner to workout, spar, or boogie together.

It also inspires me to do mini workouts throughout the day or just throw on a funky tune and dance when I need a quick break. I've been working on my handstand push-ups over the past month and I'm seeing real progress which feels great.

It helps me remember that while I'm spending all day doing mentally intense work, my mind is attached to a body that needs daily care and attention too, which is becoming more and more clear as I get older. I'm 37 now but I'm lucky to be friends with two men who are physically fit and active in their 70s. They help to remind me that I'll be there one day too and like them I'll wanna still be able to join in a dance class or go hiking with friends. The only way that'll happen is if I put in the effort to stay fit now and for the rest of my life.

It's like saving for retirement. Except more fun because I also get the immediate benefits of exercise.

krm01
How do you stay consistent?
nycdotnet
Every time someone sends me an appreciation on the Namely feed I print it out and tape it to my wall. It’s nice to have a reminder that my work helps people do their jobs better.
kickaha
Students often send me thank you cards after they graduate and I’ve covered a wall with them.

As the years go by it keeps growing and my reverence for my own responsibility to them keeps increasing.

thedanbob
I’ve got a fragment of pottery from an archaeological dig in Israel and a volcanic rock from a beach in Iceland. Just a couple of reminders of really amazing experiences.
runjake
A color photo of Bill Lumberg leaning on a corner of cubicle with coffee in hand, mounted right on the corner of my cubicle where my manager always leans when he’s got something to ask.

Nobody seems to have spotted it yet. I like my manager but it still gives me a little chuckle whenever I’m interrupted.