As more and more people find themselves working from home, a well designed home office is crucial to productivity and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Here are 5 tips and tricks to help you transform your home office into a space that fuels creativity and efficiency.
Select the right location in your house: First and foremost selecting the right location in your home is imperative to be successful at working from home. If your job requires zoom and phone calls a quiet, private space will be needed. You could turn your guest room into a multi-function room that achieves both functions. If you just need a computer and an outlet, an alcove turned into workspace could be an effective home office solution. A built-in file cabinet and a pencil drawer in the kitchen was the perfect solution for this busy mom that needed a designated work space for her and the kids.
Functional Layout: Arranging the space to function properly is imperative to success. If the room is functioning as a dual space, making sure that it can easily work for both functions is critical. You don't want to have to move all your office supplies when it needs to be a bedroom and vice versa. Arranging the furniture to facilitate a smooth workflow and positioning your desk conveniently to items like shelves, filing cabinets and outlets will help minimize distractions. If your job requires frequent zoom calls, arranging the desk so that it is not in front of a door helps minimize distractions and your peers seeing your kids, pets or other people walking around in the background.
Maximize Natural Light: Lighting and natural light specifically has a profound impact on not only your work production but your well-being, mood, and efficiency. Natural light can reduce eye strain but also can create unwanted glares on your computer screens so being aware of where the lighting is coming from is also important to office design. Natural light can also provide a view or something to look at to inspire and promote focus and creativity.
Zones & Personal Boundaries: Designing and incorporating different areas within the space are important to creating a productive working atmosphere. Sometimes you just need a different scenery or a different spot to work to get the creative juices flowing. In the space below, we incorporated a sleeper sofa with ottomans so that the homeowner could kick back with his laptop for a change of scene. This space can also act as overflow if they have a large group staying with them and need more sleeping space. Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal time by having a space with a door they can close at the end of the workday is helpful to most work from home employees.
Mindful Decor & Personalization: Design with intention, incorporating elements that inspire and energize you. Art, personal mementos, and meaningful decor items can uplift your space and make you feel comfortable which in turn will make you more productive. Implementing storage solutions that keep your workspace clean and organized also helps with productivity.
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