Top Tips for Creating a Great Home Office

Working from home is becoming increasingly more common. Alongside traditional self-employed freelancers and small independent businesses, computer and internet based roles are on the increase. The result is more workers from a variety of industry sectors forgoing office life in favour of working from home.

Here are some top tips on how to optimise your home office for a more productive environment.

1 – Choose the right furniture

If you’re working from home, it’s essential that you keep things organised – particularly if you’re running your own business. The right storage will mean you’re less likely to lose important documents, or miss your deadline for the taxman because you can’t find the right receipts.

Home office essentials include sturdy bookshelves or wall shelving, a box file for invoices and other documents, a wastepaper bin, and a cork-board for keeping tickets and other items safe, as well as a potential creative space.

Your home office design should of course include a desk big enough to accommodate everything you will use from day to day, a great office chair with good back support, and somewhere to store any files or equipment you’ll need to access on a regular basis.

You might consider adding a comfortable armchair to your home office space. This will give you a space to relax within a working environment, without the need to leave the room (and inevitably find yourself turning on the TV). It will also make the office a great place to meet clients in a more personal environment than your high street coffee chains.

2 – Separate your work life and home life

As anyone who works from home will tell you, having a designated workspace is a must.

Remember, your office must be kept separate to the rest of your house. Bedrooms are a place of rest. Using your bedroom as an ‘office’ will distract you from work during the day, and make the room seem less relaxing and inviting when you need to unwind in the evening.

The same goes for your living room space. Understandably, this may prove difficult if space constrictions are forcing you to use this room for both functions. In this case, screen off an area of your living room to minimise any potential distractions.

A great home office should encourage a great work/life balance. When it’s time to rest or spend time with your family, you should be able to close the door on your working day. Remember your house has one prime function: being a home. If you’re truly serious about working from home, a separate room is the best option for your office.

3 – Get some inspiring accessories

There are some great home office ideas online which can reduce inefficiency and procrastination. This could involve anything from a wall calendar to a coffee maker (minimise those unnecessary walks around the rest of the house). You can match these with some excellent office furniture to create an environment that is both productive and fun to be in.

Remember: the more creative you are with your home office solutions, the more you’ll actually want to do work in it.