The luxury to have an office and bedroom space isn’t something that everyone has. Heading to your desk might be more like perching on a stool in the kitchen, or on your bed. There are so many perks to being able to work from home. You can work whenever and wherever you need to. You can make all of the decisions about how you are going to work most productively.
However, most of us would choose to have a separate office and bedroom where possible. When that is not possible, the next best thing is to create a space dedicated to working and work only – but in your room.
Photo by Gabriel Beaudry on Unsplash
Face Away
If you have a wall or window that you can face your desk towards that is the best thing you can do. By having your back to your bed or any cozy spots in your bedroom, you are less likely to want to go and enjoy them.
This means when you are in the middle of procrastinating, you’re going to be looking out into the garden or across the road, but never really directly at your bed. When you begin to procrastinate, your bed isn’t going to be there – soft and ready to sit on.
Even facing a wall is better than facing your bed. You can decorate your wall with a mood board and a motivational board. Which we will talk more about further into the article.
Chair
If your chair is uncomfortable, you will be more tempted to move to your bed to work. And once you’re on your bed, it’s a short ride between sitting there and working or taking a quick nap to recharge because you’re working so hard.
Sitting on an ergonomic chair while you work is one of the things that makes a massive difference to your health too. It is imperative that if you are going to be working for extended periods of time at your desk.
When you use an ergonomic chair, you are supporting your back, neck, shoulders, arms and wrists. Working more comfortably and in a more healthy way.
Multi-use Furniture
If you have a limited amount of space, your desk might also need to double as a bedside table. Although this can be risky because you are likely to need to have nonwork-related items on your desk and work-related items.
This is you effectively learning to separate two parts of your life in the same small space. You can use different storage boxes for work-related items and non-work-related items. This will help you keep a discipline.
After you have finished working, switch off your computer or close the lid to your laptop and move it.
Likewise for any documents that you need to have available while you are working.
Split the room
A curtain or screen is a great way to separate your work and sleeping areas. They look quite glamorous. You can simply put a curtain across while you are working and that gives you a slightly more enclosed space, and when not in use you can pull the curtain back so you get the full use of the room or you can choose to keep the curtain pulled across and keep your sleep space very separate.
It is not too difficult to fit a curtain on the ceiling, but simply using a simple pole and some curtain wires, you can then hook on some curtains and slide them across.
Dressing screens are also great for this because they can be folded down and put away when not in use. They can also make the room feel quite glamorous and have multiple uses. They come in a range of shapes, sizes, and styles, which means there will certainly be one that will fit what you need in terms of room separation.
Storage
Storage is going to be key if your bedroom is also doubling up as your freelance or office space. If you still have paper files and other stationery as well as notebooks, you’re going to have to have somewhere to put them.
Many people forget to utilize the vertical space. Your walls can be a great space for putting up shelves simply to place your work-related books on. This designated area will free up your desk space too.
You can go for a more minimal and potentially more effective routine and keep all of your paper items scanned and on a hard disk drive. This will take up much less space. This will enable you to go as paper-free as possible. Filing storage can also come in a range of sizes and shapes, many of which are designed to fit into smaller spaces nowadays.
Mood board/motivation board
If your desk does not overlook a window and instead you are facing the wall, you might want to give yourself something beautiful. The idea behind a mood board or a motivational board is to fill it with things that make you happy.
You can add images and quotes that can keep you motivated while you’re working.
You can also add pictures of things that you want in the future. Like hopes and dreams for your business, or a house size that you want to move into in the future. It is also a great place to put your weekly planners. To make sure that you’re getting everything done.
Bed
The bed that you have needs to be something that fits with how you want your office to feel. If you want something sleek, minimalist, and easy to work in, then the rest of the bedroom’s furniture needs to add to that. Get into the habit of making your bed every morning or at least before you work.
Because clutter around us, physical clutter, can also cause mental clutter. Which is why many people don’t find work in the bedrooms particularly productive. You can find a wide range of discount bedroom furniture online that can help you achieve the bedroom look that you are going for.
There are many beds that come up with under bed storage, which is ideal if you’re trying to make the most of your space. You can store your office items there, or things like clothing, so you don’t have to have a large wardrobe or chest of drawers.
Desk
If you have room for a standing desk or a desk that can have an adjustable height, this can be a great way to save space. You can wind the desk up to standing height, and use this in combination with a Pomodoro timer to get your most productive day ever. You can store other things underneath the desk if you use it exclusively as a standing desk.
If you don’t like the idea of a standing desk, try to have one that has enough storage for all of your office items. Or has enough storage for things like make-up and beauty items.
Tidiness
Above all, it is essential to make sure that you keep your space tidy. It is very easy to leave skin cream, hair bands, and mirrors on your desk, and start putting your pens and office items like notebooks in your beauty drawers.
Try to keep everything as clean and tidy as possible. Or at least tidy before you start work every day. This will stop the lines getting blurred between the work that you should be doing, and procrastinating for a little bit too long with a face mask on.
Personalize the Space
If only you are using the office space within the bedroom, make sure that it is personal to you as possible. This means ensuring that it is in colors and styles that you appreciate. Adding plants, images and photographs that make you happy will contribute to your doing your best work, even in a small space.
Custom Blinds
Integrating custom blinds into your bedroom-office space can significantly improve both its functionality and aesthetic appeal. Custom blinds enable you to control how much natural light enters, creating an optimal atmosphere for concentration and relaxation. They come in various styles, colors and materials so they match any decor or personal taste. Including wooden blinds with sleek finishes or fabric shades with soft textures. Creating personalized blinds tailored specifically for you could make a space more pleasant while increasing productivity.
Lighting
You must have as much natural lighting as possible within your working area. So make sure that your window has a light, bright addressing as often as possible. If you are concerned about privacy, you can add a window screen. These will let in lots of light but keep your privacy.
Fluorescent lighting isn’t always great, no he’s working in a dark space for most people. However, you can get lighting that mimics natural light. This means that if you quite like to work late into the evening or very early in the morning, you’ll still feel like you are benefiting from natural daylight.
Freelancing, or running a business from home, is a lot about a work-life balance. And often, that means having one space that needs to be used for multiple things. There are many options and ideas online about making the most of small office space or utilizing the small areas in your home as those spices.
When it comes to decorating and moving furniture around, it doesn’t have to be all done in one day. Often when things are done over time, it is more satisfying when they are finished.