I have recently moved and set up a new home office. I’ve worked from home almost exclusively for the past decade and recently found out that I will continue to work from home the majority of the work week for the foreseeable future.
I have worked from home consistently my whole life, whether it was as a music teacher, as a tutor, as a small business owner, as a consultant, as a student, as a teacher, as a researcher. It’s really nice to work with other people and be part of an in-person team, but this is not always possible and working from home does give some freedom and flexibility to design a space to be in that works for you.
I’ve had office space in the kitchen, in the living room, in the basement, in the bedroom, in combined crafting/music spaces, and dedicated rooms. With this new move, I once again have a dedicated room.
I decided that at this point in my life, I wanted inspiration- when I look up I see gifts people have given me, I see travel moments, I see words of inspiration, I see beautiful colours, I see reminders of a life well lived, travel I've gone on, and gifts from friends along the way (plus a few purchased pieces that were bought just for fun).
My monitor is big and collection of colourful pens sits next to some swag stress balls (one looks like a pig that is laughing- it makes me happy) clutter the over-size desk. I spread out when I work. I have papers everywhere. You might not work like that and a smaller desk might function just fine. For a while I just used a night stand- it was big enough for my laptop and I didn’t have a very big work-space. I do always encourage people to have some kind of a table- people just work better when they aren’t lying around on their beds (can you tell I have tutored and taught a lot of people over the years).
When I was figuring out where to set up my home office, I looked for good light and good light at all times of the day. I’m too old to risk the wrinkles that will come from squinting when the sun is shining- but I do need sunlight. I also know from experience that I don’t work well in the dark, I need there my space to be bright and cheerful- after all a lot of the topics I look at and try to think of solutions for are not always very cheerful topics. I was told once there is nothing exciting or joyous about studying the pain of others- and this is very true. But also when you spend your time thinking about the pain of others, vicarious trauma can worm its way into your being, and so having ways to remember to be bright, light, and free are important.
This might not always be possible – you might need to work in a basement or windowless room but you can do things to still add light such as mirrors, plants, and lights.
When I look up I see inspiration but I also thought about what I want the wall behind me to look like when I have video calls and put up wallpaper that makes me happy. I have space for my pets to sit and relax—or carefully hunt the printer as my cat is currently doing- waiting for another page to pop out. I have a phone charger and extra plug-ins, and a comfortable chair.
I have a white board on a wall beside me- it currently says “check if wix overcharged me on my website” as I was quite surprised at my credit card bill – they didn’t, I checked. The Canadian exchange rate is just ridiculous and I hoped it wasn’t that... I also have a note that says “finish marking” which I will do.
I use the white board for planning, for thinking through thoughts, for reminders. It has a little bulletin board below which is fantastic for my million and one post-it notes that I also use to think through ideas. Remember ideas are fluid they move around, and so I like to have space for those ideas to get out of my brain, but not necessarily in a permanent way.
I have found over the years that having a space that is light- both lighthearted and has good lighting- is essential when I’m spending hours on end in the space. I also know that having a space that can lock up important documents is key, so I have that too.
While not every space you live in can have a dedicated room that is a home office, every home office (even if it is just your laptop or tablet) can have things on it or around it that make you smile, and remind you that work is only one small part of a very rich and fulfilling life- it is a small piece of self-care, to remember that you are more than the words on a page or the numbers on a spreadsheet and as the sign I have above my desk says “chase your dreams- in the cutest shoes you own” or when it’s happening from a home office- maybe it’s the cutest socks you own… but the blog about my socks collection will have to wait… right now the sun is shining and it’s time to curl-up with a good book on this holiday Monday and enjoy my new home office.
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