Many of us are finding a need for a home office that we never had before. Maybe you had a home office already, but didn’t use it quite to the extent you are now, or maybe you’ve had to totally refocus the purpose of a room to become one. Either way, we’ve got some helpful tips to keep your space a place of both productivity and peace.
Keeping your office separate from your main living spaces is ideal to stay focused and on “work mode”
SEPARATE YOUR HOME OFFICE
If you can, keep it separate from the other areas you use often in your home. This is a psychological way to switch to “work mode” even when you’re at home, which can ultimately help a lot with your focus during work and make it easier to refocus on yourself and family during non-work hours. If this is not an option for you, try to at least designate a space within a room that is office only, and keep it that way. Even by just getting into a habit of only doing work things in that space (as opposed to eating dinner, having kids toys around, etc) will have a similar psychological effect as the separate room and make you feel more like you’re “at work” even while at home.
Clutter free and organized will keep you focused on the tasks you need to accomplish for work, and not you to-do list for home.
START FRESH AND CLEAN
The fewer distractions around your workstation, the better! Try not to have your office right next to your pile of laundry that needs doing, so you can focus on your work tasks. This ties in to keeping the office space separate from your living areas. It helps you subconsciously shift gears to work mode when needed and maintain focus.
Add inspirational items to your workspace to give you positive vibes and motivation!
ADD SOME INSPIRATION
A piece of artwork, an object from travels, a quote or a picture of your family. Something to motivate you and fuel productivity. Greenery is another great option to include in the space, faux or real!
If natural light is available, it’s a huge plus. Add task lighting in addition, no matter what.
LIGHT IT UP
Natural light is usually best, since it helps you feel more awake and alert and just generally puts people in a better mood. Task lighting is also important to reduce eye strain, especially with so much time spent on a screen. Having multiple types of light is necessary, so you can adjust accordingly to time of day and the weather.
Make sure your desk chair doesn’t hurt your back over time, and keeps your posture aligned as much as possible.
KEEP IT COMFY
Office chairs are specifically designed to keep you sitting there a while, and not all of us have those at home. If you’re not opting to purchase a chair designed for office settings, just make sure to pick a seat that will keep your posture aligned and your body comfortable. Remember you can take breaks and grab a few minutes for a stretch now and then! (We recommend that for your body health and mental health).
MOST IMPORTANTLY: Make it your own.
Reflecting on what will best help you focus and keep some peace of mind will ultimately guide your design, and that’s the fun part! Make it personal for you and the type of work you need to do, and enjoy the short commute 🙂
How have you adapted your home office to work best for you during this time? What’s your favorite thing about it? What are you still tweaking? We’d love to hear about it!
Love, HAVEN
*All images are property of HAVEN Home Staging unless otherwise noted and have been used with permission*