7 simple ways to spruce up your home office
Photo credit: Inspired Stock Shop
“If you work from home and you’ve either found yourself feeling out of sorts when you’re trying to work, or not wanting to be in your work space, then it may be time to spruce up your home office!
Our work environment can have a huge impact on our energy, mindset, ability to concentrate, and overall mood.
When you work from home, there’s the potential for a lot of extra distractions that can affect your energy and productivity -- especially if, like me, you don’t have a designated room for an office. I have a tiny little nook in our kitchen/living room space that serves as my office.
This makes it all the more important to create a home office that helps you be productive, energized, focused, and inspired (even if your “office” is just a section of the sofa.)
Sprucing up my home office nook is something I do every so often when things start feeling stale, and now I’m starting to do it more in alignment with the seasons.
At the time I’m writing this, Summer is just a few days away here in the Northern Hemisphere. The energy of Summer is all about taking action, shining bright, outward energy, fun, creativity, sharing your message and making your voice heard.
Summer feels vibrant and fiery, so it’s a good time to bring some of those elements into your workspace to inspire your creativity and motivate you to take action.
In light of that, right now I’m looking to bring things into my little office nook that brighten up my space and make it more colorful and vibrant. Things that will encourage me to be creative, work hard on the projects and ideas I dreamed up in spring, and to have more fun.
Regardless of what season you’re in when you’re reading this, or what kind of atmosphere you’re trying to create for your work space, you’ll find some simple ways to spruce up your home office below . . .
7 Simple Ways to Spruce Up Your Home Office
1) Add some color or experiment with new colors
I love color and the ability it has to impact my mood, mindset, and energy. The walls of my little office nook are off-white, so that lets me easily change up the colors with accessories and supplies.
You can easily bring more color to your work space by adding things like a colorful new pillow for your desk chair, pretty office supplies, fresh flowers, and pretty colored sticky notes (bonus points if you put them in this super cute kitty sticky note dispenser). I have this in my office and love it!
2) Make a vision board
I’ve had a vision board for years and have always kept it in my bedroom. When I made the transition to being a work-from-home solopreneur and started spending a lot more time in my home office, I realized it was a missed opportunity not having a vision board there. So now I have a mini vision board in my office nook, too.
Having a dream board front and center in your home office will help you manifest your dreams because they’ll be top of mind as you see your board throughout the day. It will also help motivate you to work hard and take action, because those dreams you’re working for are right in front of you as a reminder.
You can make a physical dream board or a digital one. A corkboard or piece of thick poster board are simple backgrounds for a physical board. You can also make a digital vision board and save it as your computer background and screensaver.
3) Add fun photos of friends and loved ones
Photos can bring back fun memories, motivate you, and even boost your energy and mood by making you laugh. In my office nook, there’s a photo of my friend Sarah and me from a trip we took to Hilton Head many moons ago. It’s a candid shot someone took of us laughing hysterically on the beach. Just looking at that picture makes me laugh and remember that fun trip. It makes me feel closer to her since we don’t get to visit that often, and it’s an instant mood booster. Plus, it’s a reminder for me that the more freedom I can create in my business, the more time and ability I’ll have to do things like go and visit her and other people I care about. Super motivating!
4) Hang a wall calendar
I’ve been obsessed with calendars since I was a kid. Wall calendars are especially fun because there are so many cool designs that can impact you in as many different ways. There are inspiring calendars, funny calendars, thought-provoking calendars, cute calendars, beautiful artwork calendars, and on and on. Whatever mood or atmosphere you’re trying to create in your office, there’s a calendar for that. My go-to calendar for years has been the B. Kliban cat calendars. They’re so cute and funny and creative, and just looking at the artwork makes me smile and brightens my day. This is a really easy way to spruce up your home office (NOTE: If you use that link, be sure that you find the current year’s calendar.)
5) Declutter and organize your work space
This one might not qualify as simple depending on how much clutter you have, but I’d be remiss not to include it because it’s such an important one. Clutter and chaos are a big distraction and energy drain, especially if you happen to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) like me. Clearing out clutter in your workspace can bring an instant feeling of calm and groundedness like nothing else.
RELATED POST: Spring cleaning for your business -- 5 tips for a more productive season
At least once a season, try to take a look at your office space with fresh eyes and clear out the trouble spots where clutter has accumulated. (Bonus points if you do it during a waning moon, which is the time between the full moon and the new moon -- it’s an ideal time for releasing things). And, this is a great opportunity to use those pretty office supplies we talked about!
6) Bring in some new inspiration
Inspiration can come from so many sources, but a few ideas are an inspiring quote (because who doesn’t love a good quote?), an image, an object that represents something inspirational to you, or even displaying a book you’ve been inspired by (sometimes just displaying that book and seeing it regularly can help you remember and connect with the meaningful message you received from it).
7) Get some crystals
I’ve always loved rocks and crystals (at one point in my childhood I wanted to be a geologist!), but I’m just now beginning to delve into the more mystical aspects of crystals. Besides being beautiful and colorful (another way to add color to your home office!), I’m learning they can affect your energy and they have healing properties. It’s really fascinating. I don’t know enough yet to make recommendations for specific crystals, but if nothing else, just pick a few that you’re drawn to because you think they’re pretty or you like the color . . . there’s probably a bigger underlying reason you’re drawn to them.
So, there are a few simple ideas for sprucing up your home office or work space so that it’s a place you want to be, with an atmosphere that promotes creativity, focus, and inspired action.
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