Creating Your Work Space

Working from home is often easier said than done. Whatever you call home you’ll need to create a space in it to work. In an ideal situation your work space would be a quiet study at the far end of your house, away from noise and interruptions. However the real world is far from ideal, read on for suggestions on creating a work space when the quiet office at the end of the house is already taken!

If you are looking for specific tips and advice on organisation check out our organisation category. Organisation is however not only about optimization, when setting up your home office there are several organisational issues you need to consider.

Choosing The Best Out Of The Worst

If you’ve already ruled out the ideal option, what’s next? You’re going to need to get innovative, and possibly start humble. Anything can be turned into a work space; a corner of your lounge, bedroom or even the kitchen table. When deciding, consider your priorities and preferences. If you’re the type of person who needs a peaceful environment to work in, then a claustrophobic storage room would be a better option than the kitchen table. If however you need space, light and company, the kitchen table might be the ideal starting point.

Making Space

Prevent those embarrassing “it was here a moment ago” moments and get your office organised from day one. Exactly how organised you need to be depends on your type of job. If you’re a freelance graphic designer a few arch lever files should do the job just fine, if on the other hand you’re a work at home tax consultant a few arch lever files aren’t going to cut it.

Scan the local classifieds for cheap office furniture, businesses going into liquidation often auction off their office furniture and remaining assets, these auctions are often a great place to find a bargain. If your work space is really small, buy a D.I.Y book and get creative with your space. You might need to put shelves in places they wouldn’t ordinarily be found. If you do put shelves in hard to reach places, don’t forget to put your least used items on them, with your most used items in easier to reach places (Hard to reach places also make ideal storage for those crucial items you’d like to keep away from the kids!)

Finally don’t rule out taking a wall or two down to create your space. If you’re not quite the D.I.Y master it may be time to give your local contractor a call.

Making It Your Own

Your work area is more than simply the sum of its equipment; it will have a subtle effects on your everyday mood. Big multi-national companies now give great consideration to office design and aesthetics, from colour and light to art on the walls. Your budget might not allow a fountain and rock pool in your office but you’d be surprised what little things like a coat of paint can do. So whatever it is that you can do within your budget to make your work space a little more your own, do it!