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Trading in an office space -- pros and cons


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View Poll Results: Do you trade at home, or outside your home in an office?
I trade at home, and always have. 48 77.42%
I trade at home, and always have.
48 77.42%
I currently or previously traded in an office, and found it to be overall a benefit to my trading. 11 17.74%
I currently or previously traded in an office, and found it to be overall a benefit to my trading.
11 17.74%
I currently or previously traded in an office, and found it to be overall a negative to my trading. 3 4.84%
I currently or previously traded in an office, and found it to be overall a negative to my trading.
3 4.84%
Voters: 62. You may not vote on this poll

 
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Trading in an office space -- pros and cons

  #31 (permalink)
 Itchymoku 
Philadelphia
 
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josh View Post
Thanks for the responses so far guys. @Big Mike, yes, would be moving my primary trading setup there with multiple screens and all. It is not a cube but an actual room with walls and door, and in a building where I have 24x7 access. There is shared area for lounge and kitchen, and receptionist from 8 to 6 or so. Board room that can be reserved for meetings (not that I will need that). So, it is a "virtual office," like Regus.

just out of curiosity, is this the same office type Rayzor mentioned in ?


Rayzor View Post
I rent from a property manager/group called Regus, they are all over the world. I committed to a 1 year lease and got like 180 square feet for $400 a month, I have master blaster Comcast Business Class Internet that is an additional $96. The $400 includes all the coffee I can drink as well. Check in your area, I bet there is a Regus property there. I looked at other places in my area that offered even lower rates, but they were kinda' ghetto and offered poor security, one of them included free Comcast Internet.....that you shared w/ 20 people and at least the landlord was up-front about the fact it was NOT secure. I have a lot of dough invested in my stuff and didn't want to come in and find it gone. Besides, trading is no walk in the park; why not treat yourself to a nice office? So worth it! Oh yeah, I almost forgot: The high dollar Herman Miller furniture and commercial grade chair that has saved my back was included in the rent.


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  #32 (permalink)
 
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 josh 
Georgia, US
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Itchymoku View Post
just out of curiosity, is this the same office type Rayzor mentioned in ?

Yes, same company as well.

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  #33 (permalink)
 
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 kronie 
NYC + NY / USA
 
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Itchymoku View Post
The main thing I regret working at home is the comradery I got in the office place. Working at home can get quite lonely at times if you don't live with others or if they work during the daytime. Even though getting an office would solve the distractions, for me I'd even consider getting an office with other traders.

@Itchymoku

"walls closing in syndrome"

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  #34 (permalink)
 
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 aquarian1 
Point Roberts, WA, USA
 
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josh View Post
By combining the contexts of home and work, as they are now, it presents a challenge that only physical separation can remedy. I do not enjoy the thought of a commute, even minor, but part of the benefit of that is to get away physically and mentally from home things, and vice versa on the way away from an office and back to home.

9:49 AM 9/18/2013

Hi Josh,

I think it is an interesting question.

Recently (since May to July) I have been under a campaign of harassment from my building manager. The result is that my home environment is no longer pleasant. The "energy" of his hate makes it impossible for me to focus and create the positive energy I need to stay positive for trading.

Now I go to a coffee shop which is a very short distance and not a traffic problem. I have found that having other people around is a positive for me. (sometimes some very pretty girls come in an that is a real bonus!! - it reminds me of what I am doing all this hard work for...)

Also I have made some friends here - well people to say hi to etc. This coffee shop has a lot of self-employed professionals, web designers, writers, etc. as well as students etc and many other people also "camping out" here.

When my apartment energy was positive some pluses were:
having my weights there and being able to get up and do some reps
being able to make my herbal tea
and have my fresh filtered water
my organic eggs and bread etc.

-------

I think going to a professional workplace could be something with important psychological benefits as you mentioned.

Of course the best would be an office of day-traders who not only had their own offices but also a common lounge area with light meals and some screens and then a little gym.

I tihink one of the advantages would be the exchange of ideas - as well as a social aspect.

Perhaps you can think of the idea and team up with a person who invests and owns real estate (and doesn't have the idea of the space use). You could get 20% - 50% of any profits of the operation for the idea. The real estate person makes most of his money in capital appreciation and needs the "space use" idea to cover his holding costs.

Like parking lots, gas stations, storage warehouses etc. they make the real money when they sell the land ten years later. They really just want something to cover mortgage and building maintenance.

-I hope it helps.

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  #35 (permalink)
 
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 sleepy 
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aquarian1 View Post
Now I go to a coffee shop which is a very short distance and not a traffic problem. I have found that having other people around is a positive for me. (sometimes some very pretty girls come in an that is a real bonus!! - it reminds me of what I am doing all this hard work for...)

Also I have made some friends here - well people to say hi to etc. This coffee shop has a lot of self-employed professionals, web designers, writers, etc. as well as students etc and many other people also "camping out" here.

@aquarian1,

You sound a hell of a lot like the guy Will in the movie 'Coffee Town' I watched a couple of days ago.

Coffee Town (2013) - IMDb

Occasionally a bit weak ... but still very funny.

sleepy

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  #36 (permalink)
 Rayzor 
Coloado
 
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Hi Guys....it's been awhile since I have been back here. I am no longer in a rented space as so much has changed in my personal life that I needed to cut back on some of my expenses (divorce ) I will say I miss being at the old property because it not only gave me a great place to work and be undisturbed, but it also got me out of the house and interacting with others NOT involved with trading.

The biggest reason I did it in the first place was to escape all the "happenings" in the morning with, at the time, my ex-wife and daughter. These days I have my child on my own 50% of the time and on days like today when I do have her, there isn't going to be any trading as I have to get her ready and get her to school. I'll eventually get another space, still need to recover from the "biggest stop out ever".....my divorce .

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  #37 (permalink)
 
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 aquarian1 
Point Roberts, WA, USA
 
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this girl from the moive has nothing on the babe I just saw!!


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  #38 (permalink)
 
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 Big Mike 
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@Rayzor sorry to hear about that. Stay focused, life has a way of working itself out.

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  #39 (permalink)
 Itchymoku 
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RichardHK View Post
Good point. I find the audio squawk service I use fills this gap a little, giving me the feeling of being with 'others'. I visualize the speaker sitting in same room with me. But a roomful of real traders could be good as long as 'office politics' doesn't rear its head. Left that behind in the corporate world for good reason.

I've taken to listening in on the CNBC squawk box program but the office politics still rears it's head

R.I.P. Joseph Bach (Itchymoku), 1987-2018.
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  #40 (permalink)
 Itchymoku 
Philadelphia
 
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josh View Post
There are a couple other threads on commuting to an office to trade versus trading at home, but they do not cover much detail. I am at a point where I am strongly considering trading outside my home.

Pros:

  1. Other people: moving my office outside the home would free up a room which a member of the household could greatly use.
  2. Other people v2: I would be free of distraction from people coming and going, neighbor's dog barking, delivery person, repair man, etc.
  3. Relationships: separating office from home would allow me to more easily leave trading at the office, and have the home be a place to be more focused on family and home things, though I still will need a small space at home to monitor the occasional overnight trade and keep tabs on world markets before I go to bed.
  4. Attitude/Performance/Discipline: while I do my best to maintain a professional attitude, how easy is it to be professional about some work when one is in his pajamas? I don't really do the whole pajama thing, but going through a morning routine of getting ready, driving, and "showing up for work" will be more likely to put me in a frame of mind that this really is work. I am sad to say, but when I can walk from my bedroom to my "office" in 5 seconds, it can be very easy to not take it as seriously as one would a job. I'm not suggesting that "showing up for work" makes one a professional any more than wearing a crown makes him a king; I'm only suggesting that effort is required to actually get to work, and that effort can put one in a frame of mind where he takes his work more seriously.
Cons:


  1. Driving: I hate commuting to work, and haven't done it in ten years, in the traditional sense. But, it's a 7-10 mile, 30 minute drive each way most likely, and I can handle that I think.
  2. Cost: At a minimum of $400 or so for a 100-150 sq. ft. space, it adds a non-negligible overhead each month.
If you can add any other pros and cons to the list, please feel free to do so. What are your thoughts? For those who currently trade from an office or who have in the past, I would love to hear your experience.

I was just randomly thinking about using an office and I remembered this thread

@josh, I know it's been a long time, but have you made the switch or any progress with your search for an office?

R.I.P. Joseph Bach (Itchymoku), 1987-2018.
Please visit this thread for more information.
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Last Updated on February 16, 2014


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