That change left me with one problem I hadn’t anticipated, though. My office wouldn’t function as well with a laptop as my primary computer. I had to rethink the whole layout. How did just changing from a desktop PC to a smaller MacBook manage to make my office totally dysfunctional?

Utilizing a keyboard tray and a small tower (especially one not stored on the desk), a desktop computer has a relatively small footprint on a desk compared to a laptop computer. In my case, I kept the monitor to use as an external monitor for my new MacBook, so that still used space. The only desktop space I cleared out was the footprint of the slimline CPU tower. The back of my narrow desk was cluttered with items like an external hard drive and my phone. Even with the CPU gone, I could barely wedge my MacBook onto the desk’s surface.

Having a laptop as my primary computer also left me wanting something I’d never wanted in my office before: a sitting area. I like using my laptop as, well, a laptop, when I don’t feel the need for the second monitor or other desk functions. I find it is more ergonomically comfortable, and I concentrate better. A comfy chair and ottoman in my office would mean that I wouldn’t have to use the living room couch with its attendant distractions to work laptop-style.

It took some creativity but I figured out how to relieve the desktop congestion and fit a sitting area in the room.

The first key was angling my desk into a corner and filling the “dead space” that was created behind it with the printer cart to create more desk surface area. (The wireless printer itself moved into my husband’s office.) This let me push the backup hard drive back off of the main desktop, and I can also push the phone and other external devices back there when I need the desk space.

The middle shelf of the cart holds two plastic containers that function as “drawers”, for computer cleaning supplies and office supplies. The bottom shelf holds my power strip and battery back-up unit, keeping them off of the dusty carpet.

Moving the printer cart, along with archiving files and retiring a file cabinet, created enough open space to create my sitting area. A hand-me-down chair along with an Ikea ottoman and lamp created my second, more casual, work area. As I sit there, I have a power strip and my file cabinet to my right. On my left is my reference bookcase.

Some other nice features that the new layout added:

• The second monitor can be turned to be visible from the scrapbook table next to my work desk.
• Switching my desk to the other side of the room’s window improved my view.
• My scrapbook supplies are in my line of vision more often, reminding this workaholic to take a break and relax more often.

Still on my wishlist for my new space is a second MacBook power cord that can be left permanently at my desk while I have the other one for mobile use.

Have you switched to a laptop as your primary computer? What workspace adjustments did you have to make?

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What tools can you use for planning a home office build?

Graph paper and pencil

I used this technique while planning furniture purchases for our rather small living room. You decide on a suitable scale, measure the room and then plot it on the paper: the walls, doors, any immovable objects and useful things like power outlets:

My living room plotted on graph paper

You can then cut out shapes that correspond to the dimensions of the furniture that you’re considering purchasing or building, and then see how it fits into the room.

While I really enjoy the “hands on” nature of working with pencil and paper, it doesn’t help you visualize your space in 3-D. With the more complex build I’ll need for my home office I’ll need something that lets me plan the space in three dimensions, which brings us neatly on to our next two tools.

Ikea Planner

If you’re planning on using Ikea office furniture (don’t mock — a couple of the great spaces I covered last week were constructed largely using Ikea furniture), then grab the Ikea Planner, a free (Windows-only) download. The tool enables you to plot out your room — including windows, doors, heating, electrical points etc. — in a 2D plan. You can then populate the room with Ikea furniture. Finally, switch to a 3D view to get a full visualization. You can even get a shopping list to print out and estimate the cost.

Ikea Planner

Ikea Planner is very easy to use, but it’s not flexible, and not very useful if you’re not using Ikea furniture.

Google Sketchup

Google Sketchup is a free, 3-D modeling package, available for Windows and Mac. Because it’s more complicated than paper or the Ikea Planner, there’s a learning curve to overcome, particularly if you haven’t used any 3-D modeling software before. However, as a full modeling package it’s much more flexible than either of the above options, and if you’re planning on building something complicated, it’s well worth the effort of getting to know it. There are plenty of training materials and a helpful community to get you going. You can even share the models that you create with others in a “3-D Warehouse”; there are lots of models available to use a starting point.

Google Sketchup

I think I’ll be using Google Sketchup to plan my build.

What tools did you use for planning your home office?

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Why iPad 2 Will Lead Consumers Into the Post-PC Era
• The Near-Term Evolution of Social Commerce
• Content Farms: The Players, The Benefits, The Risks