According to the 2017 State of Telecommuting in the U.S. Employee Workforce, “between 2005 and 2015, the number of U.S. workers who do at least 50% of their work either at home or some location other than their office grew by 115%.”
Whether you work from home full- or part-time, or simply need a space to pursue your side hustle, having an efficient and stylish home office where you love getting things done can be truly life-changing!
Too many home offices consist of hand-me-down, used office furniture and lack inspiration – an old desk, computer, and spare folding chair . . . all jammed into some random corner in a room where it’s least inconvenient. And spare folding chairs in random corners don’t add up to a very enjoyable, or efficient, home office for the most part.
In order to maximize its value (i.e., your productivity), your home office should be one of the focal points of your live / work space. You don’t need a lot of room to accomplish this. A little creative thinking and personal taste go a long way.
At its core, your home office should accomplish two things at all times:
- Enable you to execute at optimal efficiency.
- Enable you to maintain supreme comfortability.
In an ideal scenario, we’d like to add a third:
- It achieves all of the above with a great deal of style that compliments you.
This is perhaps the best part! Having a home office means you have the freedom to stage everything exactly as you want. That’s right. You call the shots here!
Use these 5 Home Office #ProTips to help create your very own personalized HQ with plenty of style to spare.
1. A Dedicated Workplace
Two words: absolutely essential. If you have a room to spare, do it, and be done with it. You’ll have plenty of space to work with, and your office decor ideas and organization options are virtually endless.
If this applies to you, consider yourself lucky, and commence with creating a massively-inspiring home office space at once! Dedicating a single room as your home office can in itself go a long way toward having the ideal marriage of productivity and style.
With this setup, you’ll have:
- plenty of room to decorate.
- plenty of wall space for bookshelves, office supply storage, and motivational art.
- plenty of privacy so you can execute to the fullest.
If space is limited, no problem! Simply utilize space-friendly options such as a living room or dining room wall, or transform a nook to accommodate a streamlined laptop + small office desk setup. You can maybe even use a floating shelf or two, if necessary.
What’s more, you can easily broaden the feel of your small home office space with a few key pieces of modern office decor, including small paintings with neutral palettes or a small desk lamp or plant, which we’ll cover in a moment.
2. A Comfortable Chair
When it comes to choosing your home office chair, this isn’t the time to skimp, my friend. Nope, not in the slightest. Now, we don’t necessarily condone parting with a small fortune during your decision, but home office chairs are probably the single most important component of your setup when it comes to your comfort, and, consequently, your productivity.
You’ll spend countless hours in your home office, and choosing the wrong chair can sabotage the entire experience on a daily basis; not to mention your health. Comfortability and productivity compliment each other well, so find a chair that allows you to stay comfortable so you can focus solely on the business at hand.
3. The Right Desk
Care to take a guess at what the second most important element of your home office might be? That’s right, it’s your desk.
Choosing the right home office desk for your space is absolutely critical as well. Not just for personal style and taste, but also for workflow.
Here are a few important factors to consider before buying your incredible home office desk:
- How much desktop space will you need?
- Do you want something minimal or more traditional for your space?
- How about rustic v. modern? If you have hardwood floors, a matching wooden rustic desk could be a little overkill.
- Drawers or no drawers?
- Multi-tiered or flat top?
- Maybe you’d like an L-shaped desk or a height-adjustable / standing desk?
Whatever your personal preference, weigh your options carefully. Choose based not just on your current workflow needs, but also where you may scale in one or two years – for example, you may need more storage at that point. As they say, live for today while planning for tomorrow!
Likewise, find a desk that inspires you to sit down and get things done. Pick a desk that aligns with your personal aesthetic and taste, and make sure it suits the rest of your home office decor well.
4. Multiple Monitors
First off, if you don’t need multiple monitors, we don’t recommend them. They can be bulky and take up prime desk real estate.
However, depending on your business and workflow, multiple monitors may be exactly what you need!
They can open up levels of productivity that can be hard to find otherwise. Having just one additional monitor can increase your ability to multitask and expand the scope of your work immensely. If you’re primarily a laptop user, a simple external monitor can work wonders as well.
Even though extra monitors occupy a little more space, they can more than compensate for it in efficiency. What’s the point of having all that space if your workflow takes a hit?
5. Natural Light and Green Plants
Last on the list, but far from least, shed some light and life into your home office. Natural light and green plants can do wonders to increase your productivity and add much-needed vibe to your home office space.
According to eco-business.com, studies show that workers in offices with natural elements, such as greenery, were found to be 15% more creative on average. Further, decorating your home office with these 5 Best Office Plants to Boost Productivity will not only enhance your creativity, but also give off a totally natural and modern style.
Your home office isn’t just another space in your home. It’s where you maximize your creativity and output in pursuit of your dreams. With the right decor, it’s an area that can grant you optimal peace and focus, so that you can realize your dreams, one day at a time.
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