It’s time to finally revamp your work from home situation!

Many of us are still working from home, and for some, work from home has become a permanent feature. So, it’s time to make a real home office, or if you already have, it’s time to make it more functional. Working from home can have its pros and its cons but a key to making it mostly pros is creating an environment you can succeed in. Here are some tips on how to make your home office not only a space you enjoy being in, but also a space that you can be productive in:

Choose your location wisely…

If you can allocate the space, give yourself a room. This will make it easier for you to create separation from your home and your workspace. Many claim that working from home made it harder for them to stop working when it was time to, and they started thinking about work more than usual. Having a space where all your work-related tasks and items are in will help you stop cross-contaminating your relaxation in your home and your focus on your work. Having a work-life balance is not only important for happiness, but the absence of it can also affect your quality of work, so try to avoid this as much as possible and create a space in your home that is only for work and nothing else.

Get your Lighting under control!

For starters, natural light does wonders for making a space enjoyable, but it also helps you feel motivated. Try to position the space you choose, hopefully, a room, that has a lot of natural light! But we can’t stop there, additionally, pick great lighting for your space in case of a cloudy day or a late night of working. Many feel that overhead lights can be overwhelming, distracting and for some, even cause migraines, so try opting for a few lamps with cooler blue and white lights as they are shown to improve productivity. Additionally, try implementing task lighting with your lamps, this method illuminates a specific area where you are working, such as your desk, to help draw your attention. You would be surprised how positive or negative of an effect lighting can have on your enjoyment of a space and your ability to focus!

Update your personal décor…

Many of us created a home office when we were not working from home as much, we often put furniture we have acquired over the years in there and maybe some family photos, while this may have worked before, it’s time to decorate this space more intentionally. Take out any cluttered furniture you never use, remove any photos that could be distracting or create clutter and maybe leave only a few that are special to you. Artwork in your space is great but keep it purposeful and limited so that encourages you to focus instead of letting your mind wander. Pick some low-maintenance plants to have in your space! Studies have shown that plants can help increase your productivity and give a better feeling of health. Lastly, pick a wall color wisely! Try going for natural-toned colors such as earthy greens, warm whites, warm gray, or even a soft brown. Décor goes a long way whether you realize it or not so be intentional with it and most importantly make it a space you enjoy being in!

Think about your spine!

Talking about décor and furniture, the most important park is your desk and chair! This is going to be a space you are going to be spending a lot of time in and you want to be comfortable! Be generous in your chair choice because if you’re sitting in a chair that hurts your back, you are not going to be excited to spend time in your office! Additionally, sitting for long periods of time, especially when the rest of your home might be one door away can be grueling. Try opting for a desk or desk attachment that can transition between a traditional desk and a standing desk. This ability to transition and mix it up can help you stay focused for longer and we promise you your spine will thank you!

Store Creatively…

Not having a proper organization system and growing clutter can mean the death of an enjoyable or even usable workspace. Let’s be honest, it can be easy to let a workspace get out of hand, especially if you don’t have any coworkers around to fear judgment from. But inevitably, if it goes too far, it feels impossible to tackle, especially when you have work to do. So, to avoid this, try storing creatively. Create an infrastructure of where things go and having a filing system. Organize your important documents, file old ones you need to keep around and have an organized bin for the documents you’re actively using. There is no one right way to keep things organized and some people love more structure than others but at the end of the day, find a system that works for you and most importantly, stick to it. You’ll thank yourself later.

Investing this much in an office space can seem intimidating but when you are spending so much of your time in these spaces, the payoff comes quickly. You deserve a space you enjoy being in and your boss will love the increase in productivity that implementing these ideas will offer. Another benefit to making this investment is that we are working from home more often. People now are looking for a home that has a home office more than ever. When you go to put your house on a market, having an office space that is so well put together will only increase your home’s value and the buyers’ ability to imagine themselves working in the home.