Home offices have been popular with owners of home-based businesses and telecommuters for years. Creating the perfect home office can help you be more productive at home and maintain your sanity when household issues or family threaten to disrupt your work. While working from home can be a great experience, there can be a few challenges. The biggest challenge is separating your work from your personal life. Following are a few home office ideas to help you create your perfect work space.
Home Office Ideas To Consider:
Choose A Separate Space
For the best productivity, Cecelia Jernegan, author of Working From a Home Office Successfully: Best Practice Tips, recommends choosing a room that is separate from daily household commotion. Creating an “office frame of mind” when in your dedicated room will help you to divide your personal life from your professional life.
TIP: If space is an issue, consider transforming a guest bedroom into a multipurpose space. In a pinch, a closet can be converted into a home office.
Design With You In Mind
Since not all types of work are not the same, it is important to design your perfect home office around the type of work you’ll be performing and your needs. For some, that may mean space for a large computer monitor or two. For others, it may mean creating a space where it is easy to move around. And for others, it might mean a space that is conducive to conference calls on a speaker phone.
TIP: If you will be sitting at a desk, try to be mindful of ergonomics. While sitting at your desk with you feet firmly planted on the floor, your elbows should form a 90-degree angle when you are writing or typing on a keyboard. Also, your computer monitor should be at eye level.
Lighting Your Office
Lighting is often an overlooked aspect of a home office, yet it can significantly impact the atmosphere of the space. In most cases, the more natural light you can bring in, the better. While creating new windows may not be an option, you can opt for artificial options. Today there are lighting options that fit every mood, from bright white to warm hues.
TIP: Check out How To Add A View To A Windowless Room. There are easy to follow instructions and the result might be just what your home office needs.
Make The Most Of Your Space
Avoid feeling claustrophobic by making use of storage devices. One of the best ways to keep papers from piling up on your desk is to create a filing system. File cabinets are good for items you don’t need very often. Bookshelves and desktop vertical file holders are good for current items.
Take an inventory of your home office from time to time to see which items can be moved from your desk to a file cabinet and which items in your file cabinet can be destroyed. The key is not to let things pile up.
TIP: Consider scanning documents and storing them electronically. The price of electronic storage devices have come down significantly.
Incorporate Your Personality
Unlike a traditional corporate office, your home office doesn’t need to be limited to a dull or uniform look. Since this is your space, you shouldn’t be afraid to let it fully reflect your personality. From what you hang on the walls to the items you place on your desk and bookcases, what’s most important is that you truly like everything you choose.
TIP: Wall color can make a big difference. Choose a color that inspires you.
