Upgrade Your Home Workspace on a Budget With These Essential Tips
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Upgrade Your Home Workspace on a Budget With These Essential Tips
During the height of the pandemic, many people spent a lot of time working from home and discovered that there’s room for change where their furnishings and decor are concerned. Fortunately, if you want to refresh your home workspace but don’t want to spend a ton of money, there are lots of options to choose from. Adding greenery, overhauling upholstery, and eliminating clutter are just a few things you can do to give your home office a facelift. Courtesy of The Virtual Consulting Firm, here are a few ways you can freshen up your workspace on a budget.
Clean Up
It can be difficult to truly see the condition your office furniture is in when you use it every day, so throw open the windows and let some natural light in while you look over your favorite chair. Upholstery stains aren’t always easy to clean at home, but if you’re not ready to give up on the piece just yet, you can take it to a pro. Look online for a local reupholstery company, but before hiring, ask them for customer referrals to get an idea of what you can expect. Just beware of pros who use all-in-one cleaning tools as not all stains and fabrics are equal. Also, be mindful of furniture warranties that may cover the cost of cleaning (or may end up voided in the process).
You can also invest in a stick vacuum cleaner that you can keep in a corner or small closet. That way, if a spill occurs or a two- or four-legged child brings in mud, you can get it cleaned up quickly and easily.
Get Rid of Clutter
Cleaning doesn’t just apply to your furniture. When you stay busy with work and home responsibilities, it’s easy to let things pile up on your desk. But clutter can have an adverse effect on your mood and leave you feeling distracted. Declutter your entire workspace by setting up a filing system that works for you and by adding organizational tools that will allow you to keep things neat, even if you have a small space. Renters might benefit from utilizing over-the-door organizers or hanging shelves that will make storage a breeze.
Lighten Up Your Space
Decluttering can lighten your mood, but you can also add a few things to your home office to make it a more comfortable space while also reducing stress. Greenery, natural or soft lighting, and soothing wall colors are just a few examples of things that will make your workload a little easier to bear. If you don’t like the idea of painting the walls to brighten your space, consider using custom wallpaper. This is a type of wallpaper that you can customize, allowing you to play around with designs. You can also use peel-and-stick options to create quick, replaceable accent walls.
You can also think about how to make your space more physically comfortable or health-conscious, such as adding a standing desk to prevent sitting for long periods of time or a footrest that will keep your spine aligned when you are sitting.
Ensure Productivity
Working from home can be a challenge, no matter how well you’ve designed your office space. There will always be distractions of some kind, especially if you have family members or pets at home while you’re working. The good news is, there are some easy ways to increase your productivity, such as investing in a new laptop.
You can also find a smart assistant that can help out with your calendar or a time tracker that can help you stay on task. You can also look for online resources that make your work easier — such as file-sharing services, communication apps, and email managers — so you can shave a few minutes off your workday.
Design for Functional Comfort
Carefully choose a workspace that maximizes your productivity instead of choosing to work at the dining table or kitchen counter. Making a space that is clearly for work will help you to compartmentalize more and avoid the blurring that can happen between work and personal life in a work from home environment.
The temperature of your workspace can also make a huge difference in your productivity. If you are too hot, you can become sleepy. If you are too cold, you will find it hard to focus. So take a moment to schedule an HVAC tune-up to ensure things are working properly and to prevent a possible breakdown when you most need it. But finding the ideal HVAC repair company is no small task. Look online for review sites and prioritize one that allows you to customize your search. Choose a few promising looking options and call around to inquire about pricing and service availability. Take note of their customer service, too, because these employees will likely be in and out of your home for a few hours. You want to make sure you’ll be comfortable with them there.
Creating the perfect home office doesn’t have to be expensive, and in fact, when you make certain upgrades, you can actually increase the appraisal value of your home. In addition to boosting your home’s value, making the changes outlined above can affect everything from your productivity to your mood. Make a list of the most important aspects of a home office for your needs and look at your current setup with a critical eye. Sometimes all it takes is a few small alterations to make a big difference.
When you find yourself stuck and in need of advice with your IT or business questions, contact The Virtual Consulting Firm. We can help you through tough situations to get you up and running smoothly and more efficiently than before.
This article was written by a guest writer, Adam Evans.
Adam Evans has worked in a variety of educational roles, from substitution to full-time teaching to administration positions. Currently a full-time private tutor, he likes to spend his free time exploring museums and natural wonders of the West Coast with his wife and their sons.
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