7 Reasons

Tag: Desks

  • Guest Post: 7 Reasons Renting A Desk Can Preserve Your Sanity

    Guest Post: 7 Reasons Renting A Desk Can Preserve Your Sanity

    Joining us on the 7 Reasons sofa today is Rob Clymo. Rob writes on behalf of Office Genie, the UK’s first proper online marketplace for desk space and shared office space. You can even rent a desk on a ship. Which isn’t one of the reasons why a desk can preserve your sanity, but perhaps it should have been? After the ship, it’ll be Rob. (Yes, I really like the renting a desk on a ship idea. It’s a ship!)

    Guest Post: 7 Reasons Renting A Desk Can Save Your Sanity
    Rent a desk. On a ship!

    Why would anyone want to rent a desk? Like in an office, right? If you’ve ever had to do a hard days toil in a sweatshop for an ugly boss and work alongside even uglier colleagues then taking up residence at a rented desk might seem like your worst nightmare. But it needn’t be…

    1.  Networking. Believe it or not, networking can be fun although you’ll have to talk to people. And that doesn’t just mean insulting them verbally either. Despite your aversion to tedious work colleagues, things might have looked up since you’ve started working for yourself. However, picking up new deals and contracts is all about connecting with your clientele and that doesn’t mean at the end of a long pointed stick either. A rented desk could be just the way to open lots of doors. Renting a desk allows you to sit in a plush office looking like you’re worth more than you actually are.

    2.  Admin. If you hate paperwork and you’ve also got an aversion to doing accounts and other dull as ditch water paperwork, then why did you go into business in the first place? The great thing about renting a desk though is that there is little contractual nonsense; it’s all short-term and on a rolling basis. Simply turn up, plonk yourself down and smile – it’s all yours. Well, not quite because the landlord owns everything. Ask nicely and he may let you put up pictures though.

    3.  Stop The Madness. Why me? Why not? Yes, despite those dusty old school reports that state that you must try harder, it is possible to pull yourself out of the grip of bar work and pan cleaning. Go for it, and if you’re running your own show then it only seems logical that you create your own little ivory tower in a bid to drum up business. Actually, renting a desk can mean you’ll be more productive and enjoy working in a prime location alongside other people you might actually like. It beats going slowly mad in that spare bedroom of yours.

    4.  Location, Location, Location. Okay wise guy, what sort of location do you suggest then? A broom cupboard in Soho or a penthouse suite in Pimlico? There are desk rental options open to all sorts of workers, from freelancers and one-man band operations through to megalomaniacs and power trippers. No matter who you are, you’re able to pick a rented desk in some of the most desirable locations. Such as? Well, what about central London? What do you mean that’s an unfashionable dump – it’s the heart of big business. Apart from yours.

    5.  In The Beginning. How, why, what? Setting up a business is scary. You might be clueless with cash, but money talks. So hire an accountant. First up though, get yourself a decent office to hang out in and a Newton’s Cradle to impress the neighbours. All you need to do is harness the power of the internet and do a search for desk rental schemes. If you’re too tight to spend much on either yourself, or anyone else you’re hoping to employ, then rent a desk at the entry-level.

    6.  Start At The Bottom. What’s entry-level? This is aimed at you stoopid. You’ve got limited funds but need a flat surface for your laptop, coffee mug and lucky gonk. So, you’ll get a desk silly. And not much else. There may be tea. There may be coffee. You’ll probably get a broadband connection, but precious little else. Well, what else did you expect for a pittance? So don’t forget your laptop. Oh, and bring some toilet paper as a few landlords out there aren’t as generous as you might think.

    7.  Expand, Expand, Expand. But I need more. Dry your eyes and get over it. There are no friends in business, although the man who comes round to sell you overpriced sandwiches might be up for a pint after work. But, stick with it and you might need more than a solitary single workspace, as a lone desk with a coffee cup on it isn’t going to look enticing to anyone. So, push the boat out as your business goes from strength to strength by upgrading to a serviced office. What’s that? It’s a posh place with receptionists, post room and IT support. Cool huh?

  • Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Should Tell Your Boss To “Stuff It” And Set Up An Office At Home

    Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Should Tell Your Boss To “Stuff It” And Set Up An Office At Home

    Guess what? It’s Saturday. And as is commonplace for such a day, it’s time for Marc and I to hand over the reins again. This week we leave the sofa in the capable hands of French resident Lloyd Burrell. (It’s okay, he’s actually British). In what is a first experience for the 7 Reasons sofa, Lloyd has put it straight behind his desk. You can find out why here. We welcome that. And we welcome Lloyd. Over to him.

    If you are like me then working from home has always been one of those big untouchable dreams. But with the advent of the internet, working freelance or going the whole hog and setting up your own business has never been more attainable. Funnily enough my passport to freedom was my office desk. I created an office desk review website where I review home office computer desks and similar office furniture equipment.

    If you are thinking of saying “up yours mate” to your boss, but you are having doubts as to whether you should or not, here are 7 reasons you should

    1. It beats crack cocaine by long shot. Yes, it will be just the best feeling in the world. You can just let rip, big-time. This is best done in full view of rest of the office so your colleagues can also enjoy the moment, which will actually serve to amplify your pleasure even more. Just think of all those times he’s totally cheesed you off, well now its payback time.

    2. To see the look on his face. I could have grouped this in point number one, but I think this one deserves it’s own special mention. You see because you are setting up your own stall, you can go the whole hog. You don’t need a reference from him for another job. You can just drop your load, gloat and enjoy the moment and then its hasta la vista, you never have to set eyes on him again.

    3. Slavery is dead. He called it micro-managing. Assigning you tasks to do each day, as if you couldn’t do that yourself based on the assigned priorities, even though he had no idea how long those tasks would take to complete. All that is finito. The ridiculous deadlines, the impossible workload. He’s just going to have to find some other schmuck to prey on.

    4. Office politics. Because chucking your job in is actually a double whammy, not only do you get never to see your boss again, this will also be the last time you have to set eyes on your co “worker”. I use the term lightly. You know, the one that has to have her nose in everything you do. The one that only pipes up when people are around so that they can see what a wonderful worker she is. The one that, most of the time, doesn’t know a thing about what she is trying to do but she is very good at looking ‘important’ and making you look like a complete dumb nuts. She will also be history.

    5. You won’t have to fake “busy-ness” ever again. You are not the most hard working person that was ever put on God’s earth, so what the hell? Now you can do meaningful things in your work time like surfing the internet, using the telephone for personal calls, going to the toilet for 15 minutes five times in a row, and taking long lunch breaks on a regular basis.

    6. Connectedness. Because you are sure that, be it on an intellectual, an emotional or a spiritual level you will connect better with your four legged friend than you would with that ignorant, pathetic, short tempered, foul mouthed, physically repugnant, socially inept, intellectually challenged person/skiver you used to call your boss.

    7. Bureacracy. All those procedures and policies that are supposed to make things terribly efficient, make the company more productive and make you more money when in fact it’s just the opposite. It’s all just a sham. You being so passionate and damn good at what you do, all day long you are saying to yourself, “I can’t believe that I work for this (dis)organisation”. Well you don’t have to believe it anymore, because you don’t.

    This piece was written from the point of view that your boss is a man, but if it’s a woman – and it’s very possible she could be because there are some real “bossy knickers/bitchy types” out there – these exact same 7 reasons still apply.