If you’ve switched to working from home, it may have become apparent that you don’t have a great place to be productive—especially if multiple people have to find their own office space. Whether your home doesn’t have an office or the office is already occupied, finding that special work zone is imperative to your work productivity. Using these ways to create a workspace when you don’t have an office, you’ll be able to boost your productivity and further separate your work life from your home life.
The Desk Is Essential
It may seem awkward placing a desk within your living room or in the corner of the kitchen, but it’s a necessary step to setting up your new workspace. If you don’t have a separate room that can be utilized as an office, the next best thing is segmenting a piece of an existing room as your workspace. You don’t need to invest in a large desk—just one that’s big enough for you to get your work done efficiently. Keep the desk clean—maybe even add a second monitor to boost productivity.
Make sure the area around your desk is clean and truly separated from your home life. Add plants to your work environment and set ground rules during workdays for anyone else who is living there. Make sure you have a comfortable office chair—not a dining room chair or folding chair.
Declutter an Unused Part of the House
Does your home have a regular mail dump or a place where you toss things before organizing them? Working from home gives you a good reason to declutter and reorganize your home. There may be areas of your home that you already crossed off as becoming a useful office due to the clutter. Take time to shred mail and place documents where they need to go, and you may find the perfect workspace along the way.
If the clutter is important photos or documents, consider the possibility of digitizing them to protect and organize them more efficiently. You won’t need to throw them away, but there are better storage options for your important memories that will provide you with a new workspace.
Repurpose Closet Space
With a little extra DIY effort and reorganizing skills, one of the more creative ways to create a workspace when you don’t have an office is to turn your closet into a suitable workplace. Closets are often the perfect size for a desk, you just need to find an alternative storage solution for the contents of the closet. Once the day is over, you can separate yourself from your work by shutting the closet doors!
No matter how creative you must get with your new office space or how long it lasts, it’s important that you have that separate area during work hours. Separation is key to maintaining a healthy work-life balance and improving your productivity at work.
