Work From Home in an Organized Workspace Whether Remote or Occasional

If you are working from home, you are lucky! You may not even realize the opportunity you have to customize your workspace at home. Of course, recent TV shows, HGTV, and social media have revealed the goal for home offices. But those may be a bit out of reach for you at this time in your life. And that is precisely what this article is all about.

Ditch the corner of the kitchen table. 

Forget the card table in the bedroom. 

Set aside the couch and coffee table work area. 

And design a space that is both functional and inspirational!

Steps to An Ideal Workspace

If your home workspace looks a lot more like a junk drawer on a larger scale. Computers, sticky notes, pens, mail, bills, and more tend to pile up when you share your space with the household. And I am not sure about you, but I cannot be creative and inspired in a cluttered area.

• When you are in the kitchen, you think about preparing for dinner. 
• If you are in the bedroom, the TV or the bed may call you. 
• In the family room, you may have thoughts of the shoe pile at the door or the laundry that needs to be done.

Those are natural and normal thoughts. But that is also why it is critical to design the space for optimal productivity and creativity in your workspace.

So, here is what I came up with for getting that workspace where you need it, even if you are not an HGTV star.

Step One: Clear the Clutter

First and foremost, you must narrow down the clutter on your desk area and in the room. A real effective cleaning of the space you have chosen to work is a critical part of getting the room’s aesthetics where you need them to be.

“Today is the day you rid yourself of anything that distracts from your best life.”― Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home.

Start the cleanout with the walls and move to the surfaces. Don’t forget to look at the floors too. Remove anything that does not need to be in the workspace or the chosen room. And remember, you are working from home. There is no need for a bunch of personal items on your desk like there may be for someone working in a grey cubical. Then you can start to make it look and feel good.

Step Two: Gather the Tools You Need

Now that your desk area is clear and clean, you will need to fill it up again, right? Well, not exactly.

“The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don’t.”― Marie Kondo.

Keep the clutter to a minimum by only storing what you use each day in your workspace on your desk. If you only use a stapler for personal or weekend work, place it in the closet or on a shelf. Same with a hole punch or a container full of pens and pencils.

You need a computer, notepad, pen, pencil, and a mouse on the desk as a writer. Almost anything else can be on a shelf beside or behind your workspace. Configure your space accordingly.

Step Three: Organizational Tools

The walls in your space are a great place to post inspiration and schedules. On my corkboard, I have anything that inspires me and things that will come and go, like invitations and reminders. On my wall calendar, I have the schedule for the home’s functionality, b-days, and appointments. But in my planner is all of my work. The planner can get rather cluttered and messy. So, I have a planner that I can close when I do not want to look at it.

Pro-tip: When designing the space, use one or two colors to achieve a calmness to the area. If you are into black and white, make sure everything from your planner cover to the push pins on your board is the same colors. If you need a bit more color, that is great. But limit it to a neutral and a pop of color. And stay in those colors if you can for all you add to the area. It will set the place apart and help you stay focused.

Then ensure you have boxes to conceal “clutter” items, folders for paper stacks, and file boxes for documents that need storage.

Step Four: Add Some Comforts

With most people, some things bring focus and comfort throughout the day. If you love a comfy blanket in your chair, pick a new one that works and looks just right. Suppose you love to have a cup of hot tea on the desk. Provide that mug with a coaster, so it has a place. You can add things that make your workday feel like “you” as long as you don’t begin to take on clutter.

Step Five: Consider Your Backdrop

So many of us that enjoy working from home have been on Zoom or Skype calls this year. And if you are spending time each call making sure they do not see the clutter in the background, you are wasting time! That is why this is the perfect opportunity to clear out the background, add in something attractive to look at, and get your lighting just right.

Increase your productivity by being camera-ready!

Step Six: Declare Your Workspace at Home “In Business”

Now, this is a good one. If you are working from home and there are others in the house, there is a considerable chance their things could make their way into your space. JUST SAY NO! Let your family and roommates know that this is where you conduct business. All other business should go to the kitchen counter or wherever you deem the inbox for the home.

The New Norm is Your Workspace at Home

The most important thing when remote working or working from home is to be in a space where you can be productive and remain focused. Then, if the room provides what you need and inspires you, you have created the best work environment you can form the spot you have chosen in your home.

We don’t all have the luxury of an empty room in the house to capture, makeover, and create the most gorgeous leopard print and gold-trimmed office. And if you do, you aren’t reading this article for yourself. Haha!

When the new norm is working remotely from your home, embrace the convenience, and design the space accordingly. Only you know what works for you. And you deserve the best place you can give yourself to do the job you love!

Me… I love to vary my space up. Most of the time, I am at my desk. Sometimes I like to sit by the lake and work. Other times, I will go on the roof deck and sit in the breeze to be inspired and creative with my writing. Other times, the couch, a blanket, and my papillon do just right!

Comment and let me know what your space looks like when you are done with your workspace from home!