The rise in home or hybrid working can help restore your work-life balance, you can make calls without office distractions, and you’ll save time and money on commuting. That’s all to say it can be a great alternative to office working but it does mean you need to carve out a space in your home to dedicate to work. Having a dedicated room you can shut the door on at the end of the day is ideal. This is because it will help you switch gears in your mind back to family or relaxation time when you’ve finished working and not blur the lines too much between work and home. Of course, not everyone has enough space to do this and there are still ways to create a tidy productive workspace in small areas.
Tips on Organising Home Workspaces
Whether you’re giving up a whole room to your office or not it’s easy to become cluttered. An office is already furnished with handy storage and has guidelines in place for filing, printing etc to prevent paperwork from piling up. When setting up your work area at home you’ll have to decide on your own guidelines or things could quickly get cluttered which will stop you from being productive. The first thing we’d suggest investing in is a sturdy cabinet or small shelving unit. This can house folders and files and give you a simple way to tidy at the end of the day. Making sure to leave the area clutter-free at the end of each working session will help you start the next day fresh and not get overwhelmed with paperwork which could happen quickly.
Next up, and equally important, it’s time to consider the desk. As we mentioned above, if you were working in an office, you’d have access to plenty of storage, so you need to create your own home office storage solutions. Choosing a desk that includes shelving or drawers provides you with more storage, but they don’t tend to be bigger than traditional desks, so you don’t lose valuable space. If you’re using part of an existing room in your house, you may not have room for a desk all the time though. In those cases, we’d recommend getting a bigger cabinet so you can clear off the whole desk at the end of each day and then investing in a collapsible desk. The larger cabinet or shelving unit won’t look out of place in the room and the desk can be hidden away until the next day. This is also a great solution if you work in an office part of the week, so you aren’t taking up space in your home with a desk that isn’t used every day.
The other thing to consider with a home office is that you’re only pleasing yourself. Offices tend to stick to neutral tones but at home, you don’t have to. If you feel like a bright patterned rug under your desk, go for it. Hang some plants from the ceiling for good airflow, paint your shelving unit red, with a home office, you have almost total freedom and isn’t that exciting?
Benefits of a Tidy Workspace
We’re sure you’ve heard the expression ‘tidy desk, tidy mind’. Well, it turns out it’s not just a phrase, it’s the truth. From a practical point of view, if you do not have to continually search for the paperwork or stationery you need, you’ll be more productive and able to give all your focus to your work. An organised work area has also been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress while working as it gives you a feeling of control over your office and as a result your work tasks. By following some of the home office storage ideas we here at Smart Office Furniture have laid out here you can help yourself have a calm, productive day at work in your newly organised home office.