The Work From Home Life - 7 Ways To Stay Inspired

Working from home definitely has its advantages; and these days, many people are making the switch. Whether you work for a company that will allow you to telecommute, or you are self employed, the ability to work from home can be a welcomed change. It definitely affords you a lot of benefits:

• The flexibility to set your own schedule

• Saving on gas and mileage

• Avoiding the daily commute

• Not having to invest in a wardrobe for work

• Tax benefits

The downside is that sometimes people who work from home lack the discipline that they truly need to succeed. It is often hard to separate work life from home life. The dogs barking in the background, the kids need attention, a pile of pancake syrup stained paperwork sitting on the kitchen table.

Working from home is supposed to take the stress away; not add more. And more than that, it is an opportunity to make some serious money. You are not accountable to an employer in most cases, so you have the freedom to be creative and think outside of the box. But first, let's work on decorating the space to be a money making machine. Here are 7 ways you can:

1. Designate A Dedicated Area 

The biggest mistake I see is not carving out a dedicated area in your home for working. The perfect scenario is having a room with doors that can be closed off from everything else going on in your home. Especially if you share your home with a spouse, children and animals. Typically a separate room is not an option. A closet, a guest bedroom that doubles as an office, or even an office armoire can work. The key is to have it defined and organized as your dedicated home office. Even better if it has a window

Investing in certain things will help you be the most productive and allow you to focus on making money with little stress. Things like a proper desk or built-in furniture; a good office chair with back support; plenty of storage - either built-in or modular pieces; proper equipment and software; great internet connection; a dedicated phone line; extra seating for meetings; a white board or bulletin board will help you run a money making home office

2. Organize The Space & Your Work Processes And Add Plenty Of Storage

Maintaining a professional work space is largely dependent upon great organization. Planning the space to ensure that you stay organized and efficient is key. Being able to put away items so that they can easily be found later will take away a lot of stress, and help you focus on money making activities.

Organizing your office to be a money making machine applies to more than just your space. Separating the personal from the professional requires great organization. Setting up a separate business bank account is the first sign that you are really open for some serious business. Separate accounts help you avoid mixing personal with business expenses which can only help you at tax time. While there may never be a need to write an employee handbook, determining a formal process and system of operation, will take your home office to the level of a serious money making business and not a hobby. This includes standardized record keeping, paying invoices, logging time and mileage and business trips, sales processes, marketing processes, tracking expenses, budgeting and forecasting revenue. All the stuff that a real business does to be profitable

Invest in a good filing system - color coded systems work best. Be sure to have some open storage for books that inspire you and can be referenced easily. Closed storage is essential for files and office supplies. Depending on what you do, you may need additional surfaces to spread out work. The key is to create an organized space that will meet your basic needs and will allow you to work efficiently and productively

3. Room Layout Is Key

The way you layout your space if you happen to have a dedicated room for your office, will help you be the most productive. I usually recommend that your desk face a window or the door into the room. I never like my back to be facing the door. If space allows, orient your desk to where you have a view of both the window and the door.

Traffic flow is essential as well. There should be enough room to be able to access your files and easily get in and out of your chair. Cords should be neatly tucked away to avoid tripping

Even if the space is small, try to incorporate what is important to you to make you the most efficient. Whether that is a seating area or an additional surface to lay out your work and other equipment.

4. Paint The Walls

It is no secret that color affects our mood and can impact our productivity. The environment you work in can have an incredible effect on your creativity, your mood, your energy, and therefore impacts your ability to make money

Choosing the right color depends on how you want to feel while you are working and how the office will be used. Red affects the body; blue affects the mind; yellow affects self-confidence; green affects the balance between mind, body and emotions

• Blue helps to keep your blood pressure down, it calms and promotes trust communication and efficiency

• Green helps with harmony, balance and creativity

• Red is best for spaces where people work at night because it increases brain wave activity. Also great for fast-paced environments

• Orange evokes high-energy, enthusiasm and endurance

• Yellow evokes fast-paced activities and stimulates energy and optimism. Too much can lead to anxiety and increase your temper

5. Add Good Lighting

Proper lighting helps to energize a space. There is nothing worse than being in a space for an extended period of time with really bad florescent  lighting.

Natural light is essential to working at your best, so hopefully your dedicated space has at least one window. There's something to be said for gazing out of a window while your brain is processing things at full speed; especially if you have a great view

General, overhead lighting is not the most flattering lighting, but is essential to working in conjunction with other lighting sources in the room. At least make sure the fixture itself is attractive.

Dedicated task lighting is needed for the specific tasks that you will do in your office. This will help you to work at your best. One for your desk is a must

Ambient lighting is actually great for stress relief. It fills the room with a soothing glow, for a warmer, more comfortable atmosphere

Corrective lighting helps alleviate eye strain and migraines. These are two common ailments that come with working at a computer all day. Corrective lights placed behind a monitor or screen setup, can help ease the bright glare from your computer screen.

6. Decor is Important

Carving out a space for your home office can cost you some cash, so often people forego things like decor as one of the non-essential items. But as an interior designer, I can attest to the fact that a well decorated space can be one of the most important thing that you do in your office. A well decorated space that reflects your unique taste and style is definitely an inspiring space.

Surrounding yourself with some of the things that make you happy and keep you motivated can only be a good thing. Do you have a favorite piece of art? Do you like to collect certain items? Do you like to display family pictures? Surround yourself with these items in a well styled way and see how much more productive you will be.

7. Include A Seating Area

A seating area in your office has so many benefits. It encourages you to take a break when you need to. You will also have room for visitors, and that is sometimes a good thing for accountability or a brainstorming sessions

A seating area is also  a great way to pause and read a favorite business book, or meditate when you are feeling overwhelmed. This helps your overall well being and productivity in the long run. It is the first step toward setting proper boundaries for your business so that you are not always working. Flexibility is a key benefit of working from home, but it does require you to put in a fair amount of time. Setting a typical work schedule, and incorporating breaks will allow you to be more focused. Setting a proper schedule minimizes distractions. Be sure to hang a clock on the wall, or place one on your desk, or anywhere it is visible to help you stick to your standard working hours and remind you to take breaks.

We all strive to make money, and my personal belief is that the odds for making lots of it working for yourself is pretty good compared to working for someone else. Your home office space is really a very big part of how productive and profitable you will be.

It is the start of a brand new year of opportunities and potential. Why not create a home office that will inspire you to work at your best. Decorating your home office space to be a money making machine and help you work at CEO level.

If you need help creating an office space, please contact us now and book your consultation

Wishing You Beauty & Inspiration!

Veronica

#HomeOfficeDesign #WorkFromHome #OfficeDecor