Ways to Boost Productivity by Giving Your Home Office a Makeover
After a difficult 18 months, many of us are looking for ways to emerge from our home office cocoons. Maybe you’re heading back to the office or working from home indefinitely — part of a growing breed of hybrid workers who will work partially remote and partially in the office. Either way, it’s likely your home office needs a reboot, and this is the perfect time to make it. Who knows? You may even be able to get a little home appraisal value boost from your efforts!
Here are some tips on how to revamp your home office:
Clean It Out
Home offices tend to be catch-all spaces, and when you start getting cluttered, you can feel disorganized and stressed. Go through all of your files and papers, stacks of miscellaneous notes, and project folders, and create an organized system. Shred and recycle outdated and unnecessary paperwork, and create individual labeled files for work and home.
If possible, move non-work-related things to a different location. For example, if your printer is still sitting on a box of holiday decorations or you’re looking at bags of clothes for donation, it’s time to make space in the garage, basement, or attic for that overage.
Clean It Up
Do a deep clean of your office to really refresh your space. Dust all surfaces, wash windows, steam clean the carpet if necessary, and take a can of pressurized air to the nooks and crannies of electronics, like keyboards. If you’re still working in the “random cords and wires everywhere” phase from early on in the pandemic when you went to remote work overnight, tidy it all up. If you have space to rearrange things, try out different room configurations to give yourself a fresh perspective.
What Do You Need?
If you’ve been working in your home office for a while, you’ve likely said, more than once, “I really wish I had…” Maybe your desk chair is uncomfortable, you don’t have great lighting, or you could really use a big whiteboard to track projects and meetings. Maybe you need some shelving or cabinets to store materials and free up desk space. Sometimes, buying colorful storage bins can help keep things organized and within reach without feeling like you’re overwhelmed with “work stuff” out in the open all the time.
This is a good time to assess what your office needs now and in the future. Time magazine points out that even small things, like adding an air purifier, incorporating a lumbar pillow, or even raising your monitor a few inches, can make a difference.
Make It Beautiful
The pandemic has taught us there’s a real upside to making your living space and your workspace comfortable, functional, and appealing. Look for ways to beautify your office space and make it a serene environment. For instance, MyMove explains that wall art offers an opportunity to add creative flair, whether it’s through photography, typography pieces or even art prints. Also consider adding live plants, a beautiful lamp, or a serenity fountain to give you a little ambient sound.
Home offices are often utilitarian workspaces, but they don’t have to be. Consider them little sanctuaries that can be functional, as well as beautiful.
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