Working from home has been the subject of hot debate for years now. Some people say it makes the drudgery of the average workday more bearable, while others feel resentful of the working world encroaching on their home.
If you're looking to branch out into other parts of your house or need solutions for a tricky, high-traffic area you're forced to work in, this is the guide for you.
Work from wherever you want
One of the undeniable advantages of working from home is the ability to choose your setting. If the couch feels like the most productive place to bust out a slide deck, the only obstacle is your own physical flexibility.Â
I provided some images of spaces I'd like to work from around the house and asked a few AI tools to generate a setup that would make my workspace totally mobile -- a work-from-home setup that moves with me on a whim, in case I want to take a Teams meeting from the bathtub or backyard.
Claude AI called my backyard "a truly nomadic work setup" and confirmed the furniture and environment shown in each photo. It then provided a list of items I might need in each location to improve my ability to work, including external mics, ring lights, laptop stands, Wi-Fi extenders, noise-canceling earbuds and even blankets in case I get cold outdoors.
ChatGPT recommended a kind of work-from-home grab bag that included my laptop (obviously), a foldable laptop stand, a compact wireless keyboard, noise-canceling headphones, a mini USB mic, a phone tripod and a portable battery pack.
It also suggested things like "sit with greenery behind you" for the best possible video call look, and using a shade umbrella to keep sunlight from glaring off my laptop screen.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last year, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
Meanwhile, I challenged Google's AI tool Gemini with designing a work-from-home setup for the backyard and the bathtub.
Most of its advice stuck to easier setups like the backyard, focusing mainly on ergonomics and recommending an all-terrain rolling desk, but Gemini also advised getting a lightweight folding laptop table that's waterproof and has adjustable leg height and angles.
ChatGPT also recommended a silicone keyboard cover for the bath because "steam happens" and a waterproof phone pouch in case "gravity betrays you." Even better, it told me to make sure to angle my camera properly if I ever decide to take a video call from the bathtub, so I wouldn't end up giving "conference call in a soup."
ChatGPT also created these helpful images so I could truly visualize setups in the bath and outside:
Not sure if hover boards for the bath have been invented yet, but the concept is valid.
Comfort is king
Some of us like to tackle work tasks balled up in bed under the covers, propped up by a pile of pillows, with a hot cup of tea or a neat glass of bourbon. Unfortunately, this work-from-home setup can be hard on both the spine and the liver -- and only one of them regenerates.
Nevertheless, when it comes to a tight deadline, you gotta do what works for you. I asked a few AI tools to suggest the best workarounds and setup for bed-rotting while working from home -- ones that would maximize productivity while appearing to be as lazy as possible. The drunken master of work-from-home setups, if you will.
Gemini really shone on this prompt, recommending a part of the setup I hadn't considered vital but would have sorely missed without: a multiport hub and extension cord.
Privacy for peculiar workers
Technically, you could eat fried fish and mainline espresso at your desk while discussing the mind-numbing minutiae of a marketing report, but it won't win you any personality-hire points. Even doing this at home with roommates or a romantic partner can seriously harsh the vibes.
I asked a few AI tools to suggest fixes for a work-from-home setup smack dab in the middle of a heavily trafficked living space, one designed to keep confidential calls quiet and provide a safe space for deep thinking.
Both Gemini and Claude recommended adding greenery to the space as both a productivity booster and a privacy screen. The bookcase divider Claude suggested was both functional and design-conscious.
Now if they could only figure out a way to stop my dog from barking the moment a Zoom call starts, we'd be set.