You love working from home. However, your workspace is proving less than ideal. Maybe you work at the kitchen or dining room table or find yourself ensconced on the couch. Then again, maybe your home office contains uncomfortable furnishings or a disturbing color scheme.
Perhaps whenever you settle into the day’s tasks, your motivation and energy dissipate. The work becomes burdensome rather than enjoyable, and you may find yourself escaping your workspace as often as possible.
If any of those scenarios resonate, this article is for you. Here are five ways to transform any room in your home into a creative, productive workspace or office. You’ll enjoy going to work and getting things done!
1. Think about Location
Placing your workspace or home office in a small room or oversized closet may safeguard other areas of your home, like your guest bedroom, entertainment area, or breakfast nook. However, such locations may not be as conducive to productivity or creativity. Such small areas may make you feel cramped, out of sorts, and unhappy. Choose a place, or several, that invite you in and prepare you for the day ahead.
As an example, you might split a guest bedroom in half, with one part containing a bed and the other part a functional desk and ergonomic chair. This option might not work for you, though, if you don’t have a spare room—so get creative.
Look for unused corners in your bedroom and living room, and then install a corner desk. Another option for the living room is the coffee table. Look for one with a lift top, add it to your living room, and you gain a coffee table that instantly transforms into a functional workspace. Or, if you enjoy the natural light found in the kitchen, take advantage of it with a narrow table and barstool.
2. Work in Well-Lit Areas
In addition to prioritizing a good working location, remember to consider lighting. Natural lighting works wonders for your productivity, so try to locate your work near a window. This practice may require you to act like a cat on the hunt for a sunny spot to nap: just embrace it. Besides enhancing productivity, the habit forces you to get up and move, increasing your health and well-being.
But not every day offers clear skies. On these days, turn to smart light bulbs and switches. These lights can be installed in any room or workspace, and they have a number of advantages. For instance, if you install smart light bulbs at the kitchen table, you can dim or brighten them to match—or counteract—your work mood. Other smart lights in your kitchen or bedroom could be set on a schedule so that you wake up naturally to comfortable lighting every morning.
3. Use Your Wall Space
To keep your workspace clear of clutter, use the wall space. Some remote workers forget about the walls, believing they’re good only for bookshelves and prints. Not so—you can add calendars, whiteboards, floating shelves, and other vertical storage units.
Regardless of the location you choose, you may need to get clever to find ways to store work materials, particularly if you work from a kitchen table or other temporary working space. Look around your home or apartment. If you see a cupboard, side table, or hutch, put its empty shelves and drawers to use. Also explore creative storage ideas like Mason jars, bench drawers, and floating shelves.
4. Create a Zen Zone
Depending on the size of your workspace, you may be able to create a “Zen zone.” Consider it your personal thinking space. Outfit it with a comfortable chair, lamp, and table—and stock it with supplies to jot down ideas as they come to mind.
If your workspace happens to be your living room or bedroom, you can still create a cozy spot for thinking and dreaming. Simply examine your existing furniture and space and add a few throw pillows or a table to make your living room couch both comfy and productive. If you discover a vacant corner or space, you can turn it into a reading nook. Most nooks feature all sorts of shelves, comfortable chairs, and functional tables.
5. Purchase High-Speed Internet and Technological Tools
Next, build upon your workspace design with business-grade internet. High-speed internet is critical to completing projects, particularly if your product or service rests solely in the digital realm. However, even if you create physical goods for a living, you’ll still need quality internet service to stay in touch with partners, vendors, and customers.
Finish your internet investment with added technology. For example, you might invest in a dual-band router to help with internet reliability and speed. You should also explore headsets, which enhance sound quality, and web cameras, which guarantee clear pictures. If you’re ready for a “next-generation workspace,” turn to TechRepublic. This publisher shows you how to create the smart workspace of your dreams with its “living [office] laboratory.”
You work from home—but that doesn’t mean you should work in a closet or on the couch. Create a functional, aesthetically pleasing workspace with the tips shared here, and you’ll discover new levels of productivity and happiness.
