How to Design a Productive Home Office
April 2, 2019Whether you run a business from home, work remotely full-time or part-time, or just need a space to get things done, it’s important for your home office to be a place where you can be productive. What you have in your home office and how it’s designed can make a big difference in your productivity in the space. When you design and build a custom home, you also get to desceign exactly what you need in a home office. Here’s how to design a productive home office:
1. Create a Separate Home Office Space
One of the biggest ways to set your home office up for productivity is to create a separate space dedicated to it. You want to separate your work area from your day-to-day living space. This helps train your brain to associate a specific environment with work. Not only does this help you when it comes to establishing a work-life balance, but it also makes it easier to transition into “work” mode from “home” mode when you enter the space.
Plus, having a dedicated workspace can help you keep your work organized and seamlessly pick up where you left off. Over time, it will become easier and easier to slip into a productive “work” mode the longer you use the same space for your home office whether it’s a designated room or a dedicated space in another room. A home office is also one of the popular ways to use a shed, which can provide some extra separation and privacy.
How Much Separation Do You Need?
Another consideration when it comes to designing a productive home office is how much separation you need. Some homeowners just need a small space where they can work when they’re working from home while others need a designated room where they can focus and work full-time to run their home-based business.
Some homeowners need a space where they can meet with clients and potential clients. Think about how much separation your home office needs from the rest of your home. You may find a dedicated space or room of your home is enough for you. Or, you may prefer to have a separate side entrance into a first-floor study where you can welcome and meet with clients. Whatever your home office needs may be, your custom home builder can work with you to accommodate them.
2. Design the Space to Minimize Distractions
Everyone’s work style is different. As such, the best way to minimize distractions may vary from person to person. Some people focus better in a quiet, open, and clutter-free space while others may focus better with music or podcasts playing and in a more enclosed space that offers a sense of privacy. Regardless of your work style preferences, you can design your home office with a layout that works best for you.
This may mean arranging your desk in a corner, facing toward the rest of the room or in another area facing the wall or near a window. If you plan on including bookshelves, cabinets, chairs, and other furniture in your office, you can arrange those around your desk to either create a privacy bubble around your desk or arrange them around the walls and away from your desk to maintain a more open layout. Whatever home office layout you choose, it should be designed to fit your work style and help you minimize distractions.
3. Think About Storage
Another consideration when it comes to designing any space is storage. Think about what you’ll want to keep and store in your home office and make sure those home office storage ideas are in place. You can even find creative ways to pair home office decor ideas and storage solutions to get the storage you need while also adding some personalization to your office space.
This can help you control clutter, minimize distractions, stay organized, and keep focused on your work. Ignoring details, especially when it comes to storage and organization, is one of the big mistakes to avoid when designing a home office.
Proper Wire Management
Part of thinking about storage in a home office is planning for things like proper wire management. Depending on how much tech you have in your office, you may need more or less in order to maintain proper wire management. Planning for wire management ahead of time keeps your wires and cords from tangling or being an unsightly bundle, and tripping hazard, on the ground and helps protect your equipment.
4. Invest in What Matters Most
It can be tempting to cut corners in your home office, especially if it’s not a room you will be using to work full-time. However, when you do use it, you want to get the most out of it and be able to be your most productive. Although there are pros and cons of a home office, you want to make sure the pros outweigh the cons in yours.
So, it’s important to invest in what matters most for your productivity. This means considering your technology needs, work style, comfort, and ergonomics. What matters most for you will depend on what you need from your home office in order to be your most productive.
For some homeowners, it makes the most sense to invest in a desk that can easily convert into a standing desk. For others, this could be something more high-tech like a treadmill desk. Investing in a high-quality chair is important for anyone who will be sitting behind a desk for long hours and fast, reliable internet is a must for anyone working from home.
5. Consider Lighting and Temperature
When it comes to productivity and focus, the lighting and temperature of a room can make a big difference.
Plan Your Lighting
The lighting of a room can also make a difference if your work requires you to stare at a screen for long hours. You definitely don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you’re constantly straining your eyes. So, you want to consider the lighting fixtures you’ll need as well as any natural lighting you’ll want.
“Cool” lighting that is more white than yellow tends to be better for focus and concentration. With lighting, you can combine multiple home office lighting ideas, like overhead lighting, floor lamps, task lighting, and natural light from windows, to make sure you have illumination when and where you need it. You can also install dimming switches for even more control over lighting and to allow you to adjust as your lighting needs change.
Control the Temperature
The temperature of your home office can also make a big difference in how you use the room. If you are too hot or too cold, it can be a distraction and affect your productivity. You also want to make sure your home office is at a comfortable temperature when you have meetings with others to ensure they are comfortable while meeting with you. You have more control over the temperature in your home office than you do in an office building, so it makes sense to take advantage of it.
If your home office is a designated room in your home, it can be designed with vents, ceiling fans, and a thermostat to help control the temperature in the room. There are several benefits of ceiling fans and you can also strategically implement space heaters or desk fans to help you stay warm or cool off as needed. Plus, you’re at home, so you can keep blankets and heating pads on-hand for cold days and cooling pads and cold water on-hand for hotter days.
Home offices are one of the hot home design trends, but the way you design and decorate your home office will have a huge impact on your productivity in it. Keeping these tips for how to design a productive home office in mind and working with the right custom home builder can help you get exactly what you need in your custom home. If you’re ready to make your dream home a reality, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090!