Home office transformation 01
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If you only started working from home during the pandemic, you probably might have realised one unfortunate fact: Staying optimally productive when working from a home office is almost a myth. The key reason for this is because your housemates, especially kids, don’t really respect your home workstation as a place of work. While you can keep them out by closing the door, noises from other rooms will still trickle into your office. Another key challenge is poor organisation because, unlike in “real” offices, home offices are mostly small and have little to no storage space. The good thing is that you can fix these and other challenges by investing in a simple, inexpensive home office transformation. Here are 4 ideas to start you off:


1. Noiseproof your office

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Even if you live alone in the house, you still have to worry about noises from your neighbors, especially if you live in a city apartment or a suburban home. You also have to be mindful of other exterior noises such as honking cars, pedestrians on a busy street, and noises from outside businesses. You can keep all these noises out by:

• Hanging curtains on the walls bordering the noise sources act as noise absorbers. Make sure that the curtains are thick enough for better sound absorption.
• If the curtains aren’t deadening noise from the street to your desired levels, consider installing double-pane windows.
• Bring in additional area rugs, especially if the noise nuisance is coming from your downstairs neighbors. The thicker the rugs, the better. And if your budget isn’t enough for a new rug, adding a pad under the existing rug is an effective alternative.

If the noise is coming from upstairs, what you need is to soundproof the ceiling. This might require you to hire a professional because it can get a bit technical.

• Check for and repair any crevices on the wall and cracks on the door or windows.
• If the noise is coming from your housemates- mostly kids and pets- the most effective way to soundproof your office is to train them to stay as far away from the office as possible.


2. Improve storage for better organisation

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If you are struggling to keep your office tidy and organised, you definitely need to rethink your storage. You actually don’t need to knock down a wall or buy new storage facilities to make your tiny home office classy and functional. For starters, you can significantly increase storage space by decluttering your office. Any furniture, paper documents, décor items, electronics, and anything that you don’t really use or need should go- toss them or move them to a bigger room in the house. Other home office organisational tips that you can try include:

Create DIY stationery files for your paper records, books, and receipts using boxes, e.g. cereal boxes. You can also repurpose old mason jars and other containers as storage units for small office tools and utensils, e.g. binder clips, staplers, and pens.

Make use of vertical storage by, for example, installing mounting folders or fasten baskets on the wall. Anything that you can’t toss away but you rarely use should go into these vertical storage units. Another idea of making good use of the wall space is to install a couple of pegboards.

If you have a small desk, you can improve its tidiness and organisation by dividing its drawers with DIY desk dividers such as wrapping papers and cereal boxes.


3. Improve comfort levels

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You need a comfortable home office for optimal productivity. Comfort in a home office can be anchored on four key things: A comfortable workstation, good lighting, constant supply of fresh air (and maybe snacks), and optimal temperature. 

For the workstation, invest in a comfortable ergonomic chair and a comfortable desk that doesn’t force you to strain your back or eyes while you work. Allow as much natural light as possible into the workspace, maybe consider installing an extra window. An extra window is also useful for improving indoor air ventilation.


4. Improve your office décor

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Your home décor in general influences your moods. In the office, in particular, good décor can enhance your concentration and productivity. Your office décor doesn’t have to be expensive. You can personalise the space by bringing in some family pictures, houseplants (if you know you can care for plants) or artifacts from your art collections. 

If you decide to bring plants and there is not enough sunlight coming from your office’s windows then LED grow lights will provide the right light to help them grow. If your budget allows, you can opt to repaint the office with blue or green hues because the two colours are good for boosting creativity. The colour red is a good choice if you need help paying more attention to detail.

NoteIf you want to get a breath of fresh air, consider changing your place of work altogether. You might consider trying coworking spaces, not only will you meet like-minded fellows but you will get inspired and get new ideas on how to design your own home office. 


Conclusion

There you have it! Making your home office Insta-worthy, functional, and stylish isn’t as hard as you probably imagined. The transformational tips above will help you find the motivation and focus you need to be optimally productive when working from home. There are endless awesome home office ideas you can try on a budget- that’s if you decide to get creative! Good luck as you transform your office!


(Written by Heidi Rosenberg, 20th May 2021)

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Yes, nice deco can makes us more motivated to work.