Setting Up Your Home Office

What is a home office really?! Is it a room; with a door, or is it a kitchen island, an arts and crafts room.. is it shared with your kids? Setting up a home office looks uniquely different for everyone. Odds are your home office does not look anything like the ones you see on Pinterest, or Instagram.. Mine either!

I’m here to let you know that is OKAY!

A global pandemic is undoubtedly going to bring a sense of disruption into our lives. With the world changing at such a rapid pace, many of us have been forced to work in the confinements of our home, never having done so prior.

Working from home may have once sounded like a dream, but adjusting and trying to find your grove can be a bit of a nightmare!

Many of us are learning how to do our day-to-day work from home… this might even include juggling our workload with our kids running around as schools and day cares have closed, or sharing a work space with your spouse. Simply put, we are all navigating a new ‘norm’ and that is often much easier said and done!

Related Read: Implementing New Habits

Here are some helpful tricks that will make setting up your home office a rewarding experience verses just another task on the to do list!

Creating a work space or a ‘home office’ that you enjoy being at can make the biggest difference. I can immediately tell the difference! Your working space has a rather large impact on not only your physical sense of wellbeing, but also your mental state.

Read more on the science behind it..

Set up your working space with that in mind, this is not only your place of work; it is your place of productivity, and creativity.

Find A Space YOUR Space

Important things to keep in mind when scouting out your perfect working space.

• Lighting (Ideally Natural Light)
  • Being able to look out a window and enjoy the sunshine and some fresh air can impact your general mood and all around productivity. Especially when it is nice out and you need to get your to do list done before you can go and enjoy it!
  • Grab a lamp to help light up your working station if you don’t have access to natural light. Having the right lighting will put less strain on your eyes and can prevent headaches and migraines.
• SPACE
  • Try and find an area that gives you enough space for your electronics along with any note books or documents you may need to have out. Ideally with a bit of room to spare!
• Outlets
  • You are likely reliant upon technology if you are working from home, meaning you will need to have enough outlets within reach to plug in your computer, lamps, phones, tablets, etc.
  • If you do not have enough outlets near your ideal working space try and find some extension cords to help make this happen. Do your best to find something with surge protection.

Setting Up Your Space

You may already have a desk at home, or maybe the only space available to you is the kitchen table, or in a spare room on a folding table.

Whatever is available to you:

• Find a piece of furniture that can act as a desk.
  • You will want this to be an appropriate height in accordance to where you plan to sit or stand.
• Find a comfortable seat
  • Ergonomically planning your set up is crucial in creating a comfortable working space that you enjoy!
• Set up your technology
  • Do what you can to tuck your cords out of the way to offer as much working space as you can.
• Get all the stationary that you need
  • Who doesn’t love stationary! That’s why we steal it from our offices right.. oh right.. shh!
• Grab some pictures, or items that mean something to you.
  • When you place something within your line of vision that brings a smile to your face; can really help to lighten your mood all day long just by being there.
  • *Bonus: If you have restless young kids, I bet that they would be more than happy to draw/paint pictures for your work space. Keeping them occupied for, what.. 3 minutes haha!
• Greenery
  • There are many reasons to love plants, but the benefits they bring in our work spaces speaks for itself: Benefits of having plants in your office
    • Reduced stress
    • Increased productivity
    • Reduced illness
    • Cleaner air
    • Reduced noise levels
    • Boosted creativity

Make It Your Own!

There is no doubt that where and how you spend your time shapes who you are as a person! Make your working space a reflection of who you are, something that complements your unique working style.

Wherever and however you set up your home office, do it with your best interest in mind!

In this world the only constant in all of this is YOU!

Take care of yourself.

Stay safe, stay well.

I would love to see your home office set up, post a picture, tag me in it, send it to me in an email!

Or leave a comment below on something you added to your ‘home office’ that might be inspiring to others!