Working from home is great. Working from an inspiring home workspace is even better! Besides the freedom to work in pajamas (because no one cares, especially you) you also have the freedom to create your own little work haven. A dedicated space where you feel comfortable, inspired, and get things done.

I believe that a home office has to be three things: functional, inspiring, and tailored to your needs.

No matter whether your office is a dedicated separate room or a desk in the corner of your living room, it should be a comfortable place that inspires you. It should be distraction-free and fully equipped with items you need to get your work done.

This post is partially inspired by my own home office crisis a few months back. I felt like I had fully outgrown my tiny and modest office space and equipment. I’ve made a huge leap from a student and part-time freelancer to running a full-time business in the past few years. So naturally, the desk, space, tools and even decorations were outdated and no longer relevant to where I am in my life. Everything needed a serious upgrade and facelift.

A month of planning later I completely transformed my office to reflect my current life and work needs. And guess what? I got my work mojo back. I love spending time here in my office and even miss it when I’m traveling. Is that weird? That just confirmed that a tailored workspace is so necessary for productivity and creativity.

Whether you have a separate room for your office, work from the couch, or are like Fred Armisen in Portlandia, you can do so much to make that space a place where you want to be. Here are some tips to get you started.

Ideas for Creating An Inspiring Home Workspace

Invest in a good chair and desk

If you’re going to invest in something in your office, make it your desk and most importantly, chair!

A great chair will change your life (and your back will thank you)!

My desk and chair are hands down the most expensive pieces of furniture in my office and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe it’s my thirties talking, but proper back support is crucial. It’s quite hard to feel inspired when your back is screaming for help, isn’t it?

Chairs are very personal and the only way to find the right one is to sit in a ton of them. I kid you not, I tried about a hundred different ones before settling on the ElliePro by ITO Design (no affiliation) which was the right balance between ergonomics and beauty for me.

Also, avoid one of those narrow desks, especially if you’re working on a desktop. With a wider desk, you can place the monitor further away so it’s not so intensive in your eyes.

Pro tip: If you tend to work into the night, install f.lux, free software that adapts your computer display to the time of day to reduce eye strain, so you’re not blinded by your screen at night.

Good light is everything

I think it goes without saying: if you can, move your desk or the entire workspace closer to a window to take advantage of the natural light.

For evenings, get a desk lamp with a soft light (warm white, around 2700K). Personally, I’m a fan of fairy lights and candles, too.

Anything that makes your space feel cozier – especially in late autumn and wintertime when it gets dark early.

Recommended reading: 8 Ways to Simplify Your Business & Go From Overwhelmed to Overjoyed

Office upgrades I can’t recommend enough

Hidden printer. Printers are… not that pretty. How about concealing them without sacrificing usability? In my new office, I had the electrician install plugs into the back of one of the cabinets so I could hide my printer and scanners in there. There’s also printer paper in the drawer underneath. So handy!

Concealed floor outlets are a lifesaver for desks in the middle of the room. Depending on your floor and what’s underneath your house, getting the wiring in place can be difficult or quite easy, however, the extra convenience and no trip-hazard cables on the floor are worth the investment. I installed multiple outlets and Ethernet ports.

If you have space for it, invest in a secondary bigger monitor or a desktop computer with a big monitor. My recommendation is no smaller than 24″ for valuable screen real estate. Working from the laptop is life riddled with tab and desktop switching, getting lost in a sea of tabs and endless scrolling because the screen is so small (or maybe it’s just me). Bigger screen = more space, bigger picture. You’ll spend less time managing tabs, windows, and programs, and more super-focus time on the task at hand. 

Get yourself organized, yo

Decluttering and organization is my favorite part of creating an inspiring home workspace. This is the fun part, at least for those of you who love anything organization-related. I see you, sister.

Declutter. I get it, life goes on and junk accumulates but that doesn’t mean you should let it get wild. Before doing anything else, go through everything (and I mean everything) in your office space and evaluate whether it’s needed or not. You might be surprised what you’ll find… Get rid of everything that doesn’t serve a purpose.

Get some storage. The rest of the items should be organized in a way that makes sense to you. If you have drawers, get some organizers and assign a space for everything. Get file folders for paperwork, a cup for pens, and a container for paper clips. Also, if you have lots of nitty-gritty stationery that clutters up your space but no drawer space for storing it, get some pretty boxes (or if you’re feeling crafty, decorate an old shoebox) and hide that stuff in there. Just make sure it’s easily accessible so you’ll actually use it.

Keep your job essentials in sight. Your planner, notebook, pens, camera – whatever it is, keep it where you can see it and use it (not under a pile of paperwork). Everything else can be put away. Most people can’t focus in a cluttered environment. The clearer your desk, the better you’ll be able to focus on the task at hand.

Remove distracting elements. If anything keeps distracting you, remove it from the space. This is especially true for decorative items that are not essential to the job.

Have a junk drawer/box. In an ideal world, you’d file everything right away but we don’t live in an ideal world. My tip is to limit yourself to one junk space (either a drawer or a box) where you’re allowed to let things pile up and get messy. Go through it on a regular basis and throw out or file away everything that’s in there.

Contain the cable mess

Urgh, cables are the worst.

They’re messy, distracting, and almost impossible to make look nice, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try! There are a few ways you can tame that mess.

You know how most people have a box of unknown orphan cables that just sit there unused but you also can’t bring yourself to get rid of it just in case? Yeah, get rid of those!

Next up, sort and organize your cables by type and/or the device they go with. Create some piles!

I then put each type of cable in a separate zip lock bag (USBs in one, HDMI in another, etc.), labeled the bag, and stored them in an old IKEA Kuggis box I had around the house.

What about the cables you can’t hide away?

One way to reduce cable clutter is to switch to wireless devices (preferably at the end of their life cycle). Keyboard, mouse, printer, speakers, you name it.

You can also attempt to hide and minify your cables. Hide them real good! Zip them up with velcro straps (way superior to cable ties, and reusable to boot), get them off the ground and up in the air, cover overly happy multi-colored cables with a cover strip, and hide that hideous extension cord in a pretty minimal cable box. That should look a lot better.

Pro tip: if you opt for wireless battery-powered devices, I suggest investing in rechargeable batteries and a charger. Single-use batteries are expensive (in the long run), horribly wasteful and so not good for the environment (especially if they’re not disposed of properly).

Pro tip: if you use many USB devices and ports every day, get a USB dock that lives on the table. It makes for quick and easy access.

Keep it light

We’re not just talking about keeping stuff minimal. This tip is for those of us who have small spaces to work with.

One way to make your small space seem bigger and airier (is that a word??) is to keep the furniture and big bulky things light-colored or white.

For example, I replaced my small dark desk with a big white IKEA desk. It’s a lot bigger than my old desk but looks and feels cleaner, lighter, and less cluttered. My space also feels more open.

Surround yourself with things that inspire you

Your office is a place for getting in tune with your work, inspired and creative. Create the space to reflect you, your brand, and business. The moment you step into your office, you should feel inspired, energized, and ready to kick ass.

Get a corkboard for your business goals. Or just tape it on your wall. I just started doing this recently and it has been a game-changer! Yeah, that business goals board in Asana is cool but it feels – at least in my opinion – less real. Like it’s easier to dismiss. Once you write those goals out in a bold font and put it where you can see them every day, it instantly up levels your productivity. There is just something about seeing your monthly/quarterly/yearly goals typed out. It’s a great way to always be reminded of what you’re working for.

Create a vision board. In addition to business goals it’s a good idea to put your vision board somewhere you can see it all the time.

Brand documents. Another way to remind yourself to keep going is to print out your brand documents. Type out your big why or your brand’s core values and make it into a poster. Maybe even print out your brand mood board to keep your brand aesthetic in mind at all times. Just an idea!

Inspiring posters, pictures, and graphics. What about some motivational quotes and pictures that resonate with you or speak to you? What’s your mantra or words you live by? Hang it up!

Make use of notebooks

Raise your hand if you have way too many notebooks lying around. *raises hand*

I mean everyone loves stationery. And if you’re like me and tend to hoard pretty notebooks, don’t just let them sit there unused! The greatest honor you can give to a notebook is to use it. I know that little perfectionist in you hates to write in it, but commit to using them anyway!

Here and here are ideas for using up notebooks. I use two notebooks on a daily basis. One is for scribbling, lists and project planning. It’s always open on my desk. The other is for learning new business-related things (notes from courses and webinars, blog posts, etc).

Pro tip: This is my tip for getting stationery shopping under control. Instead of buying every pretty notebook that comes my way, I make sure it a) fits my office decor and b) matches my brand mood board. It’s got to tick both boxes, otherwise, I just get brave and walk away.

Go green

Bring greenery indoors and use plants to decorate the space. I’m a full-on houseplant lady so I’m definitely biased, but plants make any space look way better and cozier.

Plus, some plants clean the air and increase the humidity around them. Apparently owning plants is also hip nowadays. It makes sense why millennials are so obsessed with plants.

If you’re totally new to caring for plants, try a snake plant, pothos (these two could live in a closet), rubber tree or dracaena.

Keep it clean

To keep your space clean, make cleaning up a habit. At the end of the day clean up your desk, put paperwork and stationery away.

A minimal desk is helpful. Don’t overload your desk with stuff, only keep out what you need and store the rest away in a drawer or a box. Boom – already easier to keep it clean!

Pro tip: Before you shut off the computer, close any tabs, windows, and programs you don’t need and open up the necessary ones for the next day. This way you’ll start the next workday from a fresh slate. Yesterday’s loose ends have been tied up and you’re ready to seize the day.

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