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| Photo by Elsa Noblet on Unsplash |
If you’re a hoarder like me, chances are you’d want to fill your home office with all the things you love to help “keep the creative juices flowing”. In my case it was books — because to write well I have to read a lot; notebooks — because writing on paper helps sometimes; more than 50 pens in different colors — since I write on paper sometimes; and every single cute or “functional” item I could think of — this means a variety of mugs and cups to hold my pens, fancy looking memo pads, cork boards, post-it notes, special paper, small decorations (for aesthetic purposes) and other things I deemed “necessary”. Can you imagine the first home office I designed? Yes, friends my first ever home office was a huge mess! The size of my home office wasn’t that large, so it resembled a too-cramped storage room that was left untouched for years. As months passed, it turned even more cluttered. It was also difficult to clean (given the large number of items I had and continued to buy). Soon, it was becoming hard to concentrate on work. Such was the struggle of a novice full-time WAH (working at home) freelancer. Designing your home office isn’t supposed to be rocket science, but I missed out on the basics and for that reason, I’m writing this article — as a reminder for me, and a sort of guide for newbies searching for tips in building their own creative space. Here are the basic things you (and I) should keep in mind when designing your home office:
1. Know Your Essentials
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| Photo by Laura Olsen on Unsplash |
What do you do? Are you a writer? A graphics designer? A programmer? What are the essential things you need to do your work?
List down the things you actually really need. For instance, I am a content writer/social media specialist/graphics designer and the things I need to do my work are the following:
- Laptop – of course!
- Notebook – to jot down ideas, reminders and my to-do list
- Mouse and a mouse pad
- Pen – so I can write on my notebook
- Table – to hold the items above
- A comfortable chair – this is a must for me. I sit for hours so my back and butt need all the support.
When designing your home office identify your essentials first. These are the things that you must have with you. Items that are not included in your essentials list are most likely not necessary for work which is why you should assess before you acquire.
2. Good Lighting
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| Photo by Pierre Châtel-Innocenti on Unsplash |
Lighting is important! They not only keep your eyes healthy, they also help improve productivity. Natural lighting is best, so if you have space in your home where you can bask in the natural light, then good for you! Transform that room into your home office! If not, then there is always artificial lighting — just choose the right one.
Studies show that warm lights promote comfort and relaxation while cold lights improve mood, alertness, and productivity. If you’re setting up lighting for your home office, then cold, blue-enriched light bulbs are best. Dim lights are certainly not good in office settings because they can cause eye strain and headaches. They can also result in a lack of focus and drowsiness.
3. Keep Plants Close
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| Photo by Gemma Evans on Unsplash |
You don’t really need a landscaped indoor garden, an indoor plant or two can help. Studies confirm that an increased exposure to nature reduces stress. Plants don’t just add aesthetic value to your home office, they also help improve air quality, productivity, and your overall wellness. Furthermore, staring at plants even for a few seconds can help refresh your mind and improve focus.
4. Choose Useful Furniture and Equipment
Do you really need an 8-feet shelf? Will a clicky mechanical keyboard improve your writing? Do you need a table with that many drawers?
Yes, browsing in a shop with all the things prettily arranged just makes you want to buy — this is of course what the shop is aiming for: profit. They lure us with colors, designs and lots of functionalities that we suddenly realize we desperately need in our life (even if you’ve lived for years doing fine without it). Before you decide on a purchase, ask yourself these three questions: first, “Do I really need this?”, second, “can I utilize its functionalities?” and third, “Will this piece make me a better writer, designer, programmer (or insert whatever your profession is)?
For example, you’re a graphics designer and you’re thinking of buying a new mechanical keyboard with clicky keys that give you a satisfying tchk tchk sound every time you press a button and colorful lights that blink and create pretty and wavy light patterns.
Ask yourself the three questions:
a.) Do I really need this?
A keyboard is essential for any computer. How else will you input characters? But do you really need it? Can you not work without it? Don’t you have one at home that you can use?
b.) Can I utilize its functionalities?
This can prompt for additional questions, like:
What is the tchk tchk sound for? Is it therapeutic?
Or
Do I really need the keyboard lights when I’ve pretty much memorized the keyboard key placement and I can type “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog near the bank of the river.” perfectly even with my eyes closed? AND I always work with the lights on anyway because staring at the screen for long hours in dim light is really bad for the eyes.
Or
Can I really appreciate the wavy light pattern? When I know for a fact that when I’m working, most of my attention is on my computer screen because I create graphics and not keyboard light patterns.
c.) Will this thing make me a better graphics designer?
If your answer to all three questions is yes, then, by all means, buy the thing! If not, well it’s your money. You decide what to do.
5. Beware of Extra Space
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| Photo by Paula Schmidt on Pexels |
How much space does your home office have? When you see an empty space, is your reaction A) Wow I have more space! So spacious! I can do yoga here. Or is it B) Wow I have more space! I can put another shelf or two (or a table or a piano) over here! If your reaction is the latter, then be mindful of your buying habits.
Sometimes, what pushes us to buy more unnecessary stuffs is the extra space that we have. People tend to have this sort of innate urge to fill up every extra space with things. For instance, you buy a shelf to fill the extra space. Then you realize the shelf you just bought is a bit empty and you need stuffs to fill it with. Then you buy more stuffs. After that you accumulate too many things and you need more space to store it, so you purchase a new shelf or an organizer and the cycle continues.
Every time you feel your hand itching to add something to your home office, remember item number four and ask the three questions.
Designing your home office doesn’t require an extensive knowledge in interior design. Simply remember the basics: less is more. This way, you can save money and boost your productivity by reducing distractions.
Do you have additional tips or ideas in designing your home office? Let us know in the comments.
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