Your home office is more than a place to get some work done. It is an extension of your personality, the connection of your work life and your home life as you do your work at home. Designing your home office to fit your personality is a wonderful opportunity, and it can turn the whole experience into a joyful one. Here are 10 tips of how to make your home office more yours.
1. Lighting the Home Office Properly and Innovatively
Having great lighting in your home office is essential. Poorly lit rooms can strain your eyes while doing computer work or paperwork, causing headaches and eye irritation.
One solution is to make sure your home office lets in plenty of natural light during proper times of the day. Orient your room so that the window(s) let in light at the right angle, ideally not straight on so that it blinds you, and not from behind as it can cause massive glare on your monitor.
When natural light fails as happens for those of who burn the midnight oil, there is much you can do besides simple lamps. Desktop lamps take up far too much space and can cramp your office around you. Ceiling lighting is a good option of course, but make sure strong direct lighting is not accosting your monitor to cause glare.
Another option to consider are LED lights. These are great for their versatility and flexibility. They are dimmable, and can be utilized in many ways such as in ropes about your desk, monitor, or around the room. There are questions about the health effects on your eyes of excessive LED lighting, so make sure to not go crazy with it. A little here and there will be harmless though.
2. Keep your Work Space Inspirational
Nothing keeps your work productive like a bit of inspiration throughout the day. There are many ways to employ this mindset in your home office. Many cubicle workers keep a few sticker notes of motivations around their monitor or desk. Sometimes, a Bible verse keeps the hopeful positive mindset going. Sometimes, a quote from a favorite movie or book or speaker can do wonders to keep you hopeful and productive.
In a home office though, you can make things as opaque as possible. Instead of a sticker note, nail inspirational art, possibly still of those favorite quotes, to the wall. Make your inspiration artistic so that it draws your eye even more during a difficult day and calms you with beauty and peace.
3. Knick Knacks and Keepsakes
More than inspirational quotes and are can keep you going throughout the day. Bring your life into your work. This is one of the reasons you began using a home office, right? Keep those photos of your family around to keep you happy and motivated to provide for them and make them proud.
Have something besides a photo that can you make you happy during the day? Maybe a likeness of a favorite fictional character will keep you happy during a busy day. Personally, I find peace from some flowing water in a little desktop fountain for some audio peace.
4. Painting and Wallpaper
Designing your home office with some style is a great plan for keeping your mood in shape. There is no perfect color for everyone, of course. Some different people may prefer bright, energetic colors like yellows and oranges to keep them gleeful and motivated throughout the day. Some workers may prefer the calmness of cool greens and blues and light greys to keep their emotions in check. Wallpaper may be nice for a little extra design, and there can be calming benefits to that in your peripheral vision, but make sure not to pick something too distracting of course.
When making sure the job is done with quality if you intend on doing it yourself, take the time to research and do it right. If you are doing wallpaper, make sure you pick quality product. This does not mean the most expensive product, but if it is not packaged well, it might not have been manufactured well. When using adhesive to stick the wallpaper, too much makes it terrible, and too little makes a disaster.
Painting also takes time and diligence to make sure you do it correctly, but if you are taking on the endeavor yourself, there a few rules to follow. Always begin with plenty of quality painter’s tape, and make sure the tape does not leave a residue on the walls. Cover the floors with newspaper and get everything out of the way, then make sure to prime the walls and clean them before you begin painting.
5. Window Dressing
Always design your home office with the windows in mind. Do you like to look out the window now and then as you work? Put your desk right in front of it. Make sure not to put the window directly behind your desk as well if you intend let the light shine in, as the glare will be a major issue on the monitor.
Another important thing to consider is the windows themselves. Having thick windows with multiple panes reduces noise filtering through them, and it can protect them better from harsh sunlight damage in hot environments.
6. Keep the Sun and the Noise Out
Does the sunlight from outside bother you at certain times of the day? Perhaps, some good blackout curtains can help with this, and they have the added benefit of noise reduction.
A bit of work on soundproofing your home office can hugely cut down on distractions to increase productivity. Sealing holes in the drywall and sealing your door are good first steps. For more tips on how to keep distractions out, check out article on How to Soundproof your Home Office .
7. The Benefit of Noisemakers on your Home Office
While silence is helpful to getting some work done, for some of us, a bit of consistent noise can be helpful. Noisemakers have many benefits especially for workers who struggle with ADHD or anyone who struggles with concentration. Whether it is the soft crashing of ocean waves, trickling water, a whirring fan, or anything else, a soft, consistent sound can help you focus much in the same way music can perhaps without itself being a distraction.
8. Adding Aroma for Productivity
Aromatherapy has long been researched for excellent health benefits. One such benefit can be increased focus and concentration to help with your productivity. Lemon, cypress, and peppermint are all thought to have benefits to focus when you smell them. Consider candles or incense to burn when you have a particularly difficult task to get through without losing focus.
9. Make Use of Wall Space
Wall space in your home office is a commodity than you likely have plenty of, but use little of. Why keep everything in drawers or strewn about your desk? Hang some file organizers and cork boards on the wall, and use those to keep your immediate vicinity clear of too many documents, reminders, and hardware. The more things you can hang on walls, the less you have to find space for in that overcrowded desk drawer you can’t find a pen in.
10. Make your Home Office Truly Yours
Your home office needs that personal touch more than it needs any design. Keep the oddities that others might ask questions about. If it starts a fun conversation or brings up a good story, that only makes it better. If it makes you happy throughout the day, it is a great addition to your home office no matter how large or small. Just remember the most important part of a home office is the work you do in it, so whatever it is, make sure it keeps you productive.