Disclaimer: Two different mentions of desks, given the absence of any photos I could take for the purpose, link to relevant product pages on Amazon. Both links, located towards the end of the post where I’ve included other photos of my workspace-in-progress, include an Amazon Affiliate code (which earns me a small commission if purchases are made through my link).

Thanks to the Coronavirus, a lot of people have found themselves with a lot of unwanted free time on their hands. (And by “unwanted” I mean that these people would probably like to continue earning a steady paycheck.) I’ve seen posts all across social media describing what people are trying to do in this free time: play games for their Twitch/YouTube channels, finish writing novels, finish reading novels, get working on insert-craft-project-here, and so on.

And that got me thinking. I don’t have that free time myself–I’m not sick, and my place of employment isn’t closed down because people need their groceries, so I’m still putting up with the 40-plus-mile round-trip commute–but if, hypothetically, I was stuck at home for an extended period, what would I do with that time?

Writing in progress

Part of me says I should work on finishing my current fanfic-in-progress. Or at least finish the current timeline. I mean, I’m only two chapters off from the end of that timeline (before a certain speedster in yellow changes things and Mr. Eidetic Memory has to figure out how to cope with those changes), and I know where I want to take those two chapters; I don’t even need to rewatch episodes to accurately recreate dialogue for this part, so theoretically I should be able to finish it soon.

There is also one of many original fiction projects, specifically the one currently titled The Graft, to complete. Though in this case that means completing the first draft… and then editing so that I have more than just the free prologue to upload to my Patreon.

Video Backlog

Speaking of my Patreon, there are also assorted video projects I want to try. Bad translator style “guess that book” descriptions from books I’ve enjoyed and/or excerpts from my own work, practicing drawing, things like that. Or there’s simply the fact that, for two of my YouTube channels, I still have that massive backlog in need of editing, plus I need to start playing games again if I’m to record anything for the gaming channel.

Book reviews, too–while I’m cutting down on the hodgepodge of random content, I’m trying to shift the focus of this site to reviews, with the admittedly ulterior motive of having a reason to insert Amazon Affiliate links and hopefully earn a small commission in the process.

And I think about this, and daydream, and wonder, and finally decide…. Who am I kidding? If I had that much time to myself, I’d probably just let myself get distracted by social media like I’ve been doing anyway.

Spring Cleaning

But since I’m not stuck at home and only have my usual two days off per week, what I really ought to do is finish the fanfic’s current timeline, edit and upload some of those videos… and continue working on cleaning my room to make it more, shall we say, compatible as a gaming room.

I’ve made quite a bit of progress already, clearing out one shelf unit enough to get rid of it (which surprisingly consisted primarily of reorganizing the contents of my other shelf units–which I had believed to be full before making this attempt–and very little disposing or donating of my property) and make room for a larger desk, but there’s still more progress to be made, especially if I intend to play VR games in here.

Before-ish

These are all old photos–it occured to me too late that I had never taken pictures of what my room looked like prior to acquiring the new desk–but imagine that vaguely beech-colored three-column shelf unit (clearly visible on the right in the first photo, you can just barely see it past the black shelf unit in the second) in the same corner as in the photos, and the rest of the wall in the first photo filled all the way to the doorframe with shelf units shorter than either of the others pictured. Imagine, also, a narrower student desk than the one pictured, just big enough to fit a wall-mounted 32 inch monitor (but only as long as I don’t toss and turn at night–I bought a 24-inch instead for the purpose) in place of the one in the final photo, and you have a good idea of how little floor space was available for things that are not my bed.

Game Room Step One: New Desk

There were several “first steps” to consider, including replacing my full-size hand-me-down brass bad with a twin-size Murphy bed. For that option to help, though, I’d need to be able to get rid of the brass bed, be able to afford a Murphy bed that’s to my liking (I’m thinking a freestanding one that has a small desk when it’s folded up), and be able to clear out all of the stuff that’s under my bed.

At some point I decided that clearing out enough wall space in the form of getting rid of that shelf unit, moving my bed from the center of the room to the wall, and replacing my student desk with a larger option would be an easier first step. Moving the bed significantly increased my floor space; adding a larger desk only slightly decreased it.

(That’s still the 24-inch monitor. I can now use a 32-inch without a risk from tossing and turning, but I won’t buy one until I’ve paid my bills down enough to justify the cost of a 4K, plus such a monitor would fill that cubby enough that I’d probably need to relocate my webcam.)

Future Plans

Obviously this is a work in progress. To really get things set up the way I want them, I still need a smaller bed (I’d like a Murphy but a regular twin size will suffice in the meantime), better options for shelf units (there’s a craft desk with built-in bookcase I have my eye on that could fit right next to the computer desk… but it will only fit once the bed is replaced with a smaller model), and continue keeping an eye out for things I’m willing to simply get rid of so I can clear out the boxes under my bed.

The shelves currently shoved in behind the head of my bed are the same ones that I’d mentioned as filling the east wall to the doorframe. They are mostly full of signed books, not reading copies, so the fact that they’re inaccessible is nothing to worry about before I’ve replaced my bed.

However, I will need to reorganize some of the things covering my walls (especially if I intend to get a Murphy bed, as the wall coverings would be in the way no matter what style I get), and see if I can reorganize the collectibles I’d moved over to the new desk. I’d underestimated just how much camera equipment I have (mostly tripods, cases, and spare batteries, but they still take up quite far more space than I realized) so I’ll either want to find a better location for them than the cupboard on that desk or acquire an adjustable shelf like the kind made for lockers.

What about you, my fellow bloggers? If you were stuck at home during this pandemic, what would you like to do with that time? Likewise, if you are stuck at home, how are you trying to keep yourself occupied?