When you are able to work from home, this can be a blessing that will help you spend more time with your family and be in a loving environment. This holds especially true for working moms. However, when you have a home office, it can be easy to let it just collect dust.
You find yourself just typing on your laptop on your living room couch. Designing the right home office is key to your success as a work-from-home professional. Here are five rules for designing a home office that doesn’t just sit there and collect dust.
Choosing the Right Desk Is Essential
Working on a table that is lying around your house is not going to be conducive to a productive workday. A folding table won’t make you feel like you have a professional place to work. An investment in a desk is one that is going to pay off for years to come. There are many resources online that will help you choose the desk that is right for you.
Make sure that you take the proper amount of time to research a desk that is going to work best in your home office set up. If you have a smaller space to work with, then you will obviously need to purchase a desk that is going to match your existing space. However, if you have a great deal of equipment that you need for your home office, you need to have a desk that is going to be able to hold all of your gear and paperwork.
The Right Lighting Is Key
If at all possible, you should try using natural lighting. This is a calm light that is actually going to make your home office feel much more relaxing. Fluorescent lights are a type of lighting that you want to stay away from. Lights that feature a dimming feature are a great way to be able to set the lighting to your perfect mood.
There are professionals at lighting stores who will be able to help you decide which lighting sources will be best for your home office and profession. You may not think that lighting would make that big of a difference, but it can really help to set the overall mood for your home office.
Make Your Home Office Fun and Inviting
Remember, when you are working from home you are your own boss. It can be difficult to get yourself motivated when you are working from home. It is important to create an office environment that is fun and inviting. You need to have an office at home that you want to visit on a regular basis. While you don’t want to be too distracted, having a fun home office can make it easier to get through a full workday on your own.
It is important to have breaks during your busy work schedule. Having planned breaks and activities you look forward to could be a great way for you to power through your long day while working from home.
Keep Your Home Office Professional
Even though you are working from home in a fun and relaxed environment, you need to make sure that you are keeping your home office professional. This is very important if you have clients who will be meeting you in your home office. Remember that even the way you dress will affect your level of productivity at home. While it may be tempting to wear pajamas to your at-home office, treat your workspace with professionalism by dressing appropriately.
You need to have a professional feel to your office that will keep you in a work mindset within your home. If you are just setting up a small table by your couch, you are not going to feel like you are in a professional working environment. Organization in your home office will help you feel like you have a much more professional workspace.
The Right Colors Can Make a Big Difference
It is important that you choose the right colors for your home office. Many times, individuals will think that a pure white office means that you are very professional. However, this is not always the case. A pure white office may seem too conservative and boring. You are working from home and you have the ability to really set the mood with your colors.
Darker colors can be great for home studios that would be used by musicians and artists. More vibrant colors could be great for a graphic designer or advertising specialist. Make sure that these colors represent you as an individual. There is nothing worse than working in a home office that doesn’t feel right for you.
These are just a few of the many different rules that you can follow when designing a home office that you actually want to use. If you have a home office that you can’t wait to be in, you are going to end up getting much more work done from home. Designing your home office can be a process that doesn’t happen quickly. The great thing about a home office is that you can keep adding to it over time.
Ready to make your home office work for you? Check out these resources: