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Last Updated on January 20, 2024 by Work In My Pajamas
Working from home is one of the most relaxing things you could do in this dog-eat-dog business world that gets faster and fiercer day after day. If you’re tired of waking up early, commuting, arguing with colleagues, being stuck in a small cubicle and wearing uncomfortable clothes and shoes all day long, working from home is the thing for you. However, just because you do so and are allowed to spend the entire day in your pajamas doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your job seriously – on the contrary, setting up a proper home office will make you more inspired, productive and motivated, as well as appear more serious and professional. Finding the perfect spot in your home is the first step towards a functional home office, while furnishing, decorating and equipping it with all sorts of office supplies is next. If you too are in this process at the moment, here are a few hacks that will make your office more enjoyable and yourself a bit more productive.
Clean and declutter
Before you even start your new working-at-home career, you should prepare your office for all the hard work that’s about to happen here. That means decluttering, cleaning and throwing away everything you absolutely don’t need.
Are there any office supplies you haven’t been using as often as you thought you would? Is there an extra piece of furniture that doesn’t receive the attention it requires? Finally, have you stopped using any tech equipment a while ago? If so, throw these things away, donate them to a friend or sell them online. This way, you’ll even earn a few dollars and reclaim some of the office space you so desperately need.
Hide the cords
Unless you’re a huge fan of wires and cords – which, let’s be honest, you probably aren’t – you’ll get tired of them in a matter of days. No matter how much equipment you use and what you do, the chances are your office will be flooded with cords. Sorting them out won’t take too long, but the effects of this project are going to make you feel so much better.
There are lots of ways to manage and conceal messy cords in a small home office and you can get as creative as you’d like – from securing them underneath the desk to hiding them inside an empty toilet paper roll. Finally, you can even build your own cable-hiding station and label all the visible wires and cords in your office: this way, you’ll never make a mistake of unplugging the wrong cord again. Moreover, they won’t get twisted and tangled, and that’s something we all want.
Protect your property
Even though your office is located at your own home, it’s still under threat and can easily become a target for burglars and thieves. That’s why you should try to protect your sensitive data and work-related documents in a storage box or a small safe you can lock. Do the same with every backup drive you may have, unless you want to risk losing months and years of hard work in just one night. Finally, think about installing high-quality security doors equipped with aluminum frames that will keep all potential burglars far away from your office.
Go vertical
While most people set up a home office in a spare bedroom or closet, others can’t afford a separate room, so they simply place a desk in an empty corner of the bedroom. That’s why home offices are usually quite small and you need to think long and hard about maximizing the space and organizing the storage
Lots of home-based employees prefer filing cabinets, but some consider utilizing wall space and going vertical – you can make the most of your empty walls by hanging whiteboards, cork boards, filing systems and shelves on them. This way, you’ll have much more storage space for all your necessities and always keep them close-by.
Other ideas
Some of the other ways to organize your home office include purchasing desk organizers, creating binders, labeling and color coordinating all your files and folders, clearing your desk once a week, achieving your files regularly, categorizing your office supplies in appropriate drawers and finding an easy way to sort all your mail
