7 Tips for Maximizing Your Home Office
Over the last few years, we have all become familiar with the term “working from home”, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic had us all stuck at home. A lot of companies and employers since the pandemic have transitioned into having work-from-home options for their employees.
While this means that many people had the opportunity to be close to your family while you worked, it also meant you have to a designated space within your home dedicated to being your home office.
Often, these spaces feel very bare and lifeless, and working within them is not an enjoyable experience in any way. However, there are small changes you can make to your home office to make it both more organized and dynamic.
Whether you are creating a home office in a home you have lived in for years or are moving into a brand-new home, the suggestions below can transform your home office from bare room into a hidden sanctuary.
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Utilize Baskets and Bins for Storage
Nothing makes you want to work in a space less than having a huge mess clogging up the space. You can purchase sets of baskets, drawers or bins from stores like Target and Office Max, and can often purchase ones that match your pre-existing home décor. There is a wide variety of office organization products to use, depending on what you prefer and what works for how your mind operates.
If you are a particularly forgetful person, look into getting open or see-through baskets or bins so that you don’t ever mistakenly think that something is lost when it has just been stored out of sight.
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If You Don’t Use Something, More it Elsewhere
Now that you have the tools to organize what you do need to keep in your home office, it is time to find new homes for the stuff that made their way into your home office but does not really belong there. If you do not use something or have no idea how it even got in your office, move it out of your designated workspace. Ask your spouse or kids if they want it, and if they don’t want the items, you could donate them to somewhere like Goodwill or pack them away in case you might need the items later.
A good rule of thumb is if you cannot remember the last time you used a specific item in your day-to-day activities, it should not be kept in your office. Keeping too much unnecessary stuff around you can lead to heightened stress and frustration, most people find. A good practice is to do an assessment of the items in your office every couple months to prevent clutter from accumulating.
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Create “Stations” For Different Activities
Now that you can organize your mess, it is time to figure out how to prevent them from forming in your home office in the first place. Often, messes happen because you do everything from the same spot and overcrowd your desk or table area. Instead, designate sections of the room to specific tasks or activities.
Have a spot for your printer and scanner, if you use one, or a spot for your important printed documents, or even a spot for your incoming and outgoing mail. This will help prevent your desk from getting clogged up with too much happening all at once.
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Take Advantage of Any Windows
To be completely honest, one of the hardest parts of working from home is being trapped inside all day, with no interaction with the outside world. Fortunately, most rooms in homes have windows, and if your home office has a window, use it. Plant your desk right next to that window and take in the sun while you work.
Not only will you get to watch nature and people go by, but the natural light from a window is also suggested to help reduce eye strain, headaches and drowsiness.
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Organize Your Cables and Wires
Our electronics have become such a big part of our daily lives over the last few years. From computer cords to phone cords to lamp cords, these wires tend to wrap and tangle around each other, creating a giant mess. Not only do they make you feel worse because of the messiness, but they could also present a genuine risk to your health, as tripping over the tangled cords is a common occurrence.
Fortunately, this is not a difficult issue to take care of. There are several kinds of cord organizers that you can choose from at office supply stores, like Velcro cord wraps or large charging stations that can accommodate all your different electronics’ charging needs at one time.
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Invest in a Good Chair
This one seems obvious, but you would be surprised how many people sit in uncomfortable and unsupportive chairs for hours at a time while working. The benefit of working from home is that you get to choose which chair you will be spending your time sitting in. I suggest getting a chair that is comfortable to relax in, but sturdy enough to encourage good posture and provides back support.
Some chairs even come with additional features, like a seat warmer or massaging capability. You might also need to invest in some additional furniture to make the space more comfortable for your height and shape. If you are on the shorter side and often find that your feet are uncomfortable from dangling from your office chair all day, it might be a good idea to invest in a footrest along with a good office chair.
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Add Décor to Make the Space Your Own
Sometimes a home office can just feel like four walls and a table, with no life inside. By adding décor that you find relaxing and inviting, working within your office space will begin to feel like less of a chore and more like a hidden sanctuary. A few standard pieces for an aesthetic home office are a scented candle, a throw rug, a wall poster or painting, or framed pictures of your loved ones.
You could also add a space for your current hobbies, like a bookshelf for your current favorite reads or a small corner table with a large puzzle. This would give you something to do on your breaks besides scrolling aimlessly on your phone.
However you decide to liven up or organize your home office space within your home, remember that you can switch it up whenever you want. The space is yours to change and modify, and you can pick and choose how “homey” an environment you want to create.