10 Tips to Create a Home Office
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Whether you are a free-lancer and always work at home, or simply have homework to do, a nice space to work at home is always indispensable! Follow our 10 easy steps in order to create the best home work space, in which you’ll be both productive and at ease.
1. Determine your needsFirst of all, ask yourself what type of work you’ll do in it. Do you need to write a lot? To have a huge desk in order to be able to draw in a clear space? Or will you mainly use a computer? Will you have to call often? Also, start to think about the equipment you will need: a place to store many files? a telephone? a fax? a space to meet your clients? It will widely help you to decide where to put your work space.
2. Choose the perfect location
You don’t need a palace to have a work space at home! It can be just a part of a room, sufficiently well-organized to provide you both productivity and concentration. If you can dedicate a whole room to your working activity, choose the quietest room, and one with a door (it will reduce outer noises and prevent you from unannounced interruption). If you need to receive your clients in your office, pick a room close to the entrance.
3. What about equipment?
Make a list of everything you need and don’t forget to pay attention to details. For instance, if you need a phone, should you create a separate line? Also, stockpile things you need everyday so you will never run out from it: paper, pencil, printer cartridge…
Put everything related to your work in this space, so you will have everything you need nearby. It will save you some precious time. However, you don’t need to spend your whole life in your office! So don’t eat your meals or take your breaks in it, try to move in another room, in order to separate your work life from your personal life how much as possible.
4. First most important thing: light
The best would be to have a lot of natural light. You can put your desk near a window to get as much light as possible. Just pay attention to the orientation of your computer screen: glare can be really annoying! However, you will still need some good lamps for when the sun will have set. Avoid wall light or floor lamps, favor table lamps which will create a warm and soft atmosphere. And if your room has no window, you can buy lamps that replicate natural daylight.
5. Have a specific design style in mind
The choice of colors is crucial here. Indeed, they have a real psychological impact on us. For instance, blue and green are relaxing colors whereas red provokes excitement and yellow grabs people’s attention. The most neutral color is green, the color of nature. It evokes freshness and is known to encourage concentration.
Regarding style, just select one you really like. If you are out of inspiration, minimalism (wood, neutral range of colours…) can be a great option in order to help to be focused. But keep in mind that the cooler your office looks like and the more you will use it. So if you prefer industrial, bohemian or vintage style, just do it!
6. Second most important thing: an office chair
You need an office chair you will want to seat in! It has to be both comfortable and convenient. This is crucial because if you are not properly installed you could suffer from back pains. Plus, sitting position is not natural for the human body, so it damages our body in the long run. The chair back should be as large as possible and have armrests.
7. About storage: how to have everything on hand
Ideally, you should create two different spaces in your office: one to store things and one to spread out when you are working. You can be creative. For instance, you can replace your tripods with file cabinets, or opt for wall storage. Just remember that you should keep nearby everything you need all the time. So think big: it is better to have spare-space than not enough!
8. Keep track of time and hide what will distract you
It may sounds obvious, but a clock is a must-have in an office, even if the hour is displayed on your computer. Hanged on a wall, or simply put on your desk, just make sure it is clearly visible. Thus, you won’t forget about time and will easily keep a « normal » pace of work.
Also, just hide everything that could disturb you or prevent you from focusing. Keep at sight only things you like and that comfort you.
9. Add some nice decorative elements
Even if your office is supposed to be a place in which you will be serious and productive, it doesn’t mean that it has to be a stark and depressing place! On the contrary: it has to be a room you will want to go in. First, you can add some plants or flowers, in order to add some life to your office. If you need to stimulate your imagination, you can add anything that reminds you a nice souvenir, or that comes from a faraway land, making you travel in one sight. It can also simply be images that speak to you.
Finally, use your imagination: you could create a creative way to nicely hide cords for instance. Let your ingenuity rule!
10. And all that remains to be done is to be happy and productive!