Undoubtedly, one of the most precarious iterations of space-sharing is that of a shared workspace. This makes sense, given that each person has a unique working style, and requires a specific sort of atmosphere in which they can feel most productive. And the attraction of opposites that’s common in relationships is as common in working styles, I find. I can’t tell you the number of shared offices I’ve resuscitated whose demise began in their being shared.

As with anything in life, the most crucial element is clarity; you’ve got to figure out what works for both of you to work. The more sensitive either person is, the more specific you’ll both need to be.

A couple of first things to consider might include:

Image credit: Margaret Elizabeth Studio tour on The Everygirl, photographed by Andi Hatch

– Schedules and consistency

The more you can provide your office mate with a consistent sense of your schedule and the office tasks that will inevitably affect them, well, the better an office partner you’re being, in my opinion.

No one likes getting a surprise scolding to halt their shredder, silence their cell phone, and seriously, stop breathing, you’re breathing too loudly, because their officemate suddenly has to make ten phone calls.

Avoid this by comparing working schedules as often as is needed, being sure to discuss details like when it’s ideal to take meetings, make a bunch of phone calls, and so on. With a little advance warning, most people are really quite capable (and glad) to be considerate.

Image credit: Marie-laure Helmkampf Interior Design

– Lighting

Lighting is a crucial element for most people, and can drastically affect one’s mood. When you factor in the need for specific lighting conditions based upon respective work tasks, the issue of lighting becomes even more relevant.

I find it’s best to differ to the airplanes on this one. You know; individual reading lights. Because at the same moment, one person might be mid-way through writing their personal manifesto, while their better half is mid-way through their REM cycle. Or photo editing that requires complete darkness. Whatever.

So forgo the overheads and opt for table lamps, or task lamps if controlling the light direction is especially crucial.

Image credit: Earnest Home Co.

– Noise & visual preferences

If one officemate needs their tunes in order to crank out the gold, and another needs absolute silence, you’re going to need a great pair of noise-cancelling headphones, as an example.

Meanwhile, one person’s idea of beauty may be to have every wall covered in art and bulletin boards from which to pin every relevant pice of paper, and other’s may be the blankest of slates, in which case, you’ll want to think up some very strategic desk arrangements.

It’s not rocket science, but the sooner you hash out these details, the sooner everyone who operates a desk in the shared space in question works efficiently.

Image credit: Lonny Magazine, photography by Patrick Cline

Ultimately, the way to reach common ground is often to make the ground in question less common. By which I mean:

– Draw up the territories

Waste no time on the false fantasy of “all for one and one for all.” That shit doesn’t fly when it comes to spreadsheets and files and deadlines. I mean, it can. And certainly sometimes it does. But I wouldn’t quite say it’s the norm.

The winningest strategy is to clearly define borders. So sing it loud and proud: “This land [OVER THERE] is your land [AND I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE IT’S THEREFORE COMPLETELY OUT OF BOUNDS FOR ME TO LEAVE MY CRAP ON] this land [OVER HERE] is my land [NOT YOURS, SO DON’T EVER LEAVE YOUR STUFF ON IT]…from the big, brown bulletin board, to the poppin stapler; from the filing cabinet to the wasteba-ah-ah-sket… this land was made for me and you [TO SHARE AS PEACEFULLY AND EFFECTIVELY AS WE CAN, AND WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR OUR OWN NEEDS AS WELL AS EACH OTHER’S, SO HELP US IRS, AMEN].