I spent years working in small cubicles dreaming of the day I’d have my own office. Four walls with a door was all I wanted. Having a peaceful workplace away from all the office drama was a constant yearning of mine.
That dream office I wished for–I never got it. What I did get was a good lesson in making the most of what I have instead of wishing for something different. I had to learn how to make the best of whatever office space I had…even if it was just a very small cubicle!
Today I’m collaborating with WeWork to discuss how you can make the most of your work space, no matter how big (or small) it is. Whether you feel like a fish in a sardine can stuck in a teeny-tiny cubicle or have a whole room for an office, these tips will help you hone in on what you need in a work space to make it functional and help make you productive.
Here is my current work space:
After years of working in the medical billing field, I now get to be a stay at home mom that works part time from home.
My office is a bright and cheery room that gets plenty of light.
What I love About My Work Space:
- My office is now in my own home.
- It’s a beautiful multifunctional space that fits many needs.
- It’s set apart from the craziness and stress of the rest of the house.
- It’s an expression of my personality which makes it a fun place to work!
What Would Make This a Dream Office:
- Consistent naps from my three year old (I know that’s a laughable statement, but I can dream, right?)
- Internet that never gets interrupted.
- A computer that isn’t super slow.
- A place where time stands still.
- A constant comfortable temperature.
Now that you’ve seen my work space, lets talk about how we can make your work space a place you love to work!
How To Make The Most Of Your Work Space
Surround your visual space with a couple of things that inspire you. For me this would be a couple photos and quotes.
Keep items that spark stress to a minimum. If you keep a memo that caused you to have a slight panic attack right in your visual space, it will continue to cause you stress. File it away so you don’t have to stare at it all day but have access to it if needed.
*affiliate link
Use smart vertical storage that doesn’t take up much space. I love this *file organizer
because it can hold a lot of paperwork without taking up much space on my desk.
because it can hold a lot of paperwork without taking up much space on my desk.
Use music to set the tone for your work day. Invest in some good *headphones like this
. Listening to music on my headphones kept me out of the office drama. I can choose the music and set the tone for my own day and not be brought down by the “Debbie Downer” in the office.
. Listening to music on my headphones kept me out of the office drama. I can choose the music and set the tone for my own day and not be brought down by the “Debbie Downer” in the office.Still need some inspiration for your work space? WeWork is a coworking company that provides inspiring and exciting work space that you can rent with locations all over the world. These work spaces are truly inspiring! If your business is growing but you can’t afford a permanent work space, WeWork may be a good solution!
How do you make the most of your work space?
Shared at: Think and Make Thursday, Motivational Monday, Whimsy Wednesday, Creative Spark, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Think and Make Thursday, Your Turn To Shine, Best DIY and Recipes, Show Me Saturday, Project Inspire{d}, Thrifty Thursday, The SITS Girls Link Up, Frugal Friday, Weekend Wind Down, Link Party Palooza, DIY Inspired, I’m Lovin’ It, Work It Wednesday, and Family Fun Friday.
Thanks for the nice post
Love your desk! Care to share where you purchased it or the separate pieces? Thanks!
Thank you Megan! My hubby and I made it and I wrote a tutorial on how to make the desk here. I hope that helps!
Vertical storage is an absolute MUST! I love how much you’ve worked into such a small space!
We’re moving in about a month, really looking forward to having a workspace I can call my very own 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration!
P.S. I’ll cross my fingers for you with those naps, but I realy don’t think it’s going to happen! LOL 🙂
Enjoy your new workspace, Julia! Naps are a funny thing. I think both of my kids went through phases where they’d nap one month and then completely boycott them the next month! My son is sleeping as I’m typing this, so for now I’m enjoying the naps (while I can!)
I so love this space! My current space is not my favorite and I keep looking for ways to make it my own. This is so inspirational and it has put my mind in the right perspective of loving what I do have. I can’t wait to make my space my own now after reading this post! Thanks for rockin’ the inspiration!
I’m happy to be a part of inspiring you to enjoy what you already have! You’ll have to keep me updated and let me know how your space turns out Jen!
I feel you with the computer that tortures you! Thanks for posting. Hello from Think and Make Thursday.
Thanks so much for stopping by and here’s to hoping our internet doesn’t go out on us today 🙂
These are great tips for a workspace!! I just wish I HAD my own workspace, that isn’t our kitchen table. 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Sometimes the best inspiration comes while sitting at the kitchen table!
I love that work space! We have a very small house with no extra rooms so we have a desk in our living room. My current desk does not work for me so I just do all my blogging and computer work from the recliner. I know what I want for a new desk and work space. Someday I will have it. 🙂
(visiting from Frugal Friday)
I did most of my blog work on our recliner in the living room so I totally understand! You can really do a lot with the right desk that works for you & I hope that happens soon!
Our studio is quite dark that is why I am still reluctant to use it as my office. I think it needs a total redecoration before I can call it “home”.
I see where you’re coming from. I didn’t want to call that bedroom our office until I got a chance to do some decorating first. Some light colored paint on the wall and some great lighting fixtures might help!
I love this post! I especially love your blog name. It’s so memorable. I love the tip about filing away stressful paperwork. I also do the flip side of that. When I get one of those super sweet, “makes it all worth it” blog comments, I print it out, scrapbook it on card stock and add it to the memory board in my office. It helps me through those late nights trying to figure out the tech side of the blog when I’m ready to toss the computer in the ocean.
Thanks for Posting! I found you at Thrifty Thursday!
Thank you so much Rosemarie! My hubby was the one who thought of my blog name so I give him the credit for that! I love your idea of printing out those special comments and putting them on display. What a great way to keep things positivie (and yes I’ve wanted to throw my computer when doing the tech stuff too!)
I have two offices, one at work and one at home. My work office is the neatest of the two, mainly because there are no kids to make it otherwise. I surround myself with pictures of the family, and art work from my girls. I am looking at a wood block that is painted blue, and has seashells on top, made back in 2012 (that’s when I started my current job, wow how time flies), I wouldn’t use any other paper-weight. I love this space. Now my home “office” is not as neat, and is all about chaos. I have our main computer in the living room, unfortunately our house does not have a room for an actual office. My husband is in charge of this space, mainly because he is the one who leaves all of the bills and perwork around, and is the only one “aloud” to move it. Luckily I have my chrombebook too when I need it, and that is usually when I work at the dining room table. It’s not perfect, but in all honesty I wish I worked at home instead of my office, I’ll take imperfect time at home, over perfect time at the office any day. Just wish we could afford it, but here’s to dreaming that one day it will happen (that is if my prayers are answered and this blogging thing actually does take off for me!). Thank’s for the great post Carrie.
It sounds like you’re making the best of your situation, Nikki! I’m just like you hoping this blog thing takes off because I’d love to work from home. I’m taking the Elite Blog Academy and it’s really helped!
Wonderful inspiration! My work space is rather cramped, as well. I find it’s best if I end my day with five minutes of de-cluttering and organizing just a bit so that I can start the next day off in a neat space. That’s not to say that five minutes into my day I’m not drowning in paper clutter again, but hey, I at least started the day feeling organized. 🙂
PS ~ Stopped by via Project Inspiration! <3
I LOVE your 5 minute de-cluttering tip! That’s a great way to keep messes at bay without being too overwhelmed!
Clutter is the bane of my existence so I love how clear and clutter free your desk is. Mine does not always look as good. Thanks for the ideas!
Abbi @ http://www.seasonsofahomemaker.com
If it makes you feel any better, now that the photo shoot of the desk is done, there are now papers all over it! Nice to know I can easily file them away in the paper organizer or the files.
Love headphones for working and naps… ahhh, wouldn’t they be awesome for our little ones?
Love your space! Thanks for sharing on Show Me Saturday! Pinning!
As I’m typing this I’m hoping my son can fall asleep for naptime. Not sure if it’s going to happen but at least I know I’m not the only momma out there with that struggle!
I love your work space! Consistent kid naps and working internet are also on my dream list! We live in a very small space right now do I don’t have my own dedicated work space but even without a dedicated work space, some of your tips above could still apply. Thanks for sharing!
For sure these tips will help no matter the size of the workspace. I’m so glad you found this helpful Nicole!
I work from home, too, for my local internet company. I had spotty internet once and they RAN over to fix it. Ha ha!
Now that’s what I call service! That’s great!
Hi, Carrie ~ I’m visiting from the Hit Me with Your Best Shot Link Party. Sounds like we’re on the same wavelength when it comes to our home offices! I, too, would be thrilled with internet that doesn’t get interrupted (And it’s always when I stay way up late to finish my last round of edits on a post! What’s with that?) and a place where time stood still (so much to do and see and too little time). I love your idea of filing stressful items away. The thing I love most about my home office is that I can leave the door open and feel like part of the family or I can shut it and lock myself away (I have teenagers at home, so I can do that without endangering my children…well, most of the time). :0) My office also gets a ton of natural light which I absolutely adore. Thanks for the great post!
Internet seems to go out at the worst times, right Tiffany? I totally agree with your thoughts on a home office that still feels like you are close to your loved ones but can close the door when you need a little more quiet. Thanks for stopping by!
Been looking for ideas for my new home office. This won’t be my first office but it will be the first office that I don’t have to share and that I can put my personality into. I like the idea of removing the stress from my eye sight. I use to lol at stress ever time I walked into my office and I believe I could have been a much happier person if I didn’t have it plastered all over the walls.
Thanks for the tis and ideas!
The thought of having your own office to put your own style in to is so fun, right? I’m glad this was helpful!
I need to organize my office space at home. I like that your space actual looks like you work there instead of an empty desk! I love that it is neat and pretty, but that you can see that you actually use the space!
My office space has become one of the most usable spaces in our home! (I’m typing from there right now) As of this moment, it’s not quite as neat and pretty as it was in the photos but that’s what you get with real life 🙂 I hope the tips were helpful and inspiring for your own work space!