(DailyThrive.com) – A good home office can boost productivity and spark your creative drive. Whether you’re a self-made entrepreneur or you bring your work home with you each night, you need a designated space in your home to set up shop. Here’s how to make the most of what you have for next to nothing and still love the results!
Transform on the Cheap
Now that you have an idea for a home office in mind, it’s time to find the perfect location. If you have a small room available, start there — but don’t feel as though you need an entire room to make your office work. The reality is most people won’t have the kind of space to dedicate an entire room to a home office. If this applies to your situation, you just have to get a little creative.
Here’s how to think outside the box:
- Find a corner nook somewhere. Add tall bookcases for makeshift walls.
- Section off an existing office into two spaces with a wall divider.
- Clear out an old shed or camper and make the space your own.
- Create a mobile office with your laptop that you can take with you.
- Set up a desk and chair in the corner of your bedroom.
- Use tall indoor plants for privacy or create a divider using drop cloths.
Utilize every square foot you have available. By making the most of your space, you can keep costs down. That’s ALWAYS important.
Color for Productivity
The goal of having a home office is to have a place to focus on work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t set it up in a way that inspires creativity and passion.
Start with color. Check for clearance paints at your local hardware store to save a few dollars along the way. Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore also typically sells inexpensive, discounted paints in a variety of colors. Don’t forget local buy and sell groups. Often, people have leftover paint at the end of a job — and you can benefit from that.
If you can’t paint your area because it’s in an awkward position or it’s so small (a corner spot, for example), don’t panic. Highlight your space with your favorite color through wall art, shelves, and decor in your favorite shades.
Inexpensive Feng Shui
Your home office should inspire you and make you want to use it. The Spruce recommends having a little Feng Shui or positive energy to create a harmonizing environment. Achieving this is surprisingly simple. Use books, candles, picture frames, and other decor to add interest and break up your work area.
Don’t have much at home you can use to jazz things up? Scour freecycle pages or hit the thrift stores for cheap decor. Items that bring you peace and improve your space don’t have to break your budget.
Block out Distractions
It’s important to meet deadlines and be productive every second you’re in your space. This starts with blocking out distractions that make it hard to get things done. Set up a white noise app on your phone so you can avoid hearing the sound of everyday life — phones, kids, dogs, you name it — both indoors and out. If that isn’t enough, try some inexpensive earbuds and play your favorite sounds through them.
These cheap distraction methods are worth their weight in gold if they boost your productivity and help you focus on the task at hand. Beware of TV, movies and other background entertainment sources. Some people work more effectively with the TV droning in the background, but this isn’t the case for everyone. Try to find a good balance between “entertained and comfortable” and “procrastinator’s paradise.”
Our changing world and the explosion of the gig economy have made it easier than ever to work from home or start your own home business. And you don’t have to be rich or well off to get in on the fun. You can transform just about any space into your own with what you already have — plus a little ingenuity and savviness.
~Here’s to Your Success!
Copyright 2020, DailyThrive.com
