In our “Where we work” series, we ask Kin team members to share their home office and experience with remote work.
I’m Grant Black, Director of Technology at Kin. I live and work remotely from the west coast of Florida, USA.
Grant with his wife and daughter on the beach.
My office space consists of three different places: I have a formal office where my desk, large monitor, arcade cabinet, and glass IKEA marker boards are. When I need a change of pace, I hang out in my kitchen breakfast bar area. It reminds me of being at a coffee shop and allows me to work while standing. My favorite spot is outside on our patio. I live in sunny Florida so I have a small window of time where the weather is tolerable. When it is, working outside is super relaxing.
Grant’s fav workspace and new co-worker, Buster. We don’t mind that he sleeps on the job.
What are some of your must-haves in your home office?
Music and a good set of headphones are must-haves in my office! I love zoning out while listening to my music. I also like having something to fidget with when I need to think through a complex challenge. I will often play guitar or take a walk to clear my mind when I need to sharpen my focus. I’m also rather old-school and still use a pad to jot down my ideas. I use a Rocketbook with erasable pens to save a tree or two.
I like plugging my MacBook into an external monitor. It’s nice to keep all of my task-oriented windows on a single screen while my IDE is the main focus of my second monitor. Good quality earbuds allow you to step away to make coffee while still carrying on a conversation.
Grant’s office set-up.
If you could change anything about your office, what would it be?
Wood floors are on my office space wish list. My chair is hard to scoot around with on the carpet. I would also like to use another camera so that I don’t have to turn my head towards the laptop.
What are some of your favorite items in your office?
I have a couple of lego sets displayed around my desk. One is a skyline of Chicago (where Kin was founded), and the other one is a VIP set I received a while back as a “free” gift when I purchased a Star Wars set. My most favorite would have to be the small drawings and notes my daughter leaves for me randomly. It always makes my heart melt when I discover a new one.
“Smile everyday” is some good advice!
Any work-from-home tips to share?
I like to have a physical space to start and end my days. I will close the door to my office when I leave for lunch and end my day. It serves as a way to shut off professional life from home life. I always dress like I’m going to an office too.
Take breaks! I need some time to let my brain recoup from work. It also helps to keep your stress down if you go outside or take a walk. I also take a lunch break around 1 p.m. daily. I get to either make a sandwich or leave to pick up something. I find that breaking up the day will help refocus during the later hours.
Think you can beat Grant’s high score?
What do you like best about where you live and work?
I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life. I moved to Chicago when I originally started working for Kin. When my wife and I decided to have kids, we wanted to be close to family so, I found my way back down to sunny Florida. It’s pretty amazing to work for a company that supports remote working. I like that I can take advantage of my climate. One of these days I’ll figure out how to work from the beach!
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