Create your perfect home office
Find yourself semi-permanently (or permanently!) working from home? Feeling a bit caged in your home office? Consider these steps to wake up your office space.
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Assess the location of your home office
How often do you find yourself on a zoom conference where you’re constantly trying to readjust the light so your colleagues can see you? Or continually trip over a chest of drawers or side table that always seems to be in the way. Sometimes we struggle with virtual conferencing because there simply isn’t adequate light for us to be able to communicate effectively, or we may get frustrated (I would) in fighting with furniture that is in the way of a natural flow of your workspace. When you find yourself in these situations it’s time to reimagine your home office.
Consider:
Is the space where you’ve assigned your current office actually working for you? And this may be a room itself, a corner of an existing space or simply a laptop on a kitchen table. But, if that space isn’t adequate for supporting the best way for you to work then we need to find a different location. For some a smaller workspace may be more efficient then an entire room devoted to an office, while others need more space to spread out. Which would be best for you?
Do you work at maximum capacity when you’re sitting at a desk or standing up? Do you need inspiration in front of you on the work space or a blank slate?
For myself I write the most efficiently sitting in our living room, in front of our large bay window on the couch. The light is excellent for any live videos or stories I need to do or podcast/virtual interviews and I’m adequately comfortable. We live a minimalist life so the objects in the room do not distract me from the work at hand and I feel no pull to switch to housework mode. I am able to write during a window of time that my daughter has her quiet time (TV time) so I know that she is safe and entertained. This is the ideal set up for me, what is the ideal home office set up for you?
Clear the home life clutter
No matter where you set up your ideal home office I encourage you to take a few moments and clear the clutter that could be around it. Ideally you would be able to separate work and personal life, and in a home office that can be tricky. Take a couple of minutes and attempt to clear as much associated with your home as possible. For example, your desk space shouldn’t also house a toaster or all purpose spray (unless that gets you motivated, totally up to you). What objects will encourage you to do your office work? What will take your attention away from that office work? Anything that detracts attention from your office work needs to find a home in another space if possible.
Points to think about:
What physical items must be in that space for work purposes? Do you need clipboards and pencils? Or just a computer screen? Are there files and paperwork?
How much hardware do you need to have in your home office? Multiple computer screens require different amounts of space then a smaller laptop or tablet.
Make it work for you
After deciding on where your ideal home office should be located in your living space and removing the possible home clutter from around it, let’s look now at what you can add to that space to make it work for you.
Note: If you’ve been following me for a while you know how big of a proponent I am about budgeting. If you are looking to add on to your home office I urge you to sit down and look at your budget to decide how much money you can allocate to any fun additions. And, as always, PLEASE shop your home before you make any purchases. If you can redesign your office space without spending money that’s a big win in my mind!
Possible additions to your home office:
A stand up desk for those that need a little more movement in their day, or that find sitting for long periods of time uncomfortable
Document storage such as a small filing cabinet dedicated to your work
Bulletin or white boards (large or small) to help visualize your planning
Office supply storage, which can be totally customizable to your specifications.
A desk chair that will support your back while you work. Or maybe a pilates ball to help keep your core active while you type at your computer.
Taking a little time away to think about how to maximize your home office and make it work for YOU will, hopefully, make this transition to working at home a bit easier and a lot more fun!
Be sure to share you’re home office with me on Instagram or Facebook!
