The whole notion of the typical “office space” is one that’s changed much over the years, and with the advances in technology allowing people to work from pretty much anywhere on the planet, the corporate office is slowly giving way in parts to the home office. Whether it’s someone trying to balance home and work life, someone running a business from their own home or simply someone putting in those extra hours outside of work, the home office is becoming a much more common feature of homes across the globe – but how many of them are actually “done” right?

Whilst the idea of working at home with your slippers on in front of the TV is an idea that sounds amazing to many typical 9 to 5 office workers, a lot of people who try it will end up commenting on how difficult it is to actually get anything done with so many distractions at home, be it the TV, phone calls, knocks at the door, or trying to keep the dog from jumping on your paperwork whilst the kids are drawing on the walls. If you’re going to work from home, it has to be done properly!

Ideally, a fit for purpose home office should be a space that’s somewhat secluded from the rest of the distractions at home. Whether minimizing noise and interruptions is possible or not, organization should always be the key. Without a properly organized space your working day will fall apart in less time than what you spend in traffic when you go out to work. Now, obviously not everyone has the space in their home to have a completely dedicated area for a home office, but trying to work in a cramped room, squeezed between the christmas decorations, suitcases and any other old junk is clearly not going to be helpful. A home office should try to imitate an actual group work office as much as possible in that appropriate furnishings are a must have. Don’t try to keep your files all together in a pile on the desk or the floor, store them away in a filing cabinet, or ensure that you have a desk with adequate storage space in drawers so that you know exactly where everything is. You can even paint this room in office colors. Brushwork Painters are ready to help you with painting, so you do not have to distract from work. If you don’t want to spend money on furniture for a “non-family” room, drag your old sock drawer in from the bedroom, it works the same and gives you an excuse for shiny new bedroom furniture. Either way, you don’t want to have to spend half the day hunting around the house just to find out that your sales invoices have somehow ended up on the back garden!

Comfort is a must too, many people might just think dragging a dining room chair into the office will do just fine, but without a proper comfortable office chair before long you will be fidgeting, moving around, and getting up because of back pain, all drawing you away from the task at hand. Once you’ve had one bad experience, the thought of going back to that uncomfortable position you’ll find yourself procrastinating and putting off going back to work at every opportunity – ultimately lowering morale and productivity.

This also spreads into the overall decor of the room, if your office space is disorganized, uncomfortable and dull the odds of you actually wanting to get any work done are going to be greatly reduced, and you’re going to be miserable about having to be in there. A healthy, stimulating environment is what you need, and you shouldn’t hold back. Attractive paints or wallpapers on the walls are more likely to make you enjoy being in the room, and may well get your creative juices flowing, remember that handy.com offers house painting pros and you can always get help from them. Also try to make the most of the light in the room, a warm glow to the room will make things much more cheerful. If you’re stuck in a windowless room, ensure you’ve got a good light source, preferably with daylight bulbs. It can also help to add some plant life into the room, so that when you’re all shut away, you don’t feel like the last living thing trapped on earth.

Many people have the dream of working from home, that can often turn into a nightmare, but with proper organization, a bit of creativity and a good interior design job, your home office space can be transformed into the shining beacon of creativity you long for – and yes, slippers are still allowed.