Working from home for me means juggling several responsibilities as well as knuckling down to work.
In my first year of freelance work, I remember how I would spend time working from my bed, couch with my laptop or occasionally at the dining room table. However, I soon found the disadvantages of this. I was easily distracted, wasn’t organised and was using time each day to gather my work material and pack it away. This was a time that I could have used more proactively writing.
I came to the conclusion that I needed a home office space.
Why an office space?
Setting aside a dedicated area to work from helped me to become more intentional about the work I needed to get done and focus better.
I was suddenly more productive and could find the things I needed easily, making me more professional in my workplace. It was also easier to block my time and set a healthy schedule and lastly, my family knew if I was in my office space I was working and not simply available to find the missing socks or make a quick sandwich. My newfound office space brought a certain calm to my day.
How to set up an office space
Before you say you don’t have a room in your home, I need to let you know that even the smallest area can host an office space.
Previously, when we rented a huge house, I had a full office room but living in a much smaller flat now my office space is a desk in my bedroom where I can focus and work from.
1 Work area
To start you will need a desk or working area. I chose a wooden table as I didn’t need a super large space but you could use an office desk or desk alternative like a wall-mounted desk, or table or have a builder custom design a desk for your living space.
An ergonomically comfortable chair is your next thought. Choose a chair that you can spend a few hours in. I personally like to match my chair and desk to one colour theme.
If you are using a standing desk you may want to consider buying a fun mat to bring some colour to your office space.
2 Functionality
Your workspace needs to work for you. You need to invest in the tools to make your work easier. For example, if you are spending hours online on your laptop you may want to invest in a monitor for easier viewing or a monitor stand to raise the screen to your eye level.
Make use of containers and shelves to store your stationary, files and other essentials.
A blackboard, whiteboard or even a magnetic board will help you to keep a visual track of dates, deadlines and to do lists.
3.Decor
Decorating your office space is the fun part. You could choose a theme or colour and buy your stationery to match.
4.Lighting
Good lighting is essential and you can set your desk up close to a window not only for the light but for the view. With many meetings and zoom calls the lighting will also make it easier and clearer to see on the screen.
However, If you don’t have great lighting it is a good idea to invest in a desk lamp. To save on desktop space you can use a USB clip-on light.
5.Add a touch of nature
Nature is a soothing element and you can add some pretty shells or a piece of driftwood to your office space to bring that sense of calm to your space or you may want to add a hanging macrame or pot plant stand in a corner.
6.Make it yours
You are going to spend a lot of time in this space and you need to enjoy the area. It should be comfortable, functional and reflect you and your work.
Add a few personal touches like personalised items with your company logo or branding, photos of your work achievements, certificates or fun moments to the wall or in a frame on your desk.
Let your personality reflect in this space.
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