Workspace of the Week: The active office
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Spurfer’s treadmill office:
This is definitely the most unusual office I have seen in the Unclutterer flickr pool — and certainly the most healthy! The laptop holder is ingenious, and the storage drawers and shredder at the foot of the treadmill make it into a full office space. It takes multi-tasking to a whole new level. Thank you, Spurfer, for sharing your office with us!
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
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Posted by Erin on Nov 7, 2008 |
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25 comments posted
Posted by Another Deb - 11/07/2008
I have seen many an office in the front seats of realtor’s cars.
Love the treadmill idea. Is the recharger for the computer hooked into the treadmill?
Posted by Fit Bottomed Girls - 11/07/2008
It doesn’t look quick as zen as some of the others you feature, but I love it.
Posted by Rue - 11/07/2008
This is awesome. I saw an article recently about an office in Omaha, I think, where some of the employees actually use a treadmill while they’re working. They have headsets instead of regular phones and they have real desks which are built at treadmill height.
The article is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09.....terstitial There are also some ideas about how to build your own linked in the sidebar here: http://www.treadmill-desk.com/
Posted by Peter (a different one) - 11/07/2008
Yeah – I am sure I’d do a face plant into the MacBook. I like the idea, but alas, it’s for the coordinated.
Posted by timgray - 11/07/2008
I set up a recumbent bike like this years ago when I was a programmer for a fortune 100 company.
I mounted a 17″ lcd to the left and right and bought a chording keyboard and air mouse…
http://www.handykey.com/ — the keyboard/mouse I used.
I was able to type at full keyboard speeds within 5 days, I also lost a ton of weight that year. The problem is when you are on the phone headset, you sound out of breath to the caller. so I never answered my phone when I was on that machine, which increases productivity if you deal with the phone calls on your terms and not theirs.
Posted by Springpeeper - 11/07/2008
@timgray
Yes, I imagine the heavy breathing would be a bit off-putting to potential clients…
Posted by Leonie - 11/07/2008
exactly….how many hours does he work?…..
Sorry, this is multitasking a bit too far….you can’t possibly be working out very hard AND typing on the computer at the same time….
Posted by Drew - 11/07/2008
BRILLIANT!
Posted by Rue - 11/07/2008
@Leonie: The point of this isn’t to work out hard. It’s to get a low-intensity workout for the majority of the day, which winds up burning just as many calories as if you worked out hard for an hour or so.
Posted by JuneBug - 11/07/2008
Anyone coordinated enough to do this gets my sincere respect and admiration. Alas, I cannot drink water while walking, even through a straw. I feel that there would not be enough workman’s comp insurance to cover what might befall me if I attempted this.
Posted by Tabitha (From Single to Married) - 11/07/2008
that’s pretty funny actually. I use my time on the treadmill to read and I enjoy it as it lets me multitask, but that’s about all I can handle while working out.
Posted by Jen C - 11/07/2008
This is a wonderful idea! I’ve been wanting to try it (for gaming, not working) but hadn’t been sure how to go about it safely (i.e. the computer not falling off, tripping me and causing general mayhem).
Posted by Stephanie - 11/07/2008
It doesn’t look that uncluttered to me, but that might be because of just how multitasker it is.
I’ve seen ideas like this before, but they strike me as dangerous (for my laptop) and too distracting (too both my work and my exercise).
Kudos to anyone who can make it work though. They get my respect and admiration.
Posted by netman - 11/07/2008
What’s so wrong with just exercising? Isn’t the point of it to get AWAY from stress? Exercise is supposed to clear the mind and help you when you DO go back to work. I don’t understand why this exhibits and uncluttered life I guess…
Posted by Spurfer - 11/07/2008
Well, I don’t look upon this setup as a way to exercise; I actually go to a gym most mornings and -that’s- my exercise. I just use this as a way to make all my web slacking more productive/healthful. I keep the treadmill at the lowest speed and focus on the laptop. I’ve burned as many as 600 calories over a several-hour period without noticing (shows you how much I can zone when I’m online).
Posted by mamabean - 11/07/2008
Doesn’t surprise me in the least! You are THE expert
organizer and space efficient-user.
Congratulations!
Posted by Leonie - 11/07/2008
@netman
I”m with you netman. After a 5k run, or a bike ride or a 2500 yard swim, I’m alert, refreshed and ready to get back to work. Maybe the multitakser has the type of work where he/she can walk at a sedentary (as suggested by Rue) pace and get through work on the computer. I need and use two computer screens and refer to a lot of printed data.
@Rue
It must be personal preferences. I like a variety of workouts (I’m a triathlete) and prefer to work out solidly and then get back to work.
Posted by T - 11/07/2008
Best so far!
Posted by gypsypacker - 11/08/2008
I crave this!
Still haven’t found the hospital table to construct my own. I do have a problem with generating static as I work out (I shock myself all winter wherever I am, and can’t wear a watch) and static is deadly to computers. Anyone have a solution to this? Should I wear an anti-static bracelet and tie it to the treadmill body?
Actually, a low-level workout is equivalent to the workout achieved by retail workers and stock clerks, so this is a superb idea. Intervals can be added when you get eye burnout by sleeping the computer for a few minutes.
I’d love to see an article on low-noise treadmills. I have the WalMart cheapie and the decibel level is terrifying, so I have to stop it to answer the phone, and run the sound on the iPod up to near full-blast.
Posted by Tania - 11/08/2008
This wouldn’t work for me either, but I’m not sure why are so many folks personalizing this about what they would do? So don’t do it? This is about what Spurfer did for his/her office and it works for them. My very first thought was that this is a very cool idea, but it actually isn’t very Uncluttered, but then when I looked at the other pictures of this setup I have to say how impressed I am at what little space it takes up, how little “stuff” Spurfer has and how everything is able to be efficient and compact. This is really cool!
Posted by Mary@SimplyForties - 11/08/2008
Fascinating. I wonder how they walk or run and type at the same time? That would be tricky!
Posted by Spurfer - 11/09/2008
Thanks @Tania!
(I’m a woman, by the by, but thanks to those who didn’t assume one way or the other.)
Posted by Jude - 11/09/2008
Wait, you’re a woman?
Now I don’t know what to think anymore.
Posted by Sidra - 11/20/2008
Ugh…not a fan of this at all…moving back and forth on the treadmill would mess me up while concentrating…I think this would decrease productivity. Might as well be fully productive on the job, and then devote an hour to working out.
Posted by tracy - 11/09/2009
I have a tiny lip on my treadmill for a book, but it’s not so reliable. Does anybody use a good, reliable bookholder/book-keeper-open gadget on their treadmill? (Not that I want another gadget, but ANYTHING to get–and keep–me on a treadmill!)
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