Beyond the Coffee Shop: The Search for Affordable, Accessible Coworking

One of my biggest gripes with coworking places in my area, is that the aren't many affordable places and the ones that up don't give much information online.

While I understand why there aren't yet that many affordable options yet, since coworking spaces became mainstream a few years ago, that they don't offer that much info on their sites is something I don't really find a good reason for.

The kind of professionals that are most likely to use coworking spaces are used to do research about them online, where they compare before narrowing their options and then visiting them to make their decision. As such, not being findable online is something that works against them. While making a visit is important, is one of the last steps of the process.

Even after singing in to the coworking place, being able to manage their use of the space is something that is more comfortably done on the online site. Having to call before hand, or going physically, is something that only adds complexity to a decision that sometime is done on a moments notice.

Yes, visits can be planned with weeks of anticipation. But, the plans of those who make use of coworking spaces are fluid enough that those date can change at a moments notice. So, a website or an app are vital to make those changes on the fly when needed. Also, they are a great tool to manage the time they have left to make use of coworking spaces, and make them a better fit for the needs of the people who used them.

For these people renting a dedicate office is not really a possibility. They can't afford the expense, they travel often, or their main office is at home and they just need a more formal space than a coffee shop to meet clients or have team meetings, a coworking space is the ideal place for them.

As such, I do believe that affordable coworking spaces is an underserved market. 

Work in Progress: Optimizing My Laundromat Office for Daily Workflow

While my home office is basically as I want it to be, with the desk and monitor the only things left I would like to change, the office at the shop has a long way to go.

To be honest the two main things that need to change to make it actually a good office space, is a desk that actually fits the place the office is and a chair that actually is comfortable and easy to move out of the way when not in use.

My office at the shop is more of a nook, but is more than enough for what the work I actually do on it when I'm at the shop. Most of the time, I'm either at the cash register, or helping moving clothes between washing machines to the dryers, or unloading the dryers and brining the clothes to be folded at the tables. As such, I the nook is more than enough for the admin work I do a the shop.

What I'm looking for is an standing desk 40" wide and 30" deep. That would be more than enough to use with my laptop on a stand, a keyboard, mouse, and some stationary I use daily. While been able to have a second monitor, I don't see myself actually needing it.

On the chair side, I do see myself having an office chair with casters, since a gaming chair would be just to big of the space. The office chair would be light enough to move around as need, and small enough to put under the desk when using it standing.

And I prefer an standing desk, because most of the time I'm standing. Either helping around the shop, or at the cash register. So, being a be able to move between my desk and other places without having to bend over the keyboard when I don't want, or can't, sit down is something important. While being able to sit down from time to time, for whatever reason, is also important for me.

I'd also like to have an outlet on the desk, with USB A and C ports for my laptop, and when I need to charge my keyboard, mouse, and headphones. Not having to use the outlet near the register, or the USB ports of the point of sale computer is something that would make it a lot more practical.

My current setup at the shop is good, but border line impractical. But, it is a work in progress. 

The Premium Tech Trap: Pay Less for What You Actually Need

After a few years in my road of using mechanical keyboards, laptops, Bluetooth headphones, and smartphones, on the daily basis for remote and office work, play, and commuting, I've come to confirm the premium option of each of these devises is not always the best option for everyone.

While is nice to have the premium device of each, not everyone will make the most use of them. Not only that, some people don't need to have them, and would be better served with something in the mid range that has all the options needed at a fraction of the cost.

Instead of focusing on the premium devices, ask yourself what you need from each device you use. Not what you want, but what you actually need. If you focus on what you actually need, you will find devices that will better suit you, and will serve you better.

If you find with time you need to add another feature, you can always get a device that has it later on. Most often than not, when you focus on what you want rather on what you need you find out the hard way that those features you wanted are the ones you use the least or not at all.

For example, I've found that when I'm at my home office a the numpad on my keyboard is something I use constantly, while at the office at the shop I don't use it as often. Yet, on both I do prefer to use a mechanical keyboard, so at my home office I've one with a numpad, while at the office I've use a 75% one without a numpad.

Not only that, mid range keyboards of both are the best options. They come with all the options I actually use, and a price that is affordable. I just need a mechanical keyboard that has Bluetooth, that is back lit, and pleasant to type on for hours.

Going for the premium options of anything is not always the best idea, and could be a waste of money and time. 

Second Screens and Real Utility: Rethinking the Admin Desk Beyond the Hype

As someone who primary work is on the admin side of running a business, finding ideas on how to set up desks and work flows kinda of under served on social media.

What I've found that works for me has been mainly by talking with other people around me with the same work profile than me, or by experience. While creator setups can be of some help, admin work has some things that not the same on the details.

For example, a two monitor setup is quite helpful in admin work. Most of the time we are comparing information from two different apps, so having a second monitor handy, even an ultra wide one could be an option, we don't need a 4k with a high refresh rate monitor.

The same goes for laptops, and desktops. We don't need the greatest, or latest, hardware to do our work efficiently. 8GB or 16GB of RAM, with a 256GB or 512GB SSD are more than enough for admin work at most small and medium size businesses. Most of the time, if there is a limit is how the files that need to be shared can be shared cheaply and with ease.

Desks and chairs aren't much of a problem, since they are easier for each admin worker to know what is what they need, and what they need to organize on it.

If anything, speakers, webcams, microphones, and headphones tend recommended tend to be an overkill. Most consumer grade offering on these peripherals are more than good enough for most people. To be honest, most of what admin workers are sold on these peripherals are nice to have, but no actually needed. The same goes for mice and keyboards, most won't really notice a difference on the high end of those peripherals from a mid range one.

Personally, I feel frustrated I don't get ideas on targeted on my needs. Instead having to hunt for those ideas piece by piece, from places targeted to people that don't share my type of work. It almost feel like admin work is looked down to, and doesn't get the respect it deserves.

The Secret to Switching to Linux Isn’t Skill—It’s the Right Distro

One of my main gripes with some YouTuber reviews of Linux, is that they center on how power users tend to set and use Linux distros. And that is something that pushes people from even trying Linux, because most people aren't power users, and just want their computer to let them do what they want.

Distros like Linux Mint, Zorin OS, and Ubuntu, can be used by people who know how to use a computer that aren't into power user skills sets. Even their installation is easy enough to follow, since they guide you to the process and set things up for the user via a graphical interface. Even most system administration, like installing/uninstalling app, themes, keyboard layouts, can be do though a graphical interface without touching the terminal.

This makes these distros good starting point for people who just want to get away from Windows, try Linux out, or start learning Linux.

Yes, no Linux distro works exactly like Windows or macOS do. Yet, the learning curve is far more gentle that those YouTubers make it to be. It has become quite gentle, the biggest hurdle is apps. Not all apps that can be used on Windows or macOS are available on Linux, but most are. As such, unless an user depends on an app that isn't on Linux, and there isn't one that can replace it, there is no reason that the jump can't work.

Not only that, power users of Windows and macOS don't use the OS like the average user does. As such, I can see how a power user of any OS can have a hard time moving to another OS, while the same thing can't be said for the average user.

As such, the issue is not if the average user can make the jump to Linux stick. The issue is paring the user with the distro that will make the jump stick more likely.

Stability Where It Counts, Modern Standards Where It Matters

With age, I've come to realize that become more selective where I want to be on the bleeding edge of tech and where I rather take a more conservative approach to the OS and apps I use for my daily life.

For example, I prefer to use Linux Mint on my laptops because of its focus on stability. While I see why some people prefer, or need, an OS with the latest and greatest, I prefer my OS to be stable and just add new things when they are mature. In apps like my web browser and office suite, I prefer to be a lot more up to date with modern standards.

All depends on what I need to use a certain piece of software for, and the same goes for hardware. Most of the the time I just need them to be stable for every day use, without any feature that gets on my way. I don't mind learning new ways to do things, if those news way will actually are a better way to do something. If not, there is no good reason to change anything.

Meanwhile, I don't mind software developers change the aesthetics of their app, or OS in the case of Linux Mint, until I actually use it. Most of the time, the change in aesthetics is not that much of a big deal, and I get used to the new way it looks rather quickly. Most of the time, I don´t notice it much.

When the workflow is changed, I reserve judgement until I actually have time to use it and see if it works for me. The reason I moved from Ubuntu to Linux Mint full time, was when Canonical dropped Unity and Cinnamon became the better fit for my needs. The reason I did not made the jump sooner, mainly was that Cinnamon wasn't mature enough for me when I first tried it.

At the end, I've become aware that one has to be selective where and when one can play conservatively. Sometimes, it is worth to be at the forefront of tech while others is better to wait for it to mature.

Why Small Businesses Deserve Better Apps (And How to Build Them)

As someone who has spent all my professional life on small or medium enterprises, I find the apps targeting this sector to be either too expensive, not user friendly, or both.

There is a market for app development, specially for small businesses, since there isn't enough competition and the apps that are targeting this sector seem to see this businesses not worth much to give them the app their need or just want to sell them what big companies use.

Some don't use the app's full potential, because certain features of the app don't apply to the business. Other times, is because developer of the app doesn't offer the option to develop features the business needs, either because the developer doesn't offer the option to do so or because is too expensive for the business to do so.

In other cases, the business stop using the apps they paid because a failed implementation or they found it to be too complicated to train their employees to use it. At times, is the business owner who just grows frustrated, and decides to drop it because it proved way to hard to get the results she/he wanted to see.

Also some small and medium businesses choose not to get an app because they can't find the right one for their needs. So, they use apps that aren't ideal for their needs. At times having the information they need to run they business on separate apps that can't be integrated, making the decision making process harder and losing time looking for results.

Not having the best app, and being able to integrate it to other apps or to the business model, makes harder for small and medium business to adapt and keep being competitive. As such, the app market for small and medium business is leaving money on the table because there isn't enough offerings.