Home offices were not very common in homes, but then 2020 hit and people were forced to turn their spare rooms, living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms and even kitchens into home offices. Even with things returning back to normal, there are a lot of people that are still working from home – on a daily basis or a few times a week. In such a scenario, it is ideal to create a space where you are comfortable, (but not too comfortable) and where you gel energised and encouraged to work.
It doesn’t matter if you are designing a new space or renovating an old one – A Brand Architect can bring certain changes to create a space that helps increase your productivity levels – with the added advantage of zero commute!
Read on for some tips that will help you create an office space that boosts your efficiency and provides you with the positive vibes required for max productivity.
7 Ways You Can Design A Home Office That Boosts Your Productivity
- Demarcate The Space
Let’s face it – not all of us have spare rooms to create a separate office space in. This means that you need to make the best of the available space. The best way to do so is by clearing out some space in a room – it can be your living room, dining room, or even the kitchen.
You can rearrange your existing furniture to create separate sections and add some definition to your work space. You could use a small bookshelf as a wall or even hang a curtain. You can also use different wall of floor tiles to help separate your working space from the other areas. Patterned tiles can be used to create a subtle differentiation.
It is this demarcation that will not only help you keep your supplies contained to a space, it also helps your brain get into “the work zone” when you enter your work space.
- Go For Bright And Light Colours
While dark coloured spaces are easier to maintain, they can make the space feel dingy and depressing. Lighter and brighter colours can feel refreshing and can add vibrancy to your space. This can further help boost your mood as well as your productivity levels.
You can use lighter palettes, especially with the prominent use of white, for your home office space. Combining brighter colours (such as yellow) with neutral colours (such as beige) can help uplift the overall mood of the space, while keeping distractions to minimal. You can also use shiny materials, such as glossy or super glossy floor tiles, which will reflect maximum light and make your home office feel brighter.
This kind of a palette works best in spaces that receive a lot of natural light and have a lot of open space.
- Create A Separate Office Space
A lot of makeshift home office spaces consist of a person sitting on the sofa or the bed. While this may be comfortable, it is not very productivity inducing. These spaces often induce a sense of “rest” in us, and often without knowing we tend to stretch out on them.
It is best to keep your sleeping/resting spaces and your working space separate since working and sleeping in the same space makes it difficult for your brain to differentiate between the two. Your brain needs you to walk away from the places of relaxation in order to be able to work better.
So, however tight the space may be, create a separate working space – even if it means adding a folding table and chair to the side of your bed. While it is ideal to have a work space away from your living space, we do not live in an ideal world and we need to make do with whatever we have! Murphy tables are also a great way to save space and they can be installed in almost any room without hampering the overall look of the space–from your bedroom to kitchen to living room.
- Select The Right Desk
A desk is a great way to keep your work things organised and create an “office like” environment in your home and boost your productivity levels. Since you will be spending most of your working hours here, it is best to select a desk that is not just functional, but also comfortable. Opt for a bigger desk and you will be stiff, opt for a shorter desk and you will hurt your back and neck from constantly hunching. An ideal desk is big enough to fit your laptop or computer, while also having enough storage to store your day to day work necessities.
When choosing a work desk you also need to ensure that the look, colour and finish match with the rest of your existing furniture. As mentioned before, if you do not have the space for a full fledged desk you can opt for folding tables that can be stowed away or Murphy tables that can be folded away once your work is done.
- Vision Board For Added Productivity
While colourful art pieces can certainly boost your mood, adding a vision board to your home office can certainly help give your productivity levels a boost. It is especially useful on gloomy days or lazy days, when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa with a beverage and a book. The vision board will remind you of your goals and help you stay focussed on the work at hand.
It is very easy to create a vision board. Simply take a piece of cardboard and pin to it all your favourite quotes, pictures of places you would like to visit and some of your goals (a 5 year plan or an end goal) to keep you feeling motivated when you don’t want to work.
- Reduce Noise Distractions
If you are a person that gets easily distracted by noises, you should definitely look into purchasing soundproofing materials for your office. This material can be applied on your walls to keep sounds out and help increase your focus.
If your home office design does not allow for total sound proofing, you can also purchase some good quality noise cancelling headphones to keep all external sounds out.
- Get Rid Of The Clutter
The clutter in your space is often indicative of the clutter in your mind and a cluttered mind can be a lot less productive. A cluttered space can not only affect your mental efficiency, but physical efficiency too since you may not be able to find important files or your stationery in time.
To keep your desk clutter-free follow the following tips:
- Invest in a desk that is big enough to contain all your accessories, trinkets and stationery items.
- If you pick something up make sure you place it back in that exact space.
- Get yourself wire organisers to keep the jumble of wires away from your desk
Clutter can be very distracting and can keep you from fulfilling your work duties efficiently. So, every day, once you are done with your work, spend a few minutes cleaning your desk out so that you can start your next day with a fresh and clean desk (and mind!)
While designing any space it is important to keep the purpose of the space at the forefront of your mind. This rule is especially important while designing a home office space since your productivity levels are directly correlated to the space and environment you create. All the aforementioned tips will help you create a space that minimises distractions and boosts productivity.
Isha Tandon has worked within the architecture and interior design industry as a flooring consultant expert – specializing in tiles, stones, and terrazzo. She has worked with Orientbell Limited, a leading tile manufacturer in India, as a product development manager in the design team and has recently joined the marketing team as their digital content expert. Her experience comes in handy in understanding the audience as she creates value-driven functional & informational content for the readers. She creates lifestyle pieces that focus on interior design products, trends, and processes. She loves to travel to historic places with rich architecture.
