I love our home office.
The reason I love it so much is because it takes into account the three things that I prize above all for a productive workspace:
- Organization,
- Good Lighting, and
- An Element of Fun
For me, organization is the most important part. Joey is opposite in that he likes to spread out when he is working. It drives me crazy. Since we share our home office, we had to compromise and get a space that works for both of us. Our desk allows for this, because it has ample storage. Joey can make a mess when he is working, but I always ask him to stow everything away in the drawers when he is done for the day. That way, I have a neat workstation when I’m ready to get down to business.
The other great thing about our desk setup is the cord management system I designed. All of our cords fit neatly in an under the shelf wire basket that I bought from Amazon. It hooks onto the back of the desk to keep the cords stowed away. The basket also holds our external hard-drive, which is pretty handy.
This solution keeps the desktop tidy and avoids a tangle of unsightly cords behind the desk.
As far as lighting, we have a great floor lamp from Ikea that adds some extra illumination, since the ceiling light doesn’t always cut it. A desktop task light would have been a more conventional choice, but our desk is very tiny, and I didn’t want anything cluttering it unless totally necessary. That’s why a floor lamp works perfectly.
The final thing that I think is essential for a productive workspace is an element of fun. For our home office, there are a few things that provide this fun including the chalkboard wall, patterned rug, and some quirky accessories, like an old lantern.
But the most unique and fun part of our office space is the top of the desk, which is actually a cutting mat that Joey attached to the desk. We went this route because the desk, which was a Craigslist find, had a very beat up surface. Instead of trying to sand and re-stain it, we opted to just cover it up. It’s a non-conventional solution that adds just the right amount of interest.
Joey and I are lucky that our condo has enough space for a tiny home office. But even if you don’t have room for a home office, you have to work out of your bed or on your kitchen table. You can go to a local coffee shop to work, or an even better option is a shared work community. There are a quite a few companies that offer these, but my favorite is WeWork. WeWork has office space all over the country and even some international spaces. In Seattle alone, there are 3 offices. When you buy a membership, you not only get a really cool and inspirational workspace, but you get access to conference rooms, discounts, networking opportunities, and workshops. It’s a really great option for freelancers.