I know. You secretly dream of designing your house like Joanna Gaines. Everything is white and black. It is clean and pristine. Let’s be real though, we have a houseful of kids that are home all day long. Your house is not going to look like the end results of Fixer Upper (as much as I wish it would). But as someone who works from home, you need to design a work space, you like, for remote work.
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You broke free from the 9-5, so you can make your space your own. Make it fun, fill it with things you like to look at, be creative. However, you want to do it, create a space that works for you and that you enjoy being in. And it doesn’t need to break the bank.
5 Tips for Designing Your Space for Remote Work
You are working from home and homeschooling. You need a space that can accommodate EVERYTHING. Staying organized is always a challenge. Here are 5 tips to create a space for remote work.
1. Separate space
This may not be easy for you, depending on the space you have, but try to find a space that is separate from your living space. When you are a momtrepreneur working from home, it is easy to always work. You can kind of do it without realizing it (I may be speaking from experience). It will help you tremendously if you can walk away from your workspace at the end of the day.
You need a break. It is not a good thing to always be working (yes, I am telling myself this as well). Hang the closed sign out and walk away. It makes it easier if you have a separate office space.
Our formal living room is the office/classroom. Although, I don’t have a door for it because the space is separate I can walk away at the end of my day.
2. Make it your own
My previous office spaces were always decorated by other people, and their styles definitely were not mine. So I had offices spaces that I wasn’t a fan of, but I left at the end of the day, so I didn’t really care.
Now that I am the queen of my space, I can make it my own, and no one cares what it looks like…except me. Yes, I have Star Wars and Marvel characters on my wall. I have boards that help me remember all my projects. Make the space your own and be as creative as your budget will allow.
3. Fun things to look at
I have an aversion to blank walls. Probably from growing up in a military family and never able to really make the house our own because we would be moving. So I like color, art, and action figures. My kids do too.
Part of creating a space, that you want to work in remotely, is what you look at for hours a day. Hang pictures of places you want to visit one day. Add artwork that you like or artwork that you’ve created. It is your space, ignore the art critics and hang your artwork.
4. Storage
This is key. There are 7 people that work in a small space and clutter is always my nemesis. Although, with so many people it does seem to win all the time. And I need to have space for clients and homeschool stuff.
The cube storage units are my favorite. They hold a lot, can be used in a variety of places, and won’t break the budget. Desktop storage is also key. The kids have a place to turn in assignments because I don’t want to go searching for items I need to grade.
5. Computer setup
There are so many gadgets and gizmos (oozits and whatsit galore too). But you don’t need to get everything. There are a few must-haves. A computer…of course, but it doesn’t need to be the latest and greatest. Monitor articulating arms are a must have. They free up desk space, and that is always important. The other two must-haves are a scanner and printer.
Create a Space for Remote Work Over Time
The great thing about creating a space for remote work is that it can be a work in progress. You don’t need to go out and buy everything immediately. If you have a tight budget, then just start with what would be helpful for you now. You do need to be ready to take on clients but that doesn’t mean buying the latest and greatest right now.
Give yourself a budget. Make a list of everything you need to start, and then start with those items. You can build over time and as you grow.
Conclusion to Creating a Remote Work Space
The benefits of working remotely are that you get to create a space that fits your personality and what you like. What is your favorite thing about your remote space?
This post was perfect timing! My husband also works from home so we have been redesigning our office spaces in our home. It has been a lot of fun but also a lot of work setting everything up. I enjoyed reading your tips!
A separate work-ready space is a must!
Great tips, and much needed when working from home is new norm. Thanks
Your home school room looks great! It doesn’t look too crammed. I agree that when setting a space, it’s always a work-in-progress. I like to switch up the things that I have on my board so I constantly have “fresh” ideas and things to look at. Thanks for sharing this!
This post is so relevant to my life right now! We are getting ready to move and have decided to not enroll our son in preschool for this coming year and instead do a “preschool at home.” I am going to also need to figure out how to make space for my own work area in regard to my blog and small business! This post gave me some really great ideas for how to organize the space.
Useful tips to be happy while working remotely.