At the moment, my husband and I live in a tiny apartment here in Australia. It has a cute mini-veranda with beautiful garden views, but at a measly 40sqm, space is definitely at a premium.

However, one thing I knew I definitely had to make room for was my own little office – a motivating spot where I could go to work on whatever I needed to get done, write or study.

 

Whether you are making the transition or are well versed in working from home, your office space is key to success. Being able to separate yourself from at home and at home grinding helps to self-discipline yourself and stay motivated. Creating at-home office space if also way more feasible than establishing or renting office space elsewhere!

 

Four important factors to take into consideration when setting up your home office space are:

Location

Under what conditions do you work best? Do you like to work in a dark and cozy area, perhaps working from your sofa with a little lap desk? Or do you prefer to be in full light, at a desk in front of a large window?

 

Aesthetic

Much like the rest of your home, you want your home office to be a reflection of you, one that gets your creative juices flowing, that inspires you to be productive.

If you own your space, consider the colour scheme of your workspace; you have the freedom to change it if it doesn’t make you feel good. If you’re renting like I am, you most likely don’t have the ability to paint a wall or two, so consider how you could change the vibe of your space with some simple accessorizing. I can already hear Pinterest calling your name… 

Tip: Don’t follow trends when it comes to design, follow your intuition, it’s unique and will always guide you in the right direction when it comes to creating a space especially for you.

 

Furniture

Okay, this is a biggie. When I first decided on my home office space, after picking out my color scheme and some plants, I thought I was ready to go buy my new desk and chair. Like, easy peasy, right? Wrong, boo. I brought this super cute desk (without even checking the height, que first mistake), and then this comfy-looking chair to match it (again, without checking the height, second mistake).

But… Here’s the thing. I don’t like sitting at a desk. Like, at all. 

But everyone works from a desk, right? That’s what we see all over our IG feeds, on Pinterest and in stock photos. It’s normal to sit at a desk. But have you ever asked yourself if you actually like being in this seated position all day?

I’ve known forever that I don’t like sitting in chairs with my feet on the ground, at school I was constantly getting scolded for crossing my legs or having one folded under the other. Sitting on a chair with my knees straight out in front of my hips and both feet on the floor actually caused me to be in pain (ya, for 12 whole years of schooling).

So, after a month of not actually sitting at the cute little table and chair, I got for my office, and instead of sitting at my coffee table with my butt on the floor, I remembered there was a thing called a standing desk! Duh, right?!

I had completely forgotten that I’d always wanted one as a kid, and after a little scrolling on the Facebook marketplace, I found one, brand new, for 1/5th of the price I paid for my table and chair that I had only forced myself into using twice.

Since having my standing desk set up in place, I have easily quadrupled my productivity. I love being able to move freely around my desk, twerk as I work, do a little side-step dance when my feet start to feel a little sleepy. And I now never feel guilty about taking a tea break on my soft little sofa! I so wish I had thought of this standing desk earlier.

As you probably have already guessed, my point in telling you this little story was to get you to think about what works best for you. Your body is not the same as anyone else’s. Different things make you feel comfortable, and despite how the aesthetic of something might appease your mind, you need to take into consideration how it’s going to make your body feel.

 

Organizability 

Yeah, girl, it’s a real word. I checked.

Once your furniture is all moved in, you’ll start thinking about how to organize your office. You probably already have… Heck, I’d be lying if I said I was already thinking of how you should organize your office before I even started writing this article.

Maybe you need some extra shelves or filing cabinets for your things. If you don’t have a heap of space to work in, it is especially important that you make organization a priority. I promise it will help you in the long run. Even simple things, like hanging floating shelves, will help keep equipment off your desk and give you more space to do your work.

Now, I know how tempting it is to go straight to Officeworks or Kmart and grab all the pretty things office accessories that are considered to be desk organizers. You don’t need them. Take your time to focus on what could really help you to make the most of your space, before taking a trip to the store (that includes amazon, ladies).

Think about what items will really bring you joy in your space, before you purchase them. This will save a heap of guilt and Konmari’ing later on.

Don’t forget, the most important part of all of this – It’s YOUR dream home office space.

No one else’s.

One of the most important factors in making your home office your dream office is how you personalize it. In the rat race, I mean workplace, you don’t get much say in how your space looks. Sure, you can change your old desktops’ screensaver and add coloured sticky notes to your meeting minutes, but for most office workers, that’s about it. Your home office is your chance to create a space designed specifically to inspire and motivate you.

 

 

Creating a space that you find aesthetically pleasing will boost your serotonin and make you feel genuinely excited to spend time in there. Take some time to journal out some pointers: what puts you in a good mood? Is it Art? Personal photos? An inspiration board?

Thinking about what you love in a space and trying to incorporate that into your home office will improve your productivity, as well as health and happiness.

Happy creating, babe!

 

If you have some home office tips to share, please do! We’d love to hear them.