As many of us resort to working at home, we are slowly but surely becoming accustomed to our new workspaces. That does not mean that we have to become content with it.
Right now, many of you might be using your dining room, den, a spare bedroom or other unused room as your new home office. This gets the job done but sometimes the state of the room might become counterproductive. Maybe this room was used for storage, a playroom, or some other function that left the room looking like a tornado-ran rampant.
However, spring is here and with it comes spring cleaning. Many of us also start to think more and more about what we can do around the house to spruce things up a bit. So let’s look at where you will be spending most of your time, your new office!
These are the steps I took to convert my bedroom into my home office
FIND THE RIGHT SPACE
The first step is to decide where you will be working from home. To make this decision you should take into consideration three things: your workflow, the furniture and supplies you need, and the location in your house (the kitchen might have space and lighting but it might come with distractions). I decided on my bedroom, as there was a perfect nook for my desk, adequate lighting, and my bed conveniently placed for me to jump into when my work is done.
FURNITURE
The next step is to decide on the furniture that will best suit your needs. Of course, if you already have what you need you can skip this part. However, you should be looking at what desks, shelves, organizers, and even chairs will best suit your style of work. For example, an L desk works much better if you have two monitors or if you have some sort of bi-function role. A standing desk works best if you are someone who needs to stay active and keep the blood flowing. You should think of all possible functions when picking out your desire furniture. Whatever you get, make sure it suits your needs. For me, the essentials included: a custom Elfa shelf and desk set that I got from the Container Store (these are great as you can customize them to your liking and are very easy to install), my trusty brown leather executive chair, and my desk/file organizers.
CLEAN AND ORGANIZE
This is the most obvious but also the most important. Clean the room you will be working in. A clean and organized workspace is essential for you to maintain focus. There are numerous distractions at home, without thinking of things that you need to do while trying to do your job. Don’t be shy about moving items out of sight if needed.
PAINT (Optional)
After I cleaned and emptied my room I looked around and realized something was off. The walls were marked up, the baseboards were dirty, and things were disorganized. So, I decided a fresh coat of paint was what was needed. This step is optional, but it was something I could do easily and by myself and the room needed it. (Stay tuned for a future pro tip on how to paint a room like a pro).
PUT IT TOGETHER
Once the paint was completely dry, and I had decided on the layout of my room I started to put everything together. I began by measuring and hanging my shelves. After the shelves were installed, I moved all of my furniture into its designated place, cleaned up the remaining dust and debris, and organized my workspace with my organizers and newly installed shelves.
WORK
Now that everything is set it is time to get to work!
Of, course these are the steps that I took and they might differ for you depending on what you need and what you are looking for. If you need help looking for the right essentials there are a multitude of companies that offer a wide variety of products. IKEA, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and the Container Store all offer a wide range of selections on office supplies as well as customizable setups.
