Having a beautiful and organized home office is a necessity in the modern professional world. Indeed, it’s is the best way to keep your work life separate from the busy distractions of home. Firstly, being able to get work done productively at home takes the right mindset. Secondly, the right office setup is key to achieving this. Furthermore, if you have a home office, but space seems limited or your workspace seems chaotic, it might be time to change your layout. Finally, the million dollar question. How do you design a room that maximizes productivity and enhances your workflow?
Designing a productive and organized home office can be easy as long as you have a plan and create a layout that works for you. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about designing a home office that will maximize your comfort, efficiency, and productivity.
The Planning Stage
To get started creating a plan for your home office, you’ll want to start by making to-do lists and establishing what you need to get current projects done. You’ll also have to consider what you need to buy, your budget, and how you want to design your new workspace.
The first thing on your to-do list should be to get rid of the clutter in your current workspace. The second is to plan on organizing everything you need to be successful in your workspace, such as files and office supplies. Both decluttering and organizing your office will increase productivity.
Before you put in the work to declutter and organize your home office, create shopping lists for the new supplies, furniture, office equipment, décor, and other office essentials you need to make it as productive and efficient as possible.
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Will you need new furniture? Do you need a new desk or desk organization ideas?
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What supplies and home office products do you need to work more effectively and efficiently?
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Will you be redesigning your current workspace? Try to match the new design to the entire house and work on creating the layout that will help you be as productive as possible.
Decide what you need for your new home office and how much each item will cost. Making an itemized list with the prices next to each item can help you stay organized and also help you stay within the budget. Once you have the budget finished, create a shopping list and jot down all the items you’ll need to make your small office a better, more organized, and more productive workspace.
Declutter your Workspace
Your workspace needs to be decluttered and organized before you start redesigning it. Some of the best ways to declutter your home office are:
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Take a photo of your current office and decide how you want to organize it. This will also help you create a layout of how you want your new office to look.
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Sort through all your files, papers, pens, and other items. Set aside the things you want to keep and make a pile to put in the trash. Also decide on the furniture, décor, and other items you want to keep or toss.
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Keep your cables and cords organized with a cable management sleeve, cable clips, cord twist-ties, or heavy-duty cord bundling straps to save surface area for other uses.
Organize your Home Office
Once you’ve decluttered, organize your workspace by using creative storage techniques. Vertical storage space is a great way to eliminate clutter, keep your office organized, and declutter.
Shelves can maximize space and keep the room organized. Floating shelves are perfect for a smaller home office because they take up less space. Any additional capacity you can add to your work space will keep things orderly.
Some other ideas to organize your home office and keep it clutter free are:
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Use desk drawer organizers for storage to keep it clutter-free.
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Use empty wall space as much as you can. Try to hang wall hooks or wall shelves next to your desk and hang anything you use daily for easy access. Get creative with your wall space and use it to remember important dates with a calendar.
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Place a magazine rack on your desk.
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Buy matching permanent storage container bins and place them on your bookshelf or an organizational cubby.
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Open shelving can be used to keep office supplies off your desk and help you to utilize wall space.
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Take advantage of your closet. If you have a closet, use the vertical space within it to store a filing cabinet, paperwork you rarely use, or old tax returns.
It’s important to utilize the space you already have in your office, for instance, a wall or the drawers your desk provides. It doesn’t matter how you organize everything, as long as you find a proper place for your important files, paperwork, and documents, and the placement of everything makes sense to you.
Desk Organization Ideas
The easiest way to keep your home office organized is to focus on the main feature of your workspace, your desk. Keeping your desk free from supplies or at least keeping your supplies in order can eliminate some of the worst clutter. Some other desk and organization ideas are:
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Maximize desk space by organizing essentials like pens, paper, sticky notes, paper clips, and other supplies. Place these items in pen holders or get yourself an office organization set. Desk organization sets typically come with a supplies caddy, mail organizer, phone holder, paper clip holder, sticky note holder, and pencil or pen holder.
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Build an organized filing system. Use your desk drawers, cabinets, and other storage to keep papers, files, and other supplies off your desk and to maximize desk space and office organization.
Office Organization Ideas
Design an organizational system using wall space, floating shelves, vertical space, filing cabinets, and bookshelves. You can find additional storage in your home office with different wall storage solutions.
Increase storage by keeping your files and papers in a filing cabinet, a desk organizer tray, or a desk file compartment. A filing cabinet is a great use of storage space and can be placed virtually anywhere if you need to save room.
Take advantage of the space your desk provides. Use the drawers you already have or purchase a new desk with drawers, shelves, and extra storage. If you don’t plan on buying a new desk, consider buying other paper storage solutions.
Creating a Layout
After implementing your plan, decluttering, and organizing, you’ll need to create a layout for your new home office. The possibilities for a home office layout are endless, so think like an interior designer and take your time to decide what works best for you.
Place a bookshelf next to your desk if you need to access books or other materials frequently. This will increase efficiency and help you maximize productivity. Purchase office furniture that maximizes space and increases productivity in small spaces.
Maximizing Productivity
By choosing certain hues and painting your walls those colors, adding décor to enhance the aesthetics of your home office, investing in different gadgets and technology, and increasing the lighting, you can maximize productivity. This will help you get work done faster and feel better while you are doing it.
Colors
Choose paint colors that can increase productivity in your home office. Some colors that evoke feelings of productivity are blue, yellow, orange, and certain shades of green.
Blue is a versatile color that can have both calming and energizing properties. Gray is also a great color to paint your home office, as it is a neutral color that can eliminate distractions. You can also go with green and decorate your office with natural wood accents to enhance the natural, holistic feel of the color.
Décor
Add décor that’ll keep your mind fresh and your spirit calm. Hang inspirational quotes that’ll get you through a long workday on sticky notes, add boosts of color to the wall, and touches of life like potted plants to your workspace to project an energetic atmosphere and lower stress. To create a studious home office with an air of class, try adding a globe, matching bins, maps, or a few vintage pieces.
Lighting
The right lighting in home offices can stimulate the mind and increase productivity. Try adding extra lights to your room to maximize productivity and put yourself in a better mood while working. However, natural light is always best so consider putting your desk next to a window that can provide it.
For nighttime or if you don’t have a window, add a desk lamp to your office desk and a floor lamp on either side of your workspace. You can also make simple changes to the lighting by replacing your lightbulbs.
Technology
Invest in technology that’ll make working easier and more efficient. Consider a blue light filter to help your eyes and improve your mood while looking at your computer screen. Also, consider ways you can increase productivity through the use of double duty software or gadgets.
Gadgets
Purchase new high-tech devices for your home office. Some recommended gadgets that enhance productivity are an ultra-wide computer monitor, multi-port adaptor, portable scanner, tablet, a faster Wi-Fi router, and accompanying cables or rechargeable batteries. These gadgets can help you reduce clutter, take your office organization to the next level, and use less paper.
Designing Your New Office Space
Now that you’ve planned, decluttered, organized, and created a layout, it’s finally time to start designing your new office and hit the store. At this point, you should pull out your plan and see what you’ve jotted down on paper for the interior design of your new room.
The layout of your new home office is key. Revert to your plan and see how you want to set up your desk space and workspace. Placing the desk in the middle of your home office could help make work easier as you can access your open shelving, cabinet, and other essential items better.
Home Office Desk
The best desks have built-in cabinets, drawers, and extra room to help you stay organized. Choose one that will maximize productivity but won’t break the bank or take up too much space. Having a spacious workspace and office organization skills are directly related to keeping you from feeling overwhelmed.
If you work long hours, have a home business, or work remotely, and prefer to stay active, try a standing desk. This will help with ergonomics and comfort, allowing you to work harder and focus longer while feeling better.
Home Office Chairs
After your desk, the chair is the most important part of creating a comfortable office that you enjoy being in. The key to choosing the best home office chair is to pick one that is comfortable and accommodates your work style. If you own a home business or work remotely, choose an ergonomic office chair or add extra cushioning.
The Key to Success
In the fast-paced modern world, a nicely organized home office is an essential component of success. With more and more workers working from home, you need to be able to depend on it when you need productivity.
The best way to do this is to follow these steps and decide carefully on how you want to organize your office. If you need help, start at the beginning and contact an office furniture retailer today and they will be happy to help you!
