It’s taken a long time to get my workspace at home right. Not that it’s finished of course. All of the rooms at home are a work in progress and probably will be forever. But the office is now a space I enjoy working in. I’m happy to open the door in the morning, sit down with my first (make that second) cup of coffee, and forge on with that never-ending-to-do-list. So, if you’re contemplating working from home, make your workspace the best it can be. It will make you more efficient, more motivated, and more inspired. And not only that, it will make you happier.
Notebook, penpot, pens, pencils, paperclips,bulldog clip, eraser and pencil sharpener, all Kate Spade from Rooi
Find a space to call your own
When I first started my freelance career I was working from the box room in my previous home. It was small and cramped and was also home to a lot of storage. Things that didn’t have a place in any other room in the house, and were not necessarily to do with work. When we moved we had the necessary clear out, and the new house had a sizeable room just for me to work in. Great you’d think. Except it was too big. And painted magnolia with beige carpet. It dampened any creativity in me, and I often de-camped to the kitchen table where I could at least see the garden, or the sofa. Not good. So long story short, I moved into the smaller of our two spare rooms, painted it a deep vivid green, and bought some new white furniture. You can see the post about it here.
You can do it
I know not everyone has the good fortune to have an entire room at their disposal. But even if you only have a corner of the living room or bedroom, it’s important to make it a place you want to be. Good light is important, so a window position is always preferable, as is a good desk lamp for task lighting at night. You may not be able to decorate it exactly the way you want to either, but a desk with drawers will keep everything to hand when you want it, but tidied away when you don’t. And a couple of shelves or a pinboard will enable you to surround yourself with things that you love and that inspire you.
Paperclips, and bulldog clip, Kate Spade from Rooi
Invest in the best technology you can afford
Recently I had to sort out the PC. I’ve been working on an old laptop for years and knew it had to change. If only to sort out my neck and shoulder problems and to stop me working from my lap in the living room. Why, oh why, didn’t I swap the laptop for a desktop sooner? It’s such a pleasure to turn it on in the morning. It’s quicker, the screen is huge, and everything seems less of a chore. Even spreadsheets! I’m not going to turn this into a product review but I will say – if you’re thinking you need to update your technology, you probably do. Do it now. Not later.
You can do it
Technology is not cheap. That’s a fact. But if you are working on an old PC for eight hours a day you really are not making the most of your own productivity. The same can be said for the camera you use (I like to think my photography has improved tenfold since I invested in a good DSLR), the outdated software you seem to be unable to move away from, and even that cranky old printer. You might think it takes too long to get used to new things, but believe me it won’t take as long as you think.
Filing tray and botanical notebook, Kate Spade from Rooi
Put things away
Do I sound like your mum? Well she knows best. I personally, can’t work in a mess. I have to tidy my desk every day. If I’m too tired to do it when I pack up work in the evenings, I have to do it before I start work in the morning. Which means I need storage for all that stuff that accumulates when you work from home. I have an ikea cupboard for stationery and equipment, and an entire wall of shelves for books and props. Okay, that wall might not be the tidiest all of the time, but at least it’s contained and behind the door. Just recently I’ve re-appropriated a trolley on wheels for the office so that I could move the ugly printer off the desk. It works a dream. When I need to use to use the printer I just wheel it over and plug it in. The rest of the time it’s on the bottom shelf of a trolley on the other side of the room. And the top of the trolley is useful for all sorts of things, including wrapping presents and arranging flat-lays in front of the window.
You can do it
The most efficient offices have good, efficient storage solutions. And creative workspaces don’t necessarily have purpose made storage solutions either. Old sideboards, chests of drawers, trunks, shelves, yes even old trolleys, make excellent storage solutions in the home office. Let’s face it, if you wanted to work in a corporate environment, you wouldn’t be working from home. Fill your workspace with your own personality and you’ll be happier for it.
Notebook, penpot, pens, pencils, paperclips,bulldog clip, eraser and pencil sharpener, all Kate Spade from Rooi
Surround yourself with things you love
So you’ve carved out a space of your own. You’ve updated your technology. You’ve done your filing and tidied your desk. And now’s the time to make it pretty. I’ve recently been sent some lovely Kate Spade desk accessories which are making me smile every day. We don’t necessarily pay much attention to the humble paperclip until it’s gold and shaped like a huge bow tie. The heavy perspex filing tray, the matching pen pot, even the gold pens and the colourful bulldog clips are now the highlights of my day. And more than everything else in the room, they probably say a lot about me. Not least that I’m obsessed with anything botanical. And that I like a bit of gold.
Filing tray and pins, Kate Spade from Rooi
And if all else fails. sometimes it just takes a bunch of flowers, a scented candle, or some softly playing music to make it a workspace you enjoying being in.
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The post The Importance of Creating a Workspace You Enjoy appeared first on Dear Designer.
from Dear Designer http://deardesigner.co.uk/importance-creating-workspace-enjoy/
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