Home offices can go one of two ways: they can be the most calming and enjoyable environments that boost creativity and productivity or… to be honest… they can be absolute disaster zones that you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemies. No judgement here if yours is the latter – mine was too for way too many years, so I’m speaking (or writing in this case) from experience when I say a clean, comfy, and personalized home office is one of the very best ways to make working from home ten times more enjoyable.
In this guide, I’ve shared all my tried-and-true tips that transformed my office from a bland, messy, and unenjoyable place to one of my favorite (and most productive) areas in my home! Whether you implement all of these tips or just a few, I guarantee they will make your space a more welcoming, calming, and inspiring environment.
Let’s get started!
Quick-Glance Summary
- Ergonomic office furniture and supplies are a must (specifically your chair, desk, monitor, and keyboard)
- Keep your space organized and clutter-free
- Decorate and personalize your space with pictures, plants, rugs, blankets, and calming colors
- Add coziness and ambiance with lamps and different types of lighting
- Find a calming home fragrance
- Choose a quiet and low traffic area in your home (or create it with headphones)
- If possible, avoid creating bedroom offices since they can negatively affect sleep quality and productivity
- Move your office/laptop to a different room on occasion (or if you don’t want to relocate your office, try working from a coffee shop or coworking space to boost creativity and innovation)
Tip #1: Purchase (and Use) Ergonomic Furniture and Office Supplies
There’s a reason why HR departments strongly suggest purchasing ergonomic furniture and office supplies: they work. Save your back, your wrists, and your body from unnecessary pain or stiffness. Everyone is different, so finding the best ergonomic supplies that will work for you is what’s most important. Some of the most helpful ergonomic office essentials are standing/adjustable desks, monitor arms and laptop lifts, ergonomic chairs (pro tip: gamer chairs are AMAZING for remote work!), footrests, lumbar support, and ergonomic keyboards.
Tip #2: Organize and Declutter Your Space Regularly
Ah, we’ve arrived at the not-so-fun tip in this guide: cleaning. Keeping an office area clean and organized helps prevent distractions and creates a calming environment, which is great for improving creativity and productivity.
Fortunately for many of us remote professionals, a lot of our files, sheets, and other work-related stuff is all digital, so we don’t need giant stacks of papers or overflowing file bins in our space. Just be sure to clean up all your half-empty coffee mugs, snack wrappers, and anything else that is impeding your space, and maybe dust or vacuum every so often. That’s all there is to it!
Tip #3: Personalize and Decorate Your Space with Pictures, Plants, Rugs, and Calming Colors
This is my absolute favorite tip for making a home office more comfortable – decorating and personalizing an area to make a space comfy and enjoyable just for you! Pinterest, LinkedIn, and other socials are great for finding an aesthetic that speaks to you.
To give you an example, I personally enjoy lots of greenery from plants (I chose faux plants, but if you prefer living plants, I recommend choosing low-maintenance ones), wood/natural textures, calming colors such as creams, blues, and browns, soft rugs with simple patterns, and fuzzy blankets nearby for when I get cold.
Tip #4: Add Ambiance with Lamps and Different Types of Lighting
This tip might not apply to everyone (especially if you work during the day in an area with plenty of windows), but if you work early in the morning or at times when it’s dark, lighting is a great way to make an area warmer and more inviting. Lamps of all shapes and sizes, colored lights, salt lamps, and more go a long way towards making your home office a cozy and welcoming space.
Tip #5: Find a Relaxing Home Fragrance
Please note: Ignore this tip if you are sensitive to scents!
Personally, I absolutely love a delicious, relaxing home scent. Whether it’s from heating up apple cider and cinnamon sticks on the stove to putting my favorite lemon-lavender scented candle under the candle warmer, a comforting fragrance always puts me in a great mood and ready to tackle whatever the workday holds.
Tip #6: Set Up in a Quiet, Low-Traffic Area in Your Home
Unless you have superpowers, it’s nearly impossible to focus in a noisy, distracting, and high-traffic area of your home, such as the living room, kitchen, and other shared spaces. However, even though it’s best to have your own room or space, you can always create your own peaceful environment with noise-cancelling headphones and a room screen/divider.
Tip #7: Avoid Creating a Bedroom Office
Bedroom offices became super popular during the pandemic, mainly because a good portion of people who were not remote workers had to set up a temporary working space quickly. While this was a great solution at the time, it isn’t as great for remote professionals who work fully or partially remote. The main reason for this is that science shows that your brain associates your bed and bedroom with sleep, but if you work in your bedroom, it can be difficult for your brain to make the switch between sleeping and working. Additionally, you might start to feel like you are always at work and unable to maintain a healthy work-life balance. So, if possible, it’s always best to set up your home office in an area other than your bedroom.
Tip #8: Move Your Home Office on Occasion or Work Outside Your Home
If you’re always sitting in the same place every day surrounded by the same things, it can be difficult to come up with innovative solutions or creative ideas. For this reason, I occasionally move my remote work setup to a different area of my home, or I’ll swing by a local coffee shop or coworking space. A fresh environment produces fresh concepts, ideas, and solutions. So, if you’re feeling stuck or uninspired, it might be time for a change of environment!
It’s Time to Create the Home Office of Your Dreams!
Whether you were able to follow all of these steps or just a few, you’re well on your way to creating a comfy, cozy, and beautiful home office. Thank you for reading till the end (your attention span is awesome and appreciated!), and let me know in the comments if you have any other home office tips for myself and our community; I’d love to see them!
FAQs
The three P’s are Plan, Protect, Pick up. Plan your day and organize your workspace, protect your data and digital information when you leave your desk, and pick up at the end of each day.
Tranquil colors, such as blues, greens, and earthy neutrals, can help create a calm, cozy, and peaceful home office. Keep in mind that every person prefers different colors, so you should choose the color that feels calming for you.
Nine times out of ten, the answer to this question is a wall. Having your desk too close to a windows can create lighting issues for remote professionals, especially if you use your camera for meetings. While it’s always a good idea to have windows nearby for natural lighting, just ensure that it doesn’t interfere with your screen or your camera.