Home Office Makeover Tips
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If you’re like me and are forced by circumstance to work from home, you’re probably feeling two things right about now:
- Blessed to have work during this challenging time.
- My home office needs help.
I’ve written before about the need to establish your home office, where I opined that “just like in the ‘real office,’ make it your own with an array of talismans that inspire you: photos of family, sports memorabilia, your favorite coffee cup, and the de rigueur jumbo-sized hand sanitizer.”
That was all well and good for the first five months. Today? Well, let’s just say nearly every day I resist the urge to repaint my office, located in a small extra bedroom. Why? Because if I repaint, then I will start tinkering with some other stuff that I know it could also use, like cool ceiling tiles to improve that abysmal popcorn ceiling. Now, that’s not a bad thing at all, but it adds up.
Wait a minute, let’s explore that. If I spend parts of my days thinking my home office needs freshening up, then that means I am not being efficient at working in my home office, right? So, it is logical that I should make improvements if only to be more productive. Brilliant.
Okay, here are some improvements I think every home office should invest in.
Houseplants
They are pretty and can have a nice effect on the atmosphere in your space. “Office plants definitely help to cultivate a calm and peaceful environment, with the added benefit of air filtration,” said Rastislav Vaško head of Android at Doist. Okay, that’s probably a myth, but let’s go with it.
Paint
Brighten your walls, improve your mood? Lifehack says “If your office walls have been painted with an aggravating color, re-paint it. If yours does nothing for you, either way, find a color that puts you in a relaxed, productive mood and paint it.”
Lighting
Overhead lights are a nonstarter for me. It’s harsh and adds glare to my screen, which gives me a headache. I use a great soft light desk lamp that provides a nice, warm, LED ambiance.
Comfortable Chair