Creating a Home Office To Increase Your Productivity and Improve Your Mindset
One word inspires my husband and I to clean our house more than any other. “Company.” If we know people are coming to our house, for a birthday party, a family gathering or an impromptu dinner with friends, you better believe that the cleaning supplies and efforts will come out in full force.
Honestly, sometimes the result of a sparkling and clutter-free living space is just as enjoyable and visiting with the friends or family we’ve invited over. Unfortunately, right now, “company” is a little hard to come by, let alone, justify. We’ve been working really hard to socially distance and since the middle of March, we haven’t had a single person past the threshold of our garage, let alone inside our house. Don’t worry, we’re holding down the fort okay. The laundry is done, and the garbage cans are not overflowing. But last week when I looked around my office, I could see that this quarantine had left some pretty negative impacts on my office space.
Not only was I working from my office, but my kids were taking turns rotating through on an every other day basis to complete their home school to-do lists. Piles of little boy books and elementary school papers, not to mention the occasional matchbox car and fruit snack wrapper cluttered previously empty surfaces. The author event materials that usually occupied my trunk were now laying on the floor as well. The rolling case that usually held my college instructor materials sat abandoned by the door while its inside contents were stacked precariously on a side table. It is safe to say that my office was a MESS, a far cry from the gorgeous space I had created two years ago when I first started working from home. I was trudging through my daily tasks in this mess, almost blind to the way the clutter was pulling me (and my motivation) down.
But then, something wonderful happened. Company called. Actually, it was a Facebook Message, but you know what I mean. Marcus Aarsvold, of our local station, WXOW Channel 19, wanted to interview me about my new book and the ways that I was launching it despite the stay at home order. Suddenly I had a big reason to clean up my office.
** P.S. For those of you instantly slipping into worry mode, Marcus used the exterior entrance into my office. He also wore a mask and gloves. After he left, I thoroughly sanitized all door handles and surfaces he may have touched. **
You can see the results of my cleaning and Marcus’ news story here.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that my cleaning efforts had additional benefits. In addition to lots of great feedback on the news story, a few orders and increased website traffic, I also now have a tidy and inspiring place to work again.
And that’s my real take away. In this time when we are stuck at home… it is really important to have a space from which you can work. A few weeks ago, my Facebook feed was full of friends, especially teachers, setting up their new workspaces within their homes. There’s a good reason for this! We can be more productive, not to mention happier, when we have a specific and separate space set aside for work. Even if you don’t have a dedicated room to work in, find a little corner separate from the rest of the house to claim as your own. I guarantee it will be better than sitting on the couch, trying to juggle your tablet on your lap and drink your coffee at the same time.
Here are a few other tips I have for making the most of your working from home space.
1. Stock your workspace with all the tools you need. A working printer, a stapler, recycling bin, plenty of pens and a desk calendar are musts for me.
2. Add a few luxuries to make the space feel cozy. I have a space heater, a lovely scented candle and a YouTube playlist going almost all the time in my office.
3. Hang up calming, motivating or inspiring images. You aren’t surrounded by your co-workers anymore, so your daily pick-me ups might need to look different.
For more tips, you can check out the steps I took to create my office space in this four-part blog series.
In her book, Level up, Rochelle Melander writes, “It is hard to think big thoughts when we’re dealing with finding, straightening, cleaning and arranging our paper, books, and other junk. When we organize our space, we demonstrate that we’re professionals who deserve to work in a clean, well-lit space. This practice will help us take ourselves and our work more seriously.” And seriously, you deserve that… now more than ever!
I’ll close by saying that I hope you are safe and well. I hope that today’s post can help you improve your work from home area and that these small improvements will help you to feel better all around. I’d love to “visit” your office, especially if you’ve found a specific arrangement or productivity tip that is rocking for you. Post your tips or picture the comments!
If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. If you are interested in any of my email lists (with free goodies/downloads!) click the audience that best describes you: Writer. Teacher. Reader. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest.
Today’s post post was made beautiful by CANVA and is categorized in my blog archive under Authorpreneur Advice. Check out the entire collection here.