When you’ve made the decision to work at home, you’re going to want some space that’s all to yourself. Somewhere that you can get down to business, focus and feel accomplished. Setting up this space is essential to your commitment to concentrate on work while at home, and it’s a lot easier said than done. There are a few things that you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re setting up your home office.
Where Are You Going to Put It?
If you’re not the only one in your house, you’re going to want to set up your home office in an area that promotes a quiet environment. Somewhere you won’t be readily distracted by the intrusions of day-to-day life if your significant other isn’t on a 9-5 schedule.
If you have a free room this is going to be the best place for your work sanctuary, and you’ve struck gold. However, if you’re stuck placing your workspace in a busy area like the kitchen, consider having a talk with those in your family about boundaries regarding your time on the job.
Let appropriately aged children know when they can ask you for something, and when you need to be left to work.
Suitable Office Furniture
In order to get down to work, you’re going to want to find furnishings that suit you appropriately. You’ll need a desk of a suitable size for whatever work you’ll be doing, and you’ll want an office chair that you’ll be comfortable working in for a full day; luckily there are plenty to choose from at Office Reality.
If you’re seeking some proper office furniture, the experts at Marvable offer a wide range of inventory. They include a broad scope of ergonomic and space, generous desks that will suit whatever work you’re trying to accomplish.
Add Some Decorations
If you’re working in a closed-off room with bleak walls, it’s not going to inspire the imagination all too much. Make your office appeal to your sense of taste, and think about adding decorations to the walls, or a throw rug on the floor. A small coffee table or end table might even help inspire a more motivated mood. Just because you’re working at home doesn’t mean it has to feel like work, you want to be professional, but you don’t want to be boring.
Lighting is Everything
If you’ve ever worked in a region with short days (anywhere North really), you probably know the feeling of waking up when it’s dark, working inside during the day, and leaving when it’s dark. If you’re working at home that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to the same sense of dreary monotony.
Invite some natural light into your workspace, pick a place with an open window that will let in lots of sunlight. This will inspire your motivation and make your home office seem more like a happy place, and less like a prison.
Think About the Accessories
You might not have a boss telling you that you’re not allowed food at your desk, but that isn’t an excuse to develop a lot of clutter. If your desk is scattered with pens, and there are wires connecting to your modem, connecting to your printer, connecting to your computer, invest in some accessories.
Get yourself a pen holder, purchase a wireless printer, and if you’re just doing some quick work online you probably don’t need to be directly plugged into your modem. Use wifi to your advantage to clear up your desk and your mind will be just as clear to get to work.
Storage is Key
Maybe working from home involves dealing with a lot of paperwork and hard-copies of items. Instead of having a desk stacked with endless sheets you’ll have to look for every time you need one, get a filing cabinet. Not only will this decrease the amount of time spent looking for items, but your home office will also seem a lot more professional. You won’t need to worry about having to keep your papers on your desk and this will further contribute to the cleanliness of your home office.
Develop a Floor Plan
If you’re lucky enough to have a room or a large amount of space dedicated to yourself, planning out where everything should go is important. Prior to making a purchase on any furniture get the measurements of the space you’ll be working and create a floor plan. This will help you decide which is the best placement of all of your furnishings, and you can decide to be facing a window if you’d like.
Planning is the best way to get the most functionality out of your workspace. If you purchase a desk that’s far too large you’ll be working in a cramped space that makes you feel like you’re in a cell.
Make the Room Brighter (Without Lighting)
There are certain colors that just don’t sit well with productivity. A desolate color scheme will impact your personal morale and decrease work output. Decide on a color that best suits the kind of professional you want to be and throw it on the walls. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money to make your office into a more aesthetic place. You’ll be spending lots of time here and you don’t want to feel like you hate working in this space.
There’s a lot more to setting up a home office than just throwing a desk in a corner and making sure you have a chair. You’ll want to be putting lots of thought into where you’ll be working, and how you want it to look. The kind of furniture you need for your work and the accessories that go along with it is something you’ll want to put thought into.
Ensure you’re choosing somewhere that won’t make you feel like you’re spending a day in prison every day. Staying on top of clutter and keeping up with your storage is going to help you feel more organized. Developing a floor plan is really going to help you optimize space and productivity. Don’t be afraid to splurge a little on developing your office, you’re working from home and you should enjoy it.