Best Home Office Designs for Small Business Owners
Owning and starting a business is a feat in and of itself, but what happens when you’re forced to convert your own home into an office space? In the past year, many entrepreneurs were faced with the hardship of having to grow their business from the inside of their own living spaces due to the pandemic. Now that we’re almost two years into this, working from home is more the norm than having to commute into the office. As a small business owner, you are likely well aware of how stressful managing a business can be, let alone alongside the people you live with. We’ve come up with a few designs to keep your business thriving and you feeling sane.
Find the Extra Space
When people were first forced to work from home, they had to deal with the fact that their house probably wasn’t set up to do so. Many were forced to use living room couches and kitchen tables as a makeshift office to get their daily tasks done, assuming that they would be going back to work in just two weeks. Now, a year-and-a-half later, people are still working from home, and doing so has become the new way of life. Many people have since moved into a more work friendly living space, but either way, finding a dedicated spot to work in is key. Working in places like your bedroom or living area is bound to lead to burnout as you don’t have any sort of separation between work and downtime.
If possible, find a room or even a separate space that can be your office. Whether this be a spare bedroom, a converted garage or basement, or even a corner of a more spacious room, find your “work space.”
Find Some Furniture
Say c’est la vie to hunching over on your couch to finish the latest report for your boss. Set up an office space that is comfortable over everything else. Desks that you can raise are expensive, but you can purchase a standing desk converter for under $100 so that you can alternate between sitting and standing. Also, purchase a chair that will do well for back support. When setting up a home office, do so with comfort in mind. As far as decorating goes, keep it on the simple side to avoid distractions. Last but not least, purchase a good pair of noise cancelling headphones to drown out the background noise.
Set Up the Room Smartly
After you purchase your furniture, set up your office in a way that both helps you avoid distractions while also not giving you the feeling that you are trapped inside of a box. If your space has windows or natural light, set up your desk to avoid the glare and to also give you at least a bit of a view. If you are set up in a spot where you don’t have windows, add some fun lighting, like string lights or an adjustable lamp, to give the room a bit of ambiance. At the end of the day, you want the space to feel professional but not claustrophobic and suffocating.
Add on as You Go
It’s hard to tell right off the bat what is going to feel good and what is going to feel terrible. Set up your office and make adjustments as you continue to use it. Only then will you be able to understand what works and what doesn’t! If you plan on using your home office as leverage when you list your property, look into a guide for selling a home for tips on what works best for a home office. Make decisions that will benefit you in the short term but will also be beneficial down the road!
Working remotely is likely going to be the norm in the upcoming years, so setting up your home office for success is a must. Do what makes you feel the most comfortable and productive and the rest will be a breeze.
