Businesswomen who work from home know both advantages and downsides of such work. Cutting down costs on renting office space is one of the major benefits. However, most people forget about one of the greatest ones: the ability to set up your office just the way you like it. Don’t feel forced to follow dull design tips – your office should reflect your tastes, your personality, and motivate you to do some hard work and enjoy it. You deserve a beautiful, functional and creative oasis where you can boost your business and feel at home. Regardless of your personal style, there are some rules to consider – those that will enhance your productivity and make you enjoy every minute of your work.
1. Making yourself comfortable
When I say that you need to be comfortable in your office, I mean it in the most literal sense. Modern furniture needs to be both beautiful and comfortable, bringing together form and function. Naturally, the chair is the place where you’ll be spending the most of your work hours – so don’t be stingy when going for a shopping. Investing in luxurious, ergonomic chair is the step one in setting up any home office. If you can’t wait to get out of the chair – maybe the chair (and the job) are not right for you. Find the one that is properly padded and has an adjustable backrest so your back doesn’t suffer. Make sure that you’re really making use of it – sit in it properly and let the top third of computer monitor be above your eye level. The keyboard needs to be placed so your forearms are parallel to the floor.
2. Let the sunshine in
Men’s caves aren’t called “caves” for nothing! When setting up your home office, don’t shy away from natural light. Having lots of natural light in the room does require some regular dusting, but the benefits are countless. Believe it or not, this is one of the most important factors – natural light will boost your energy and motivation for work and it does wonders for your health. If you place your desk in a dark corner and create a real corporate cubicle, you can’t expect to be thrilled with your work. You can place the desk against the wall, but next to windows or balcony doors. This way, you’ll get lots of natural light and you’ll be able to set aside some time for yourself and rest by looking at the scenery.
3. The office jungle
The color green is the one that certainly makes us a lot happier. We are often disconnected from nature by staring into all that concrete and glass. So, getting back in touch with nature, at least through your home plants, will be beneficial for both your health and spirits. If you’re one of those who don’t have plants because they don’t want to bother with maintenance, here are some really cool office plants that can survive a little bit of negligence.They will endure not being watered for a day or two, and they’ll beautify your office as few decorations can. Make sure that you get both plants that need sunlight as well as those you can grow in luminescent light, such as bromeliads.
4. Creative storage options
There’s one great way to personalize your office and turn it into a cleverly hidden storage room. For some people, “organizing” means getting rid of 90 percent of the stuff we have. Well, there’s a way to eat your cake and have it too. There are numerous ways to put all things that you need within a hand’s reach, do it in a creative and cheap way, declutter your office space and make it more functional. On the internet, you’ll find awesome DIY ideasfor making both decorative and practical storage solutions. Use an old shutter to store your letters and papers and repurpose mason jars to make them pencil and paper clip holders.
5. Finding a perfect lighting
When setting up a home office, most women will focus on necessities: chair, desk, and storage options. I mentioned natural light, but what about the lighting? Unfortunately, not every day will be sunny and we need to be working in winter months and during nighttime as well. How to choose a lighting that’s suitable for your office? If possible, mix table, floor and lighting. Your floor and table lamps don’t need to match in colors and feel free to experiment. However, make sure that they fit the surroundings in style. One example: a huge, statement floor lamp won’t be a great match for a small and “ordinary” armchair.
