Author: Francesco Riganese

Double-decker bus drivers were twice as likely to have heart attacks as their bus conductor colleagues, who spent most of the day on their feet. That’s what researchers found in 1949. In 2018, the American Journal of Public Health reported that sitting down for more than eight hours can increase the risk of chronic diseases by 10-20%. At the same time, the research that assessed the health impact of standing desks, concluded: All in all, it’s a no-brainer: sit-stand desks make us healthier and more productive. We’ve asked people working from home to share their personal experiences and recommend the…

Generous workspaces with multiple monitors, extra-long desks, and different lighting scenarios are great for productivity. But what if you don’t have room for a full-size home office? This is especially true for those living in big cities like London, Paris, San Francisco or Tokyo. Limitations spur creativity. Challenges we’re facing in our home offices can help us explore unconventional ideas and new ways of working we wouldn’t have arrived at otherwise. We asked fellow makers all over the world to share their challenges, successes and tips for working at a small desk or in a confined space. Here is what…

Name: Vick Vahram Antonyan Location: San Francisco, California, United States Occupation: Platform Manager Room size: 19 m² (205 ft²) Cost of the setup: ~$3K give or take — including the laptop Social media: Instagram Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself I’m a startup guy from Silicon Valley. I work in early-stage startups, balancing tech and business. I wear both product and operations hats. I was lucky enough to get into the startup field while attending school at San José State University. I’ve been in startups ever since. During COVID, I started my own startup — humble help. It’s a…

Name: Michie Location: Ontario, Canada Occupation: Medical Illustrator Room size: A large master bedroom size Cost of the setup: ~$750 (not including MacBook Pro or iPad Pro or TV) Social media: Instagram, Twitter Website: Michie Wu Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself Hi! I’m Michie, a graduate student currently studying at The University of Toronto. The degree I’m studying for is a Master of Science in Biomedical Communications. For those of you that don’t know what that is, it’s a degree in medical illustration. For those that are further confused as to what medical illustration entails, I don’t blame…

An email notification, a phone call, a cat meowing loudly, a sudden urge to check Twitter or Instagram, “Let’s jump on a quick call” message… And then it’s lunchtime. Working from home is not a walk in the park — we are surrounded by distractions and temptations even in our own homes. Office distractions take up to 2,1 hours a day, studies have shown. But that’s OK — working from home can get lonely and weird. If you don’t have the right habits ingrained into your WFH routine, it’s easy to fall behind. We asked creators and makers all over…

Name: Chris Location: Virginia Beach, VA, US Occupation: Information Technology and Personal Computing Room size: 12 m² (129 ft²) Cost of the setup: ~$4,5K (including a MacBook, but excluding accessories and camera gear) Social media: Photography Instagram & Personal Instagram Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself My name is Chris. I’m a freelance photographer/videographer/content creator in my free time and a certified macOS and iOS software and hardware troubleshooter at my full-time job. Growing up, I was the “art kid” in school, and after high school, I pursued 3D art and game design. My passion has always been in…

Name: Lloyd Carig Location: Vancouver, Canada Occupation: Live chat support / Photographer on the side Room size: 7 m² (75 ft²) Cost of the setup: ~$6K Social media: Instagram, YouTube Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself Hi, my name is Lloyd. I’m a father of two beautiful children and a husband to an amazing wife. I work full time as live chat support for one of the major telecom companies in Canada. On the side, I’m a photographer. When it comes to paid work, I shoot family portraits. It’s been fun! Other than that, I take photos for myself…

Name: Maru Mailan Location: Makati City, Philippines Occupation: Data Analyst/Data Engineer Room size: 7 m² (75 ft²) Cost of the setup: ~$4,8K Social media: Facebook, Instagram Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself Hi folks! I’m Maru, and I’m juggling two job titles right now. I’m a Data Analyst and Data Engineer at one of the leading telecommunications companies here in Manila. Using big data, I create visual insights and report analytics. I do love analytics because you can use it in pretty much any industry. I hold an engineering degree, but only recently I’ve discovered a true passion for…

Name: Jar Fernandez Location: Auckland, New Zealand Occupation: University Student Room size: 10 m² (108 ft²) Cost of the setup: ~$4,1K Social media: Instagram Website: Janiere Fernandez Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself Hello! I’m Janiere. But most of the time, I go by the nickname Jar (like the glass container or Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars, if you will). Born in the Philippines, my family and I relocated to New Zealand more than a decade ago, and it’s been our home ever since. I’m currently studying health science full-time at my university. I also freelance in photography…

Name: Ryoma BrunelLocation: New York City, NY, United StatesOccupation: Product DeveloperRoom size: 16 m² (172 ft²)Cost of the setup: ~$2,4KSocial media: Instagram, RedditHello! Tell us a bit about yourselfHi! My name is Ryoma.I’m a 90’s kid born and raised in New York City. I grew up loving a wide range of hobbies and activities that were largely inspired by my Japanese mother and my French father.I’ve enjoyed biking, roller skating, and skateboarding since I was young. I’ve found other interests along the way, such as sneakers and street fashion.From cycling to techwear, Ryoma’s got lots of hobbies and interestsMy dad,…