We’ve all been there. It’s 3pm on a Wednesday, you’re on your 5th work call of the day and your brain is complete mush at this point. You have your camera off (because you don’t really need to be on this meeting) and are scrolling socials just to feel something. Sound familiar?
Working from home is such a great perk. It enables a level of work life balance that was not possible when we were all going into a physical office every day. I have been working mostly from home for the past 7ish years and it took me a while to create a space that struck the correct balance of coziness and productivity. In this post we are going to explore some of the ways that I optimize my space for a cozy work day.
Getting comfortable (but not too comfortable)
Eight hours is a long time to sit in one space. I don’t know about you, but I am the type of person where if I notice that I am uncomfortable, my focus takes a huge hit. This means that I needed to find ways to adjust my work position while remaining productive. There are a few ways you can achieve this, but for me I invested in an adjustable height desk so that I can go between standing and sitting. You can also make your space more comfortable by adding a computer stand for your laptop to keep it at eye level or at least at the same level as other screens. I have a lap desk for those Friday afternoons when I cannot be bothered to sit at a desk or table. Highly recommend if you work from couch. Lastly, there are some basic items that I keep close like a lap blanket (bonus points if it is extra soft) and an oversized sweater.
Decluttering your space
I am so easily distracted. One moment I’ll be really zoned in to work, the next I am going through our Amazon cart trying to remember if we need paper towels. It has become essential to remove distractions as much as possible. First I try to keep everything but the essentials and two to three max decorations on my desk. There is nothing more annoying than moving your mouse around and bumping into things. To this end I highly recommend storage in or around your workspace that is dedicated to work stuff. It is a great way to keep non essential items out of sight out of mind. Second, I try to keep my phone out of my office or office space. If I am expecting an urgent call, I will put it on ring, but in another area close by so I can hear it but not casually grab it. Lastly, make it a routine once a week to go through all your work notes and clear out anything you no longer need whether they be physical or digital. I usually save this task for end of day Friday so that I start the next week with a clean slate. These are just a few of my habits that help keep my space comfortable and efficient.
Bring in the coziness
I consider candles one of my essential work tools. It has become a routine for me to make my caffeinated beverage of choice and then when I am ready to begin work, I light my work candle. I usually try to make sure it is a clean subtle scent that gets me excited for the day. It brings a little coziness to my work space and it has become a nice ritual. Another way to bring in coziness is to choose tools that make you happy. For me this means choosing a keyboard that is fun to look at and use. For you it might be a crazy cool light up mouse. Coziness for me has become about finding small beautiful details that bring me joy. The last cozy thing I try to incorporate is a plant or flowers around my space. There is something nice about looking over at something living while you are working. It’s not about having a lot of things around you, it is about choosing the right things to get you inspired.
Making your work space your own (no matter how small your space)
In my dream home, my office is a small cozy room with lots of windows looking out over a garden, it has shelves full of books and a fireplace. In real life, my office has not always been its own cozy separate space. Right now I am fortunate enough to take over part of the guest bedroom and although it does not overlook a garden or have a fireplace, I do have nice windows that let in some lovely light. At my previous home, there was no room for me to have my own separate office so I was forced to create my own work space in our living room. What I discovered from this experience is that you can create a productive calming space pretty much anywhere in your home with the right mindset. When working in my little corner of the living room, my desk (or sometimes table) was not a place to store all the extra little things. I had a set of tools that I knew helped me focus and immediately get into work mode, and those were what I brought out everyday to get the day started and effectively turn that corner into my office. For me these tools include a pretty planner (because for me at least, it always helps if it looks nice), a writing utensil, my ipad (I use it for note taking), a candle, headphones, and of course my work computer. This toolkit placed wherever it was needed for the day helped me mentally establish the boundaries of my work space when it wasn’t separated from the rest of my home by walls.
What do when creating a cozy workspace? Comment your thoughts below.