10 Tips For Creating A Home Office That You Want To Work In
If you are going to be working from home for the foreseeable future, then it makes sense that you create a space that you like working in. With a few tweaks and adjustments, any space can become more attractive to the eye. The below tips will give loads of ideas coupled with practical interventions that anyone can do.
- Get organized first.
There is no doubt a messy room leads to a cluttered mind; that?s why it?s well worth decluttering the space before. Follow the simple steps below to declutter your office space or any room for that matter
Step 1: Prepare your bins
Simple, grab some black bags and some post-it notes if you have them handy and these become your ?bins? to start the order process, label the following:
- Trash
- Recycle
- Donate
- Sell
- Other room
The first four bins above are self-explanatory, the ?other room? is for any item in your office that belongs in another room. This will save you time running back and forth to put the item back in the room it belongs to and allow you to laser focus on the task at hand.
Step 2: Pull everything out and group like with dislike
Begin with the visible clutter like the stuff you can see on the shelves, floors, tables or any surface covered. Then start with what you can?t see, pull out all the drawers on the desk or any other cupboards.
Step 3: Process and assign to a bin
The last step is probably the most transformative as this is where the decluttering begin. Process each item and ask yourself Do I need, love or use this?? If you?re not likely to use it shortly, then put it in the ?donate? or recycling ?bin? if you think it?s still worth some money, pop it in the ?sell? bin. I recommend using Facebook marketplace or eBay to sell unwanted items.
Once everything is processed and put in the correct bin. You?ll have a lot more space and likely feel a sense of achievement. More space also opens the opportunity to add in stuff that?s going to make the room more inspiring, so don?t be surprised if you start to think like a designer!
- Add greenery.
Plants make people more creative and happier. That?s spending time in nature is recommended often by health practitioners to people to support their physical and mental wellbeing. It?s like bringing what?s outside your home into your space. Plus, since most plants can go a day or two without water, so it?s not something you need to tend to do every day. The act of taking care of something is also quite therapeutic, which is good for the mind. Consider adding a plant or two to your home office to spruce up the oxygen counts as well as the look of it.
- Create some comfortable space.
While your desk is the dedicated space for active work, it?s not a bad idea to have a separate space to unwind, think or read, too. Having a comfort zone is also gives you something to look forward to on your breaks during the day. A comfy chair, bean bags or big cushions were thrown together can all work.
- Use space wisely.
When you do create a home office space, it?s important to not get into the habit of clunking things together over time and cutting the space down bit by bit over time.
Double up where you can. For example, an ottoman could be used for storage as well as a comfy place to sit during your breaks. An adjustable desk allows you to sit and stand during the day, A pegboard allows you to store all your post-it notes, electronics and more in one place. Treating space like a rare commodity allows you room to breathe always.
- Block out the noise.
10Block out surrounding noise with a pair of headphones or play music low can to help you relax and stay focused, as well as stimulate ideas and productivity. Create a playlist of your favourite songs or find something you enjoy on Apple Music or Spotify.
- Art it up.
Putting your favourite quote on the wall, hanging paintings/pictures or painting bright sections with bright colours is known to get the creative juices flowing as well as helping with productivity flow. A bit of art can make a real difference to the look of a room as well as how it feels when you spend time there. Don?t be afraid to bring out the inner van Gogh in you.
- Don?t skimp on your chair. If there is something you should fork out on it should be your chair. After all, that is where you?re going to be spending most of your time. Make sure you get one that can be arranged to promote good posture. This normally means that there will be additional back or lumbar support, including the ability to adjust the seat height and angle to suit your body type and size. Ideally, this should mean you are sitting comfortably with your lower legs perpendicular and to the floor.
- Get your scent on
Beyond adding a great smell to your home office, certain essential oils have proven effects that could help you get your work done. Rosemary, for example, is known to improve concentration, speed and accuracy during mental tasks, per a study at Northumbria University in England. Other recent research found it may boost memory, too.
Peppermint, for example, can give you an energy boost, while rosemary can help you concentrate and get tasks done faster and more accurately. And sweet orange can help with anxiety. (Just make sure you look up how to use each kind properly and safely!)
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- Consider buying a standing desk
Make no mistake, sitting down for large proportions of the day is not healthy. A growing body of evidence shows that giving yourself opportunities in the day to stay upright is much better for your posture long term. A standing desk, a makeshift one like piling books on top of each other or an adjustable one is all good options depending on your budget and preferences. Also, you?ll burn twice as many calories standing as you will sitting, which can certainly support maintaining a healthy weight along the way.
- Clean on the regular
A messy space leads to a messy mind which is not what you want when you want to maintain some level of productivity like any space upkeep is important. You wouldn’t pay for a hotel room and expect it to be dirty when you walked in, would you? Make sure to leave your office space clean and tidy each day and do a deep clean at least once a week. This way, you’ll spend less time looking for your laptop charger, to-do list, pens and more time working on what needs to get done.
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