We’re in the time of 30 second commutes and, at most, a two-dog pile up on the way into work in the morning.
Yep, we’re talking about home offices.
Whether you’re trying to figure out why small home office ideas are better than just leaving your paperwork all over your dining table, or whether you’re looking for home office decor and inspiration, we’re giving you everything you need.
Why should you set up a home office?
Thanks to the 21st century, and you know, computers and such, we have the luxury to work from pretty much anywhere. Including your own home. But having a designated place to sit down, focus on your tasks, and get your work done is so much more beneficial than just crashing on your sofa in the sitting room.
Boosts productivity
First and foremost, setting up a home office boosts your productivity levels. And it’s pretty easy to see why. When you’re sitting on your sofa with your laptop open, trying to get emails sent off, you can get easily distracted by the TV. Or doing a load of laundry. Or, you know, suddenly those dishes that have been sitting there for two days have to be done right now.
But creating a home office work space creates a barrier between your work life and your home life. And that boosts productivity when it comes to your job.
Reduces stress
With a home office set up, you’ll be able to stay a lot more organised. You won’t lay your papers down on the kitchen floor, and in the bedroom, and in the bathroom. And that means you won’t be tearing your hair out when you’re looking for that one little post-it note.
Having a designated space for your home office means you’ll have specific spots to put all of your work files and papers. And that’s going to reduce your stress level and keep you from feeling frazzled.
Get more creative
Whether you have a large or small home office space, once it’s set up in an organised way you’ll reduce that stress we were talking about and boost that productivity, too. By doing both of those, you’ll find that you may start feeling more creative.
When stress and disorganisation take a front seat in your life, it pretty much short circuits your creativity. So by creating a designated home office space, you can kick that stress out and make more room for your own creativity.
How to create a permanent home office set up from scratch:
If you’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future, you’ll need a permanent solution for your work space. Consider these things when you’re thinking of home office ideas:
Dedicate a specific place
First things first, you need a specific spot in your home to set up that office space. Try to find a place that’s relatively separate from the rest of your home. Whether it’s a separate room or even if you just need to put a divider up, dedicate a place that can be your work area.
Figure out what it is you need
Go through all of your work stuff and figure out exactly what you still need for your home office.
Do you need to snag a monitor? Will you need to have a printer on hand? Are there any other tech gadgets you could benefit from like an external microphone? Have you got a place for filing away papers?
Think about your lighting
Don’t deal with headaches from straining your eyes because you forgot to think about lighting.
Plus, if you’re sitting in a dark room, you’re more likely to just take a little nap instead of logging into that meeting that should really be an email.
So trust us, think about adequate lighting when you’re deciding on your home office design.
Prioritize your comfort
One fabulous thing about working from home is you get to choose everything yourself instead of being stuck with the office chairs or desks that the company provides.
So, if you want one of those standing desks, or if you want to sit on one of those giant workout balls, you can do that in your home office set up.
Or if you’re like us and you just want a really comfy office chair, you can get one that is the comfiest to you.
Either way, you’re gonna be in your home office for a huge chunk of the day, so be sure to find something that really fits your comfort needs.
How to organise your home office to boost productivity:
Now that you’ve got your space designated for your home office, and you’ve got everything you need to set it up efficiently, you’ll need to organise it in a way that boosts productivity.
Organise your home office by doing these tasks:
1. Purge and declutter your office
The first thing you need to do is get rid of any clutter in your set up. Go through all of your papers and purge anything that isn’t important or that’s too old to matter.
The papers you are keeping, start separating into different organised piles based on content matter. We’ll get to those in a minute.
2. Make yourself some work zones
Just like in a “real” office, create different work zones. You’ll have your main work area which includes your desk, your phone if you have one, your monitor, etc.
Then, you’ll need a place for storage and filing away papers.
And finally, make yourself a supply area. You can keep your printer there, extra paper, pens and pencils, the works.
When you do this, you’ll keep your main work area from getting too cluttered and disorganised.
3. Freshen up your filing system
Once you’ve created your storage and filing area, freshen up your system for filing.
Think of every category you might need when it comes to your work. Categories like a meeting folder, an archive folder for older papers, a waiting on response folder.
When you’ve freshened up your filing system, commit to actually using it. Don’t let those papers stack up on your desk.
4. Clear off your desktop (and then re-organise it)
The things that should be on your home office desk are the things that you’ll need to use every day.
If you come across something that doesn’t fall into that category, toss it. Or at least put it in your supply area.
5. Organise your drawer space
Use drawer organisers to help you keep your drawer space from getting too cluttered.
Keep all of your similar objects in the same drawer.
Home office decor ideas:
Once you’ve set up your home office or reorganised it, it’s time to come up with some good home office ideas for decor.
And unlike a corporate office, your small home office can be customised to whatever you want.
So here’s a few home office decor ideas for you to get started:
Find home office inspiration
When you’re ready to add decor to your work space, the first thing you’ll need to do is find inspiration.
Search for photos for home office inspiration to get a feel for what others who are working from home are doing. And then make note of what you like and what you don’t like.
Wallpaper or paint your walls or even just one accent wall
If you want a total makeover for your space, one home office idea for you is to wallpaper or paint your walls. Or even just do one wall as an accent. This will break up the mundane and add a bright, cheery spot for you while you’re working.
Paint your desk
If you don’t want to go through the trouble of painting your walls, think about painting your desk.
When you’re working from home, nobody’s going to stop you from painting your desk hot pink. So if that’s your thing, go for it!
Add a houseplant (or a faux houseplant)
Add some greenery and something organic to your home office space by bringing in a houseplant. You’d actually be surprised at what a difference a single houseplant can make.
And if you’re worried about keeping it alive, go for a faux houseplant. Those are made to be so lifelike now that no one will be able to tell the difference. In fact, you might find yourself watering it because it looks so real.
Soften your space with some curtains or shades
Don’t let the sun (you know, when it’s out) beat into your room and cause all of those harsh lines everywhere in your home office. Put up some curtains or shades to soften the glare.
Add a rug to bring brightness
Need some more cheer when it comes to home office ideas? Add a rug to bring in more brightness to your work space.
There you have it! Everything you need to know about why you should set up your home office space, what you’ll need, and how to boost productivity and even cheeriness when it comes to decorating it.
And don’t forget – if you’re ready to start in on your home office ideas, we’ve got everything you need to get started.