How to Set Up and Organize your Perfect Home Office
Is working from home is your new normal? Check out these tips to help you set up the perfect work space in your home.
Working from home is awesome. It provides freedom and ease in your life. But, if you’re like a lot of people, you may not have a designated office space in your home or apartment. Sure, you can sit on the couch with your laptop and spread your work files out on the coffee table, but that temporary work space feeling can interfere with your work production. If working from home is your new normal, consider setting up a permanent, designated space in your home. I have some helpful solutions to get you headed in the right direction. Separating work and living space is easier than you think.
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When planning your home office, there are a few things that should be essential considerations when deciding on a location and the overall design of your office. You might be thinking, hey, it’s just an office so why should design even play into it? Studies show that the environment you are working in directly affects the quality of your production. We all know this can apply to bosses or co-workers, but it also relates to how your environment looks, feels, and even smells. Here are a few of the rules I followed when setting up my own home office.
- If possible, locate your work space near a source of natural light. Enjoying light from a window or door can make a world of difference in how you feel after working for eight hours. Make sure you also have adequate lighting for cloudy days or when the sun goes down.
- What’s the noise level in the proposed work space? Do you hear the neighbors screaming kids? Maybe there’s a train that runs nearby that can be heard in the front of the house but not the back. Set up your office where noise will not be a distraction–for you, or the people you interact with on the phone or computer. I like to play classical music while working. Using a wireless speaker makes it easy to have quiet, calming music playing while getting work done. Spotify and Itunes have playlists that work perfectly to create a calm, productive environment.
- Make sure your office space is in a comfortable climate. Don’t locate your office in the frigid attic where numb hands and frozen feet will be a constant issue. Likewise, you don’t want to be hot and sweaty when you’re trying to meet a deadline. If you don’t have an option, choose a way to control the climate with either a space heater or an AC unit.
- Design your work area so it matches your taste. This space should be a place that feels good to you. I recently decorated my office using light, fresh colors, white furniture, and shimmery accessories and details. Whatever your design taste is, make it part of your work space. If you have to spend eith hours a day in your office, why not make it a space that helps you feel relaxed? If you are unsure what your design style might be, check out my Pinterest board for home office inspiration.
- Your office space should smell good. Working in an office building sometimes provides you with less-than-desirable scents. The weird smell coming from the air vents or your co-worker’s overpowering perfume can make for a long day. With your office at home, you have control of what you smell. I like to burn a scented candle in my work space. You can also use essential oils to create a wonderful atmosphere. The scent of lemon is calming and promotes clear thinking. Lavender reduces stress. Peppermint helps with brainstorming and gives a boost of energy. Maybe you want a candle that smells like apple pie, reminding you of grandma’s house –all cozy and comforting. Smell is a powerful sense.
Let’s Get Practical
Now, let’s discuss the practical issues of setting up this space.
First, take a look around your home to decide where to locate your workspace. If you have an extra room or niche somewhere, location might be a no-brainer. But, if you’re short on space, this is where creativity steps in. You may need to carve out a bit of space in the corner of a dining room or living room. Space in a bedroom works, too, although I really like to steer clear of using the bedroom for anything other than sleeping. Having your work in the same room where you want to catch some shut-eye might prove prohibitive to restful slumber. Even a hall closet can be converted into a workspace with some clever finagling.
Next, compile a list of your work duties. Do you have lots of files and papers to deal with? What are the regular tangible items you use every day? Making this list will help determine what size workspace you need and what type of storage will work best for you. If your flat working area needs to only accommodate a few sheets of paper and a laptop, you can get away with using a small desk or table. If spreading out your work is better for you, an L-shaped desk might be a better choice. Even an old kitchen or dining room table can be converted into a desk. Do you need a desk with drawers? Many desks come with file drawers built in. If desk storage isn’t such a big deal, you can get by with a cute, table-like desk that has one built-in drawer perfect for pens, pencils, and other office supplies.
Invest in a very comfy chair. Quite often, working from home means sitting at a desk for a good bit of time. Make sure your chair is very comfortable. You don’t have to get a wheeled desk chair if you don’t want to. I picked up an old dining chair with arms. With a little spray paint and fabric this ultra-cozy bargain became my new desk chair. Think outside the box when it comes to what you’ll sit on all day long. Comfort doesn’t always translate into spending lots of money but don’t get the cheapest thing you find either. Be sure to test the chair before purchasing.
Do you need additional storage? If you have lots of files, consider purchasing a file cabinet. I know this storage option can be a bit on the ugly side, but with a little paint and maybe some wallpaper or stencils, you can take a dull, drab utilitarian file cabinet and make it a work of art or at the very least, something more pleasant to look at. The Expedit shelving system from Ikea is another easy way to take care of storage. The cube-shaped shelves accommodate books, binders, and storage boxes. Hiding your work stuff is really nice to do, especially if your work area is visible from your regular living space. This shelving unit can even double as a room divider if you have to locate your office space in a regular living area of your home. Running it perpendicular to the wall creates a divider, separating off your work area from the rest of the room.
If wall space is at a premium, consider going vertical with your storage space. A tall shelving unit can store lots of books, files, papers. Try to keep things as neat as possible by using storage boxes, magazine holders, and baskets. I like to intersperse personal items like photo frames, plants, and little knick-knacks. Adding these personal items takes a little bit of the serious work feeling away from what could otherwise be a very boring bookshelf. You can add some flair to a closed-back bookshelf by lining the back with wallpaper, scrap book paper, or even wrapping paper. I did just that to cover a big hole on the back panel of my shelf. A piece that was once destined for the trash pile has been given new life with a $4 roll of wrapping paper!
Focus on Organization
Finally, my best advice is to keep all work-related items neat and organized. Take the time when setting up your home office to create an organized system and then make yourself stick to it. It’s easy to let chaos and messiness take over, especially when working from home. Use out-of-the-ordinary items to corral office supplies. I have paper clips in a crystal candle holder, pens and pencils in the one lone blue crystal goblet left from a wedding-gift set. Even setting multiple items on a tray gives a feel of organization and order to what could be just lots of stuff everywhere. Shop around your own home for things that can do double duty. Use things you love and that invoke feelings of calm and serenity in you.
Creating a tranquil, organized and efficient home office space is easier than you think and is most definitely worth the time and effort. And the best part of working from home? Working in your pajamas or sweatpants. Hey, your workspace should look great but you get to be comfy!
Remember, if you’re looking for some inspiration for your home office, pop on over to my Pinterest board for home office ideas.
Until next time, I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home!