Having a home workspace can be both beneficial and necessary to getting that required work done all within the comfort of your own home. Having a designated room that you can use to create your home workspace is ideal, but not always possible, so you may need to be imaginative with the rest of the space you have.

Working at home can allow you the benefit of personalizing your home Office, and making it completely your own. But if you’re not careful, it can also have the detriment of becoming cluttered, disorganized and a hard place to focus on your work due to surrounding distractions.

It is crucial to keep it a positive and purposeful environment that will allow you to deliver top-quality work.  Let’s take a look at some of our best tips on how to create a productive home office in your apartment.

Location, location, location

Put your hands up if you loved to do your homework in front of the television in your younger years?  Or maybe you loved to study for exams with music blaring in the background? Yes, the couch is a comfortable place to catch up with a book or have friends over to watch a game, but that doesn’t mean you should bring your work into that same space.

In the case where clients need to come directly to your home, a door that you can close for some privacy is imperative to giving you and your patrons a distraction-free space. Make sure that you know what you need your office for, and set up a place that will be able to accommodate your requirements.

Support yourself

Just because you are working from home does not mean that you have to sit on an uncomfortable kitchen chair. Take the time and go to an office supply store and pick out a chair that allows for you to have good support and comfort at the same time. Working from home often means that the hours are longer, not shorter, and so you need to be the most productive you can be with an ergonomically designed chair to help you through those long days.

Give your tech an upgrade

So, your old Apple Computer got you through all your university essays you had to write, but now you’re trying to use the same computer for your own business? If your current computer is too slow when you’re trying to chat on Skype with a client, or you can’t download a file because your computer doesn’t have enough memory to get the task done, then it’s time to upgrade.

Know the needs of your business and talk to an experienced and knowledgeable technical support representative at your nearest computer store. Having the best ram, the newest writing software, or a top-notch video player installed on your computer are all things to consider within your home office setup. Don’t have your computer crash on you right before your impending deadline, and make the updates you need to stay current in your line of business.

Say yes to the desk

Frequently, when we work in an office environment we are all given the same desk at which to work, usually inside of a cubicle. At home, you have the luxury of spoiling yourself with a nice desk that will allow for all your work needs.

Often the small desks you see in magazines look stylish but don’t actually do much to Hold your work equipment. Pick one out that can hold your computer, printer, second monitor, and any other necessary tools.

My life changed considerably when I bought myself a secretary desk. It has enough space to hold all that I need to do my job, and I can close it away at the end of the day which allows me to separate my home life from my office life. This type of desk can be found at antique markets, but for a more modern twist, Ikea has a nice one that I use that allows for the computer cords to run through the back. Take the time to pick out the right one to suit your needs.

Keep it clean

Don’t allow other home papers and items, such as the cable bill, to come into your office. These things just make for unnecessary clutter and can cause you to become disorganized when looking for that projected analysis printout you promised a potential client.

Only keep what you need to get your job done within your workspace; this includes not allowing your roommate, spouse, or children to use your workspace lest they leave behind homework or personal emails that may become mixed up with your work.

Invest in efficient storage

Depending on the type of work you do, you may find that your desk does not have enough storage for you to hold all the needed documents and files. If this is the case, then you will need to buy yourself some storage to hold and organize the extras. Bookshelves, wall shelves, and even filing cabinets are great ways to hold the excess papers and books and help you to avoid the clutter and disorganization that can sometimes otherwise happen.

Stock up on what you need

Just as offices in buildings are stocked up with extra pens, paper, paperclips, coffee, notepads and the such, so too should your office be supplied in the same manner. Having to run to the store because you run out of notepads every other day, or because you have to print off a lot of reports and you didn’t think to stock up on paper, can become very unproductive and disruptive to your workday schedule.

Make sure that you keep the extra goods in an accessible place. This could include having a closet or cabinet that will hold the bonus supplies for your home office. You could even include a coffee machine and small fridge to hold your milk or cream if you feel as though you have space and need one for frequent visitors.

Find your color

Picking a color to go on your walls is crucial for creating an environment that you will want to come to, day after day, but more importantly, still want to come to in another year or two. You may want one that is soothing or invigorating, whatever suits your personality.

If you are unsure, look up ideas online about how colors can affect your mood and efficiency. Once you decide on a color, go to your nearest hardware store and have fun picking out the shade of that color that will put that snap into your workday routine; then get busy painting!

Get (and stay) inspired

Having a home office space means that you don’t have to settle for the cubicle, so, why would you? Create an environment that makes you feel inspired to get the work done. This can be accomplished simply by situating your desk in front of a window, putting up some inspirational pictures around on your walls, or even decorating with some flowers and greenery. The choices are endless when it’s your own office and there are no other employees complaining about your taste to the boss.

The key to creating a fabulous and productive workspace is to play around with it and find what works for you. It doesn’t have to be accomplished overnight, especially if it’s not in the budget right away. Doing it over time also allows for you to keep the inspiration going, perhaps treat yourself to something new for your office each time you land a new client.

Choose ergonomics over style, remember, you are the one who has to sit and work in your office day after day. Don’t rush your selection, the more successful your office is, the more successful you will be. By following our tips, you will find that you will be happy to go into work day after day, and may not even mind that the weekend just flew by and it’s already Monday.