Working at home is hard enough without the desk clutter.

 

I have a home office. Actually, I have two. That sounds a bit strange, right? It’s true. You would be surprised how many laptops or research tools a designer needs at their disposal. Listen up! I’m going to tell you how I went from non-productive to ultra-productive.

 

Here are my Seven Tips:

 

1. Start over. Clear the desk.

Remove everything until you have nothing but your laptop/desktop/iPad/mouse pad and mouse on the desk itself. Take a hard look at the setup and see that this is what you need to do any and all work. See it as your portal to the world of research because that’s what it is. These things are your workhorses and you can’t go without them. Add a notebook, pen and pen cup and you’ve got the basics. Everything else will trickle in.

 

2. Get a great chair.

 

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Have you ever sat in an uncomfortable chair and gotten nothing done? Happens all the time. You get up and go to another area and complain about feeling fatigued. Maybe even mention how you hate your job or what you do…? Yeah, its the chair, coupled with a messy desk. We’ve covered the clearing of desk phase, let’s focus on the chair. Search for the right chair. Make sure it feels right, it’s comfortable, adjustable and keeps you erect. There’s nothing worse than ruining your posture and a crick in your neck because it’s the wrong chair. A great chair will provide support and be adjustable so that it compensates for your height and weight. Your eyes should be somewhat level to the screen. If not, elevate the screen, too, if you can. It’ll help you maintain posture.

 

 Wall mounted Monitors free up desk space, too! Consider mounting them in the wall or on a stand to elevate them to a comfortable viewing height!

 

3. Storage. Make it, if you need to.

 

 

If you don’t have drawer storage for paper clips or a stapler and other office tools, use storage bins or cubbies to create storage. There are many different styles and shapes for you to choose from, that will fit your individual needs. From Rusty metal wall-mounts..

 

 

to metallic floor units that add a little glam to your office…

Keeping these things in a controlled area away from your desk is vital. It keeps the clutter away from you and the work you are trying to complete.

 

 

4. Add great lighting.

I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to not have adequate lighting at the old office several years ago. Keeping things illuminated makes you feel awake, ready and can help you feel great because you’re not affected by inadequate lighting. Without great lighting, you can’t see clearly so you get frustrated and who wants to be frustrated at work, right? Not me.

 

 

A table lamp for close-up illumination…

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Add a floor lamp for good measure, if you can.

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5. Add Plants.

 

Adding a little green to your desk goes a long way. You can opt for a live oxygen-generating plant or a silk one.  However, the live ones bring the outdoors in and draw you to it because they do need care – not to mention a little light, so make sure you provide adequate sunlight or artificial light for them to thrive. I chose live plants because they tend to bring a little life to your space. Here are a few examples to consider:

 

Succulents

Orchids

  

Mini Bonsai Trees

6. Add a little noise.

That’s right, I said noise. For some people, a little noise helps them get through the day and keeps them focused. Depending on the nature of your work, it’s important for you to grasp what noise – if any – that would be. Most like a little music playing softly in the background while others prefer complete silence. Either way, there may be days you prefer a little of both. Having an audio source provides the option of either. It’s important to have a little company on slow days as music can lift you therefore adding a speaker to plug your phone into is a consideration. Headphones or earphones can help too, especially if you’re surrounded by noise and need to deaden outside sources.

 

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7. Add Personality!

Adding color to your desktop is a great way to show people what you’re about. If your furniture style doesn’t do it, adding color in folders, flowers, pictures that you display above the desk will do it. Don’t forget the pens and pencils you use, the scissor and paper clips too! You don’t have to display family photos but do find something that speaks volumes about your personality to look at and smile over.

When you work from home, you should be relaxed but not too relaxed. You should be drawn to your workspace and not be subjected to too many interruptions, otherwise, work won’t get done so be sure to place your desk in an area that can be closed off to family disruptions, if you need to. Most of these tips can be applied to your home office or business/work office. You should love your desk and be comfortable: It makes for a happier you which equals a more productive you.

Those are my seven tips to a more productive home office. I hope you found them useful!

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