Whether you’re a small business owner or someone who freelances at home, the trick to a successful day is sometimes not down to how many coffees you’ve had, but how well-designed your working space is. This area has to be different from the kitchen, living room, or bedroom, in that it needs to be a calm space, yet feel conducive to productivity. If you’ve already got a home office space or are planning on setting one up, here are a few tips to make it an area where you can work hard in style.
Treat it like a room in your house, not like a real office
Many offices around the world have a cold and clinical feel to them, which never really gives off a productive and happy vibe. As you have the chance to make a home office, treat it like another room by adding natural materials like a wooden desk, several plants, comfy leather chair, and soft lighting. Next to a window would be ideal, or even a loft with overhead lighting, as the more natural light with a view of the outside you have, the less you will feel a sense of cabin fever.
A clutter-free workspace is a constructive workspace
When you start working, you want to look around your home office and feel like everything is where it should be. If there is dirty laundry, used plates and coffee mugs, old boxes with bric-a-brac, etc., then your mind isn’t 100% focused on where it should be. Work hard to ensure that only essential things should be in your workspace and any extraneous item is removed to another room.
If you buy and sell vintage clothing, for example, you might have extra stock lying around that isn’t really in season and likely won’t be sold for months. If this is the case, then you may want to consider storage units in your area and place bulky items here for several months. This means that you have more free space and nothing to take your mind out of your daily tasks.
Choose wisely with the color scheme
You might think that any old color will suffice, but there is more to this than meets the eye. White is of course a typical choice and fine enough, but if you want to try a little harder to really give your home office space a boost, then consider the color palette very seriously. Blue brings out the best for communication, red does well for physical tasks, yellow is connected to creativity, green has a calming effect, and so on. Pick the color based on what tasks you’ll be completing day to day in your office space.
Keep distractions at bay
Finally, your home office space might be physically close to the TV room and bedroom, but try to not drift in and out of rooms, as you’ll get distracted and productivity will likely decrease. Ensure your room has a door or at least a curtain so that you have your own area that’s meant for work and nothing else. If annoying sounds from other parts of the house or outside are a problem, then work with noise-canceling headphones or use a white noise machine to remain in your zone.
Still need more ideas? Check out our article on modern home office designs to help inspire you.
