This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
How to create the perfect home office in 5 easy steps
Creating the perfect home office, especially during corona, is something new for a lot of us but can easily be done in 5 steps.
More and more people are working from home nowadays so having the right workspace becomes increasingly important. Anyone can work from their dining table, sitting on the sofa or in a cafe, but creating the right conditions is essential to getting shit done.
Save This Post To Pinterest To Read It Later!
Ready to take your travel photos to the next level?
Grab my photography E-Book and never take blurry or crooked photos ever again!
Step 1: Pick the right space to work
Designate an area of your home to be the office. Work there and nowhere else to keep you focused and create work and non-work areas in your home.
Here it’s important to choose the right area to work in, with good lighting and ergonomic seating, e.g. by the window or at the dining table. If you can’t use the dining table, or don’t have one, get a laptop table or laptop support cushion to work from the sofa or bed. I wouldn’t recommend that for all-day working though.
Tip: the living room and dining area make the best workspaces. A bonus is having a spare room to turn into a complete office. I wouldn’t recommend creating a workspace in your bedroom or hallway; the bedroom should be a calm and relaxing space to re-charge, and the hallway is usually a high-traffic area already which is quite distracting if you want to work efficiently.
Step 2: Set the Base
There are 4 basics for every workspace: a desk, the right chair, storage, and lighting.
The size of the desk depends on the space you have and how many people are using the workspace. For smaller spaces, or spaces with other activities, like a living room, a combination of storage and desk can be a good option.
Place the desk by a window to get as much natural light as possible. If you can’t, make sure to pick good functional, meaning focused, lighting (e.g. desk lamp or USB lamp that can be plugged into your computer or laptop, like this one).
- Tip: If you’re creating a permanent home office, I’d recommend picking a height adjustable desk, which is more ergonomic, so you can choose between working sitting down or standing up.
Pick a chair that’s ergonomic, with a backrest that supports a good posture. Cushioned seating is key if you’re working long hours. The perfect chair for your home office should have adjustable seat height and backrest, and be on wheels to easily move around.
Storage close to the desk makes working more efficient. The ideal position for storage connected to what you’re working on is behind the desk, so you can easily turn around and grab what you need. For smaller storage the perfect place is under the desk.
Step 3: Organization is key
If you don’t have a big space and need to use areas for multiple purposes (e.g. dining table becomes desk), use easy to move furniture and accessories to clear away when done working. Small trolleys for stationary etc, desk organizers for pens, cables etc.
It’s easy to say “I won’t need organizers, all my paperwork and stuff is digital and on my computer.” But there are still many things that aren’t that are easy to forget, like notebooks, pens, paper clips, charging cables..just to name a few. So the right organizers, inside your storage and on top of your desk, are important. Depending on what kind of desk you choose, a lot of them have interior organizers that are designed to fit perfectly.
Step 4: Show some personality
As we said in Step 1, you should pick a specific area to be your workspace.
But that doesn’t mean this space can’t be personal, remember: it’s still your home, after all, not some corporate office.
Showing your personality in your workspace can be motivating. Whether it’s choosing your favorite colors for your desk accessories, or putting up a picture with an inspiring quote, is up to you.
Step 5: Set a work routine
Having the perfect home office is only half the battle. You still have to get shit done, even in the comfort of your own home.
So setting yourself a routine, including start and end times of your workday, and breaks throughout the day, is important. Have a calendar with important deadlines and a daily to-do list in your workspace for an overview of what needs to get done, and when.
Save the checklist to create the perfect home office in those 5 easy steps.
If you’re using it to create your perfect workspace at home, I’d love to see pictures and hear if this guide was helpful for you. Tag me on Instagram @haveyoutriedtraveling so I can see what you created!
MORE cool GUIDES
Shop
Hi, I’m Nadine
Part-time traveler with full-time wanderlust.
I explore the world one weekend and one vacation at a time and share my experiences, travel and photography tips, and food recs on this blog.
I believe the answer to (almost) any question is traveling.
Have you tried it?
Follow my adventures