Home offices are as individual and varied as the people who work in them. They come in all sizes, shapes, colors, degrees of privacy, and ability to control noise and interruptions. What works for some can be completely nonfunctional for others.
© Olesya Kuznetsova / Shutterstock.comIf you’re fortunate enough to have a dedicated office space in your home, good for you! But if your home office is in your basement without natural light and with terrible Wi-Fi reception, you may need to rethink where to work each day.
How to pick the best room
When you’re finding a place for your home office, you’ll want to consider factors such as location, lighting, the amount of space, and the level of privacy.A separate room in your home is not required to get work done. So, as you read through the following sections, consider all your options to find the spot in your home that meets your needs, whether that’s a spare bedroom or a corner of your living room.
When you’re choosing a place for your home office, consider the following factors:- Location: Consider the type of work you do and the equipment you need. If you’re a graphic designer, you may require a design table, along with a desk for your computer. If you’re a consultant, you’ll most likely need space for filing cabinets, shelves for books, and possibly a seating area to meet with clients.
Try to find a space in your home that provides some quiet and privacy (for example, when you’re having an important meeting). Ideally, your home office will have a door so you can block out distractions and noise, have phone and video calls, and effectively separate your workspace from your home space. If you don’t have a separate room to dedicate to your home office, try to find a place that’s removed enough from the main living space that you can get some quiet when you need it (maybe by asking your housemates to go in another room for short periods of time).
Whether you have a door or not, choosing a dedicated location to get work done will set a boundary for housemates, letting them know that when you’re there, you’re working and you may not be available.
- Light: There are many reasons to consider lighting in the early stages of your workspace planning. Having enough light is necessary to reduce eye strain, headaches, drowsiness, fatigue, and depression.
Whenever possible, try to get light from natural light sources (sunlight streaming through a window) as opposed to artificial ones (a lamp). The benefits of natural light include alertness and an overall sense of well-being. And where there’s natural light, there is likely to be a view of the outdoors. Turning away from your computer every few minutes and looking outside can create a moment of mindfulness and peace. This simple strategy can affect your overall productivity and motivation. It doesn’t take much natural light to fill a small space and elevate your mood.
Even if your workspace gets plenty of natural light during the day, you’ll need to add a light source to have enough light for winter months and evenings. Be sure to keep supplemental lighting indirect and avoid working under the direct glare of overhead lights. Use lampshades to soften and diffuse the light.
Floor lamps can provide a lot of light but also take up coveted space in small areas and can make it feel cramped. Consider hanging pendant lights to keep the light source off the ground and free up valuable space.
- Wi-Fi: Having access to a strong, reliable Internet connection is essential for home-based workers. Before you settle on your workspace, make sure you can get online and stay online consistently throughout your workday.
Choosing a space that’s close to your router can help provide a stronger Wi-Fi connection.
- Electrical outlets: You need power outlets near your workspace to plug in a computer, printer, lighting, phone charger, and potentially a router or a wireless booster. Consider whether you’ll be doing a lot of video calls and test out a mock call in potential workspace areas of your house to see how it looks. A plain wall that isn’t too distracting is a good backdrop, and proper lighting will make the video quality better, too.
Don’t worry if your workspace isn’t ideal. You don’t need a soundproof home office. Ask yourself the following questions before randomly choosing your workspace. You don’t want to set up shop in one area of the home only to have to move to another spot if it’s not working for you.
- What is the regular work that you’ll be doing and how much space do you need to spread out?
- Where is your router? If you can’t set up your workspace near your router, can you get a booster if your router isn’t close by?
- Will you need some type of room divider to separate your workspace from your personal space?
- Where is the natural light best in your home?
- Are there enough electrical outlets for all your gadgets and a surge protector?
- Is the workspace quiet or can it be if necessary?
- Is there enough room for necessary equipment like a computer, printer, storage, shelves, chair, desk, monitor, and/or paper shredder?
- Is the background acceptable for video calls and meetings with clients?
Create an effective home office layout
Your home office may need to fit into a small or unique space or even share space with another room in your house, like a living room, dining room, or bedroom. This can absolutely work for you! By getting creative with space, form, and function, you can create an optimal home office space that is effective and allows you to be productive during the workday.Using the space you have
When space is limited, you’ll have to get creative when figuring out where your designated workspace will be. If you’re using your living room or bedroom for this dual purpose, consider putting your desk behind your couch and adding a throw rug under the desk to create an area that’s at least visually separate from the rest of the room. If you’re using your bedroom, a room divider can help to keep your personal space, well, personal.Try using an entire wall in a room for your workspace. That strategy can create a clear, organized area for work without distracting from the rest of the room. Consider adding shelving on both sides of the wall for your office equipment and storage.
Don’t overlook those nooks and odd corners in your house that are currently being used as decorative space. If you follow the flow of the room, you can keep it pleasing to the eye and easily fit your workspace there.If you like to visualize how you can move around your furniture to make a space in your home for an office, several online design tools can help you get creative and determine what will work best:
Applying the principles of feng shui
The Chinese philosophy of feng shui is a practice of arranging your living space and working environment to achieve harmony and balance with the natural world. The Chinese words feng and shui translate to mean “wind” and “water,” respectively. Feng shui offers smart guidelines to consider when setting up your workspace at home:- Try to create as much division as possible between your workspace and your bedroom.
- Eliminate all unnecessary clutter.
- Incorporate natural elements like wood and plants, or even a small desktop water fountain if you have the space.
- Position your desk in a strong position (not up against a wall, preferably looking out a window or door).
- Focus on function. Do you need space for taking notes, spreading out, and to see monitors clearly?
- Make sure you have fresh air circulating.
- Position your desk near a window so that you have natural light.
- Decorate in ways that motivate you and remind you of your goals.