Do you feel more motivated and productive, or slack and lazy working from home, away from your office? Since 2020, working from home has become a trending norm. And I can relate if you say that it makes you feel 1000 times less productive working from home. But one day, I just decided to recreate my home office. All I spent was less than 50 dollars, and it boosted my productivity like crazy since then. I get more work done day after day, and can’t help looking forward to stepping into the space and starting my work every single morning.

So today in this post, I am going to share with you 5 tips I used while recreating my home office. Whether you are working remotely full-time or self-employed, this blog post can show you how to reach maximum productivity just by making some tweaks in the design. Let’s jump right into it!

1. Lighting is Key

First of all, lighting lighting lighting. I have to say it 3 times because it is so important that most people neglect the importance of good lighting in the office. some might even prefer to work in a super dark room. But it’s really harmful to your eyes because the strong contrast can make your eyes more fatigued, causing blurred vision. Imagine staring at the computer screen in the middle of the night, ughhh.

Natural sunlight is most preferable as it literally could wake your body up! As scientific research shows, when we are exposed to sunlight, it signals the brain to shut down melatonin production, the substance that makes us feel groggy and sleepy. At the same time, the brain will release dopamine which makes people feel good and alert. This is why when it comes to deciding which space in the house to be your home office, make sure it comes with a big window that welcomes the sun.

But what if your room is not accessible to enough natural light? No worries, I got your back. Consider investing in the right lamp. Most might choose the basic overhead lamp, which you can see in the office, but that causes glare on your working desk and computer screen. In this case, I’d suggest you to use a desk lamp that makes you more focused on what you are doing. A big plus if the desk lamp has a feature with adjustable color temperature. So that you can customize the lighting condition to match the time of the day. During the daytime, you might want to use cool white light to keep yourself alert, while at night you can switch to warm golden light to prep your brain for bedtime.

2. Choose The Right Colors & Textures

If you don’t mind pouring in some budget, you can set a theme and design your home office accordingly. This way, the space would be more fun and exciting for you to stay in. Who knows, it could make your boring work more exciting too! Test and try out different colors. From wallpaper, flooring, to furniture pieces, different colors emit different types of aura, and this will have a very slight effect on your emotion. Start by thinking of what mood you like to be in while you are working.

Are you a fan of bright colors? Does it make you excited at all? If so, you can have popping orange, bright yellow, or even vibrant green wallpaper and paint to light up the space. These colors are commonly used in Google headquarters, as it has this fun, playful vibe that encourages people to be creative. However, if you prefer to be quiet and very focused during work, you can use darker color tones that help you indulge in the flow state. Colors like dark gray, black, with a hint of gold, make people feel calm and soothing.

Other than that, materials like wooden panels help too. As it is warm and solid, people often feel confident and stable around it. In this case, you can consider wooden flooring, dark oak tables or even wooden wall panels. Side note, if your home office has a low ceiling, you can incorporate stripes into the wallpaper design, to kind of elongate your room and make it look taller.

3. Feng Shui Practice

The Chinese have been utilizing Feng Shui for more than 6000 years and it is believed that positive energy comes from good chi (aka flow). If the flow is blocked in the space, then it can affect the space’s energy level negatively. In this case, you can place your working desk diagonally across the room and with you facing the door when seated. Also you should have a strong backing behind you, like a solid wall, instead of an opening or window. It simply makes you feel supported and reliable. There are so many interesting tips to share when it comes to Feng Shui, as it is believed to bring good luck and fortune. Sometimes I also try to incorporate the principles into my interior design. If you are interested in learning more about it, do comment below and I might make a post about this topic!

4. Add some personal touch

Last but not least, some personal touch to the space can boost your mood and still stay organized. Add some personal items that motivate you, for example family photographs, cute stationeries etc. Just 2 to 3 pieces of these would be fine, so that your desk won't look so cluttered. Another option here, add some plants to make your home office feel more inviting. You can never go wrong with green plants! Other than aesthetic purpose, plants are proven to be able to purify the air and boost your mood. Low maintenance plants like snake plant, cactus, monstera are good choices to start with. At the same time, you need to have a balance between spicing up your home office and keeping it minimal. Sometimes we just lose control and add too much into a space, making it look clutter. (I have been there) So get rid of everything that you don’t need, organize your folders properly. For more storage, build a wall of cabinets, or simply make use of inexpensive storage boxes. Your office desk should only have things that are essential for daily use, like your PC, iPad, planner. Other than that, clear them off. Remember this, an organized and minimalist home office means less distraction, high productivity.

Well since you have read till the end, I have another bonus tip for you here. You can try to apply Feng Shui practices when positioning your office desk.

5. Eliminate All Distractions

Do you feel the same or is it just me? Even the tiniest details can distract me from the most important task. Like noise, phone’s notification, bed, sofa etc. So to maximize your productivity, it is very important to try to remove all of them. If you know you are working from home long term, it would be better if you use a specific room and set it up as a home office. Some of you might work in the bedroom or living room, but with the sight of bed and sofa, they just make you feel like laying down and “rest” for a while.

Furthermore, you are confusing your body by combining work and rest in the same space. This is why some people feel drained and stressed, because their work-life relationship is out of balance. A piece of advice here : separate your workspace from living space. This way every time you step into the home office, your body is ready to focus and work hard. And the moment you step out of the room, leave your work back there and get proper rest. If you are living with your family, there are going to be a ton of distractions. Kids running around, your mom shouting for dinner time, and your lovely husband might be in front of the TV with loud volume. These are the distractions that we don’t need, so try to locate your home office furthest down the hall, as away from the living room as possible.

So there you go, 5 tips and tricks on how to set up the perfect home office. Trust me, setting up your home office right is already half the battle won.

HOME OFFICE DESIGN IDEAS: 5 EASY TIPS TO FOLLOW