Cool home office concepts for your apartment

Congratulations! You now officially have the best possible commute to the office! Having the opportunity to work from home is pure fantasy for every 9-to-5, cubicle dweller in the country. You are blessed to no longer have to worry about your daily commute, or making it to work on time, or whether or not you picked up your clothes from the dry cleaners, just to name a few. Talk about freedom!

On the other hand, the luxury of working from home can be a mixed bag. If you’re new to the world of no dress code, no hovering manager, and no strict work schedule, you may end up being your own worst enemy and completely undermining your work-from-home accomplishment.  Set your apartment up for success to ensure your oh-so-sweet work environment stays out of an office building.

Working where you live, and living where you work, is a concept most have a difficult time adjusting to. First and foremost, having a clearly defined area where all of your business materials are kept is vital.  Living in an apartment often times means that you’ll need to commingle your living space and your working space due very simply to square footage restraints.  No worries, just be smart about it and set yourself up for success.

First, decide where you are most comfortable in your apartment. Do you find you work best with a view out of the window, or do you need a zone free of all distraction?  It is then absolutely vital to completely own this designated space as your office space.  Though you may not be able to take over an entire room for your home business, maintaining a comfortable and productive area completely independent of your personal space will keep you focused and on track to work when it’s time to work.

When I say your home office should be comfortable and productive, I mean it should be “at home” comfortable.  Sure you need to maintain a level of professionalism to help you mentally distinguish between work and home, but there is no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of fact that you’re still at home. Set yourself up with a comfortable chair; who says you need that office issue, leather-rolling chair? Why not set yourself up with an oversized armchair?  Deck out your surroundings so that you enjoy spending time in your office area and don’t find yourself wandering off to the kitchen or watching TV on the couch.

Set up a desk and a small filing cabinet; organize your space in whatever way that suits your work style the best.  Just remember first and foremost, that just as if you were working in a typical office, when you’re at work you are working on what you need to get done.  After you’ve completed the day’s tasks, then it’s time to do whatever non-work related things that must get done.  You know, like a quick nap or a walk outdoors. Enjoy!