Looking for ways to improve your work-from-home experience? Ditching the commute and spending the workday in your pajamas can be a dream for some, but it can be a bit of a challenge if your dedicated home office isn’t exactly up to par, but you have some home office ideas in mind.. Here are five simple ideas for improving your home office.
1. Declutter the Room
Everyone knows that a room full of clutter provides tons of distractions, which especially is a problem when you’re trying to get work done. Decluttering your home office is a very simple way to remove potential distractions and make your workspace a more pleasant place to be. Remove piles of paperwork and any other odds and ends that aren’t necessary for your workday. A few family photos and other decorative items are fine, but an office design that prioritizes minimalism often allows you to focus on getting your work done.
2. Perform a Deep Clean
Once you’ve decluttered your home office, you need to deep clean the room. Offices can collect a lot of dust, which is why it’s often best to wipe down and dust all the surfaces. It’s best to start high and work your way down – be sure to remove dust from crown molding, picture frames and all light fixtures. The single best thing you can do to freshen up your office space, though, is rug cleaning. Carpets can hold a lot of dirt, dust and grime, which not only makes the rug look bad but also has a negative effect on the air you breathe. It’s clear that getting your rugs clean improves the overall look of the room, and it’s good for your health, too.
3. Improve the Lighting
Good lighting in your home office reduces eye strain and headaches and besides, you don’t want to spend your workday feeling like you’re in a cave. In addition to an overhead light for all-over illumination, you should have a small lamp on your desk as a task light. You can also improve illumination throughout the room by painting the walls in a light color. White, cream or even a light warm gray are great options for a home office, making the room instantly brighter without breaking your budget.
4. Include Fun Artwork
Offices can be sterile and impersonal spaces, but it doesn’t have to be that way since you’re working from home. Use artwork in the design of the room to add a bit of personality and visual interest. Paintings, drawings or prints with warm colors like red, orange and yellow are great for stimulating the mind, while pieces that are dominated by cool colors including blue, green and purple can soothe you on those stressful days. If you spend most of your workday on a computer, you need to look away from the screen at least every twenty minutes. Art in the room provides your eyes with something pleasant to focus on when you need a break from the computer screen. As an added bonus, art helps you explore your imagination. Include artwork throughout the room to brighten your day and keep those creative juices flowing.
5. Incorporate Plant Life
Plants lend a calming vibe to any room of the house, including your home office. They add color, texture and visual interest to the design of the room, and they even work to purify the air. Since you’re picking indoor plants, you need to pay close attention to the sunlight and temperature conditions of each one that you choose. Ferns and spider plants are great choices for an office as they’re easy to care for and hard to kill. Plants like eucalyptus, spearmint or jasmine bring fresh color into the room as well as a pleasant scent.
Your home office has the potential to become a conducive space for working from home. By following the tips above and letting your own style be your guide, you’ll have a pleasant place to get the job done on every workday.
