Topnotch Tips for Home Office Remodelling

A remote workplace is now a staple for most businesses, and if you enjoy such a setup with your job, you’ll need a decent enough place at home to attend to workplace concerns. As a result, a home office is now becoming one of the more important spaces, and homeowners must find enough space to be productive when they’re called upon to do their tasks.

Remodelling any available space to create a home office requires planning and proper execution. As a homeowner, you can work with trusted contractors, or if you’re pretty handy with tools, you can take care of the task yourself. First, however, you must work with a reputable skip-hire company to help remove and dispose of the waste your remodelling will produce. Hiring proper-sized skips will also ensure a safe and clean working environment. You can check out valleytrading.co.uk to find out how you can hire the right-sized skip for your particular project.

Here are some tips for your home office remodelling project.

Choose the correct room

Your first consideration is choosing the right room for your home office. Make sure it’s far from foot traffic, especially if your job requires it. It must have a door, so you can concentrate on your tasks as needed. There should also be enough light fixtures and ventilation to make it as comfortable as possible.

Ensure enough space

You wouldn’t want to work in a cramped space, so ensure you’ll have enough legroom in your office. You must also consider the size of the office furniture you’ll install so you can take care of your tasks. Finally, consider the number of cables and wires for your gadgets and electric sources, and try to keep them as organised as possible to prevent trips and accidental falls.

Colour scheme

Another consideration is the colour scheme for your home office. Choose a colour scheme that will enable you to tap into your creativity and help you calm down when stressed. Neutral colours such as white, beige, and cream are good bases. Pastel colours such as sky blue, light green, soft pinks and yellows are also advisable. If you prefer wallpaper over painted surfaces, you can also use the colour palette as a guide.

Lighting is key

An adequate number of lighting fixtures is necessary to ensure that you’re safe and well-lit in your office. You can install LED lamps for better performance and long-term savings. If you prefer installing programmable RGB lighting to make the room more unique, you always have the option.

Don’t forget to have at least one window that can let natural light inside the room. It’s healthier that way, and you can also change the window treatments to help you express your personality.

Ventilation and temperature control

A good home office will have sufficient ventilation and temperature control options, such as an AC unit or electric fans, to help you feel comfortable whenever you’re working. In addition, having a few units handy will keep your space productive.

Endnotes

Homeowners who wish to remodel spaces as home offices must consider a few factors. They must ensure that the space will be as productive and comfortable as possible.

5 Careers For Busy Moms

When you have children it can be difficult trying to juggle parenthood and working. However, the good news is that there are positions out there that can fit into your busy lifestyle. You need to make sure that when you apply for jobs you tell your boss that you have children at home. This will give them a better understanding if you need to take time off at short notice. It isn’t just about finding the perfect job, it is also about finding a great boss and company to work for. 

Freelancer

If you want a career working from home or anywhere else in the world then you could become a freelancer. Freelance work is perfect if you are a mom as it gives you the freedom to pick and choose your own hours. Remember, as a freelancer you are responsible for your own taxes as you will be working for yourself. It helps to put some money from each payment aside for tax. If you have a particular interest or niche such as writing and designing then get yourself registered on freelance websites. Here, you can advertise your services and state how much you wish to be paid. 

Teacher 

As a mom, you want to find the perfect job to fit around your kids. We have it, teaching! In order to become a teacher, you will need to go back to school and get the necessary qualifications and experience. As a mom, you will already have experience in looking after and possibly teaching children depending on how old your kids are. You will also need relevant first aid certification which you can learn more about here. Teachers get school holidays off which is really handy as you won’t need to find childcare for your children. 

Childcare

We have covered teaching, now it’s time to cover other childcare options. When you are a mom you are always on the lookout for something that works around your family. Offering your childcare skills could be something to consider, you can even make money from it. Think about training as a childminder or nanny. There is a difference and it helps to be aware of them, a childminder works in their own home and a nanny works in the family’s home. You could also think about opening your own daycare center. If this is the route you want to go down then you would never have to worry about finding your own childcare ever again. 

Realtor

Something else that is wonderful for working around the children is being a realtor. As a realtor, you can train and work in your own free time. If you have older children and they attend school then you could work 9 till 3 for instance. This gives you enough time to yourself and enough time to fit some viewings and paperwork in too. If you are friendly, approachable, and patient then consider becoming a realtor. 

Blogger

One final career choice when you’re a mom could be to become a blogger. This is someone who writes about things they are doing, have done, or plan to do in the future. They document this on a blog site. If you are good at writing and engaging people in your stories then this could be just the thing for you. You can make money from blogging by getting influencers and sellers on your page. You will need to gain a good following in order to make mega bucks. 

 

How to Create a Perfect Work Space in your Paradise?

Whether your home office is designated space for organizing your schedule, running a business, or simply being your remote workstation, it deserves the correct transformation. Just a chair and desk stuffed into a spare corner of your home may fail to create a productive work environment you might have intended for, New York City employees remark. You can Click study chair for the best chairs perfect for a tiny workspace.

A dedicated workstation helps you set aside all distractions and let you focus on work. Here, we’ve gathered some ideas to inspire you to design a work-friendly home office.

Select The Right Area:

The location comes on top of other things when you’re thinking of redesigning a home office. It is a place where you’re likely to spend many hours a day or sometimes at night. So it requires some serious consideration.

Ask yourself, do you work best in the thick of activity, or should you need a workspace away from distractions caused by family, pets, and domestic chores? And then do the needful. If your work demands client visits, opt for a private space with ample seating.

Give Yourself a View

In the pursuit of a quiet place, never set up your office in a windowless room. Instead, select a room with a big window as in your short intervals during work; there needs to be something more interesting than a blank wall to view. And if you think the noise from the outside of the window may bother you during work, you can install soundproof windows nyc. It helps in making your space peaceful, happier, and well-lit.

Soundproof windows eliminate up to 95% of existing noise, and the good part is you can get it installed into the existing window opening.

Paint the Walls a Color You Love

You need an environment that keeps your work motor humming. So, opt for colors accordingly. For some, it may be a bright, cheery color that works. At the same time, the others may need a calm shade like seafoam blue or botanical green to perform at their best. So, understand the color psychology and choose the color that influences your mood while working. Forget the standard beige color that most office owners prefer when selecting paint for the workstation.

Include Homely Accessories

Try to be creative while selecting extra stuff for your offices, like a pretty coffee mug for holding pen, stylish notepads, an innovative wall for your sticky notes, and indoor plants. Also, you may use light shade curtains covering the bookshelves to give your room a neat look and hand inspirational quotes on the front wall of your desk.

Strive for Minimalism

Excess of anything is bad and may tarnish the look and feel of your space. For example, adding a lot of decoration accents on shelves of an office room, including unnecessary items, could compromise the area.

A minimalist interior with white and wood finishes can be a worthwhile option. Also, adding a few thoughtful decorative accents can bring style to the space.

Install a Wall-Mounted Desk

You can make the most of the latest trends and add a flip-down desk at about any corner of your house that has an excellent outside view if you lack a designated room for a home office. Or may get in touch with NYC interior design experts to choose a built-in cabinet that meets your requirements and offers you all the space you need for your work.

The Bottom Line

Even if you opted for a lighter paint shade for your office room, coordinate it with the matching furniture, rug, curtains, and decorative accents to make it lively and increase productivity. Also, keep your work abilities under consideration when planning to transform your home office as it determines what might work the best for your space.

At-Home Business Ideas That’ll Give You Joy

We’re in a time right now where more people are working from and spending time in their homes rather than being out there in the world. It’s led to people being far more creative than they ever have been before, starting up a business that they can work from home. Let’s be honest; everyone has figured out that their schedule is more important than they thought. They want to get their tasks done and then get on with the day, they don’t want to continue to work all of the  hours. We are in a time where we are rejecting the hustle culture that puts work before mental and personal health – but that doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t start a business of your own. 

There has been a huge rise in home business opportunities, and you can do pretty much anything from home these days because there are so many options. We’re also privileged enough to be able to work remotely and comfortably with it. Instead of working for someone else from home, though, you could pick up a passion of yours and kick off your business remotely. You could even reserve a company name that makes sense now and decide what to do with it later. With a start from the confines of your house, you can create something with very few overheads, very few staff (if any) and with just your vision brought to life! We’re living in a connected world, and that means that your business has the potential to really kick off. With this in mind, here are the business ideas at home that’ll give you more joy than you could possibly imagine. Ready? Let’s go!

  1. A wholesaler. Are you living somewhere with plenty of space? Do you think you could do it better than your current clothing stores or bakery that you use? Many businesses begin and end with the simplicity of importing products and selling them on for a profit. Some people buy from eBay to sell on elsewhere, and others choose stores that allow them to buy in bulk and then sell on. It’s a good way to choose a niche in your market and it’s going to allow you to be truly niche and unique in your offerings. As long as you have the space to store products and a solid website, you’ll be able to sell products online and sell them for a tidy amount.
  2. Create a product. If you can create a product, you can turn that hobby into a business. If you can bake, you can come up with a homemade brownie business that allows you to post brownies to those who want to buy them. There’s pretty much anything that you can create at home that you can sell elsewhere. You can bake, create pottery, find a product you know you could improve and sell that. There are plenty of products that you can create at home, and selling them means you can earn money from your hobby. You can eventually create a studio in the home, and it’s this that will help you to earn cash from what you know you can do.
  3. Start a store for dropshipping. There are some businesses that you can run from home that allow you space to have your inventory outside of the home, employing a dropshipping model where a third party stores all of your things for you. This leaves them to handle the marketing and customer service aspects while you handle the shipping and storage of your products. It’s a good way to make money from home without having too much interaction with customers. You can have a supplier that’s overseas if you want to but most people choose a local dropshipping company as they can be more reliable when nearby.
  4. Start a printing business. From stickers to labels, you can print on demand as you get your orders, allowing people to come to you and get what they need with ease. You can sell print on demand clothing, apparel and even cookware – you can even sell books and mugs. Either way, you can choose to be a little broad with a unique ‘as you need it’ service, or you can focus on just t-shirts and other things that allow you to print as your customers order. It’s a good way to enjoy showcasing any design skills that you might have.  At the end whatever you choose, you need to assure the best results. It is important to consider using top-quality printing products, which can be achieved with Epson printer and its ink.
  5. Offer online services. If you want to be broad, think about what exactly it is that you can offer to others. From creative design to marketing, house cleaning and writing, you can offer a range of personal services to others that just make sense. Do a little market research here, though, and make sure that you choose just the one service. You don’t want to do EVERYTHING because you will burn out and you won’t be able to offer a targeted service. 

6. Teach. You can teach online classes that simply make sense if you have the knowledge and the know-how. You can pursue your business by identifying something you are good at and teaching it to other people. There are so many ways that you can teach online, too. You can Zoom call and tutor others, you can create a website packed with quizzes and study tools, you could even create your own study plan and work with an online university as a tutor. There are plenty of options for your teaching online and if you like to be on camera, then perhaps a career on social media and YouTube teaching others!

7.Make your service a product. If you deliver talks to businesses on health and safety, then today may be the day that you decide to package those talks to a downloadable file or DVD and sell them on. You might currently do talks in person but the idea here is to create something that you can do from home without having to be in front of others again. When you choose to make your service a product, you’re going to open a whole new world for adding products to your service-based business. There are courses, designs, eBooks, merchandise and more that you can offer to others and productize your service.

8. Learn how to grow your audience. Did you know that you can grow an audience that you can sell to? If you want to work from home, you can start to create content on social media and begin a YouTube channel, too. Eventually, this can grow to a podcast but as long as you are delivering the best content to your audience, you’re going to be on track to create something amazing. You will grow your audience, and that will help you to monetize that audience who will then want to buy from you. The key here is not to fall into the multi-level marketing trap, where you are suckered into a business where you invest your money and get nothing back. 

9. Buy an existing business. You could easily start a home-based business by choosing an existing business for sale. Rather than start from scratch, you’re going to be able to start with a business that’s warm and ready to go. That means that it already has a product and customers to consider. When this is the case, you can ensure that you are able to pick up and earn a profit pretty quickly. Many ecommerce businesses for sale are already earning money and they can be picked up and continued by you and worked from your home.

10. Start your own box business. Did you know that Netflix used to be a subscription box business? You can find so many examples of subscription boxes, and you can grow a whole new one based on choices you make for the box yourself!

How to Start a YouTube Cooking Channel

If you love to cook and want to share your experience with the whole world, be sure to start your own blog. Today blogging is not just a hobby, but also the main source of income for creative people. Let’s figure out how to start a cooking blog and become another great Gordon Ramsay.

Step 1. Decide on the concept

Novice bloggers often hear that there are too many cooking blogs. Well, there is a grain of truth: there are a lot of blogs. But there are too few good ones as well.

YouTube is full of culinary bloggers who simply copy each other’s content. Some give no feedback to the audience at all.

Therefore, find your niche and become the best in it. First, determine what you do best. Are you baking cakes and decorating them fantastically? Do you know cheeses and types of wine? Do you adore meat and know a thousand and one recipes? Or can you become the best at vegan cooking blogging?

Don’t worry that if you have a highly specialized blog, you will lose your audience. Often such channels have a circle of permanent loyal viewers, and this is more valuable for a blogger.

Think about what you are missing. If you often unsuccessfully search for some kind of content, maybe it’s time to create it yourself?

Step 2. Think over the presentation

YouTube is a very competitive space where you just have to stand out from others to win the viewer. Even the craziest idea will have subscribers who will like it.

Give up the idea of creating another channel with monotonous recipes. For example, the Feast of Fiction channel recreates recipes from movies, TV series, and video games. And the guys at Epic Meal Time are making super-duper mega-calorie blowout meals.

Try to replicate this effect – make each video not just an instruction, but a small interesting movie.

Step 3. Make the frame look appetizing

You need to grab the viewer’s attention right away. Choose the most eye-catching plates, forks, pans, pots, napkins, etc. which will make your home more beautiful and attractive.

Think about the background and objects that will fall into the frame beside the food itself. Give the viewer a mouth-watering shot right from the start.

Shoot your actions overhead. The most “delicious” and popular video recipes are shot from top to bottom. These videos quickly engage and retain the viewer’s attention. At these moments, viewers seem to forget about everything and just fascinatingly watch how the chocolate softly envelops the cake, even without a sound. This angle gives the impression that they are directly involved in the preparation of the dish.

Step 4. Choose shooting gear

Gear&equipment have paramount importance for any blogger. The easiest way is to record video on two cameras at once: one for a mid-shot, where you, your hands, all the ingredients are visible, the second is for a close-up with the food only.

We advise you to shoot with a laptop webcam using a webcam recorder, a phone with a good resolution, and a wide-angle camera. Yes, there is a lot of hassle, but the picture will be worth it.

In addition to a camera, you will need a lavalier microphone to record your voice without unnecessary noise. In addition to a camera, you will need a lavalier microphone and a voice generator to record your voice without unnecessary noise.

Also, take care of the lighting for cooking videos. If you have large windows in your kitchen and shoot recipes during the day, you may not need extra light. Alternatively, you can use home lamps with warm white light.

Step 5. Don’t skip editing

Don’t make your video tiring long. During editing, speed up or cut out processes that don’t require special attention, such as shredding vegetables for 10 minutes at a healthy cooking blog. That’s the not main point.

Add transitions between frames, sign the names of ingredients on the screen, use color correction to make the video as “tasty” as possible. Use iMovie, if you’re an Apple lover or any user-friendly editing software for Windows.

Final step. Monetization

There are several ways to make money on YouTube. First, use direct video ads. For YouTubers, this is one of the main ways to profit. The advertiser asks the author of the video to tell about the product and pays money for it. The sum depends on the number of subscribers, views, and the topic of the channel.

Second, integrate Google AdSense contextual advertising. These are advertisements before the main YouTube video. Advertisers place them through the Google Adsense ad network, and YouTube decides what to show to viewers. They must watch the ad to the end or at least 30 seconds for the blogger to receive a reward.

You can also carry out streams with donations. So you can also communicate with subscribers.

Once your channel is up and running, launch your merch. In the souvenirs section on the channel, you can sell products with the channel’s symbols. Just like the Hell’s Kitchen show did.

Final thoughts or How to hit your highest

● Chat with other bloggers. When you have a cooking video blog, you don’t have a boss or mentor to guide you. But other bloggers are usually ready to help or suggest something.

● Improve quality. Strive for the best technology and software. This will allow you to get a better picture.

● Post content regularly. To get into YouTube’s recommendation systems, you need to upload videos all the time. The more you upload, the faster you accumulate statistics that you can analyze.

● Be in touch. Don’t forget to respond to comments and questions from subscribers.

● Keep track of what’s relevant. You don’t need to blindly follow trends, but it is important to watch what content is interesting to viewers. For example, themed recipes before the holidays (New Year, St. Valentine’s Day) are relevant in culinary blogs, because people make up the menu in advance.

By the way, always explore updated tips for cooking bloggers. This will help not to scour a ton of information on the Internet.

● Offer cooperation. In the first stages, it’s important to offer your services to potential advertisers yourself. Choose brands that are related to your blog topic and whose product can be advertised natively.

Potential advertisers may not be from the food industry. It could even be a pretty simple TikTok parent influencer who’ll trigger moms to come to your cooking blog.

● Ignore negative information. Often people say that there is no chance to get the upper hand on YouTube. Just ignore such comments and try not to be guided by them. It’s important to keep working, even if at first you spin wheels. The blog is developing gradually, so you need to be ready to wait and keep investing in it.

How to become a TikTok parent influencer

As a parent, you always have your hands full. From teaching your children right from wrong to keeping an eye on their behavior to make sure they’re not being exposed to inappropriate content, being a parent can feel like an uphill battle and can often induce feelings of fear and anxiety. What if I told you that there is a way to help guide your children in the right direction? Many parents are now turning to the popular social media platform, TikTok, as a way to monitor what their children are viewing online and some parents are even using TikTok as a tool to teach their children life lessons. If you believe you have sufficient knowledge to help parents in trouble, then perhaps you should consider becoming a TikTok influencer. If this appeals to you, here is how to do it.

Create an account and grow your following

The first thing you need to do is create a TikTok account and create a good profile that will capture people’s attention and motivate them to follow you. The first step to this process is to download the TikTok app from your app store and once you have downloaded it, you can create an account by filling in the necessary personal information that TikTok requires such as your email address, etc. once you have created an account, you should focus your attention on your profile which needs to be optimized. You need to start with a good username and prioritize a good-quality portrait as your profile picture.

You then need to create a bio that gives people more information about you such as what you do and what your interests are. To grow a following, start by following other users and engaging with their content, additionally, you could buy TikTok followers. Followers are important because that is the point of social media: to share content and generate engagement from your followers and as an influencer, your followers are the ones who are going to support you. The more followers you have, the more popular your account will become. With the support of a company like TokUpgrade you will gain followers in no time and see your account become more and more popular overnight.

 

Consider the type of content you want to produce

You have to choose a niche which is a community of people who share the same or similar interests. To establish your niche and find your community, search popular hashtags for that particular niche and follow accounts in that community. You also need to have good content as a parenting account. This could be funny or cute videos of your children doing daily activities, advice, and tips for other parents, or food ideas for children.

Develop a calendar for posting content regularly

Every influencer account needs to have a content calendar. There are many programs available that you can use such as Loomly which is considered the number 1 calendar tool. Content calendars are good because they organize your content and make sure that you always have content on standby to be posted and this benefits you because sometimes you can be busy, especially with a child on your hands so it eliminates the worry of having to think about posting consistently.

Connect with other influencers

Finally, a great idea is to connect with other influencers on TikTok by collaborating on projects and cross-promoting each other’s work. Influencers have a large following so collaborating will expose you to their audience which will potentially bring in more followers for you and boost your brand awareness. Collaborating with other influencers also encourages engagement and can make you more popular on TikTok

TikTok is fast aiming for the lead spot as the most popular social media platform in the world. It is such a fun and entertaining platform and it allows users to explore their creativity and produce good quality video content for people to consume and with so many awesome built-in editing tools and

features that make your video pop. If you are a parent who wants to become an influencer, don’t hesitate because it is very easy to grow on TikTok as long as your content is entertaining. Simply create an account, find your niche and create content, create a content calendar and collaborate with other influencers.

5 Steps to Start Drop Shipping with Shopify

Shopify is one of the most popular and used e-commerce platforms on the internet due to its simple interface, low startup cost, and handy tools to build up your customer base. Perhaps the best part about Shopify, however, is its ability to connect with other platforms to allow seamless integration of other tools and services you may use for your business. Follow these five steps to integrate Shopify & Printful and start dropshipping in no time!

1. Connect Your Shopify Store

You will need both a Shopify and a Printful account to complete this step. Once you are signed up for both, head over to the Shopify App Store and search for the Printful app. Follow the on-screen prompts to install it and connect your two accounts. This process can seem intimidating at first, but Shopify will guide you through it step-by-step.

2. Design and Create Your Products

Using Printful’s Mockup Generator can help you create custom designs that can go on hundreds of products with print or embroidery. These range from coffee mugs to T-shirts, aprons to pillows, and everything in between.

This software is straightforward and intuitive, and it will provide helpful suggestions for designs that you can later tweak and further customize to your liking. Play around with colors, shapes, and text to make a truly unique design that your customers will love.

3. Set up Shipping, Billing, and Taxes

Once you have finalized your designs and chosen which products they will go on, it’s time to set up the logistical aspects of your business. This includes shipping, billing, and taxes, which are the most fun part of the process, but you will be guided through everything you need to fill out. This ensures that all transactions go through smoothly and products can be shipped without a hitch.

4. Receive Notifications About Upcoming Orders

Now that your store is fully open and operational, you can wait for orders to roll in. Once someone purchases one of your products, you will get an alert about these orders. The best part about this integration is that all orders will be sent to Printful for fulfillment automatically.

These notifications don’t signal that you have any additional responsibilities, they simply let you know that your products are selling and more money will be headed to your pocket!

5. Kick Back While Your Orders Are Handled

Gone are the days where designers have to handle the other headaches that often come with selling merchandise. Instead of spending time preparing, packing, and shipping your orders, you can spend more time and effort thinking about your next designs and products to sell.

Your products can be sent all over the world, allowing you to reach a wider audience and fanbase. You can also opt to add custom product labels and pack-ins to further promote your business. Plus, customer service is handled by us 24/7.

If you are ready to start a business or a side hustle in clothing and merchandise design, it has never been easier or less costly to jump in.

How To Make Working From Home More Pleasant

You might be someone who loves working from home and finds it much better than having to commute to an office every day. Or you might be someone who finds that working from home is a distraction and you would rather be elsewhere. 

 If you’re one of the latter and you have no choice in the matter then you have a decision to make; you can either find a new job that allows you to work from an office, or you can change your home working environment to be something more pleasant. In fact, even if you already enjoy working from home, giving yourself a better environment to work in can make you a lot more productive. Read on to find out what steps to take to do this, and you might find that giving yourself a great place to work was all you needed to start appreciating the working from home life. 

 Heating And Cooling 

If you live in an area where the summers are hot or the winters are cold – or both – then getting the right temperature level in your home office can be all but impossible. When you’re not comfortable because you’re too hot or too cold, you aren’t able to work productively. It will be difficult to concentrate. It’s a good reason why some people prefer to work outside of the home in a place that has better control of the temperature. 

 So of course, the answer to this issue must be that you need to take better control of the temperature in your own home. Doing this means that you can be more comfortable, but it has other benefits as well such as saving you money on your heating and cooling bills when you’re using your home’s thermostat in the right way. 

 If your home gets very hot then simply doing something like opening the windows won’t be enough; that might simply help to circulate warm air around, making things even warmer. Instead, you should invest in an air conditioning unit. Having good air conditioning in your home can make a huge amount of difference and help you to enjoy working from your spare bedroom, dining room, or even from your kitchen table much more enjoyable. 

You can buy portable air conditioners to use in your home. The advantage of them is you can move them to different parts of your home. The only downside is they make a lot of noise, and you have to vent them through a window or a hole in your wall.

But, if you prefer having a more permanent solution, it might be worth getting a ducted HVAC solution installed by an air conditioning contractor that specializes in residential HVAC installations.

 Soundproofing 

Something else that can make working from him very uncomfortable is noise, especially if you’re not home alone. The more people who are in the property, the more noise they are going to make, even if everyone is working on their own projects and jobs too. Even if you are alone, the noises from around the house, from your neighbors, and from the outside world in general can all be disturbing. 

 This is where soundproofing can be very useful indeed. By soundproofing your walls, you can prevent any external noises from entering to disturb you and, just as useful, you can also prevent any noises you make from disturbing other people within the house. This will be good news if you are conscious of the fact that you have to have a lot of video call meetings or make a lot of phone calls. 

Not all soundproofing materials work in the same way. Some are designed to block out all sounds, and some are designed to limit sounds instead. Depending on what you are looking for as your end result will determine what kind of soundproofing you need. Some of it can be installed yourself, and some will need a professional, so make sure you do enough research before coming to a final decision. 

 Redecorate 

You don’t have to redecorate your entire home when you’re using it as your base of work – unless you want to, of course. However, redecorating the room you work in can be a good idea. If you are using a spare room, something like a bedroom that no one else uses, or a room specifically designed to be used as a study, then you can redecorate it to look like an office space. Make it different from the rest of your home and it will feel much more like you’re walking into a workspace every morning and going home every evening. This could also lead you to do a deep clean of the room (or even the whole house!). You might even find it beneficial to hire professional carpet cleaning in Oklahoma City, OK (or one closer to where you are) to help you. Having a clean and tidy office space will not only make you feel better, but it will also make you more productive due to the lack of mess hindering your performance.

 You could use wooden flooring instead of carpet (or vice versa). If your home has curtains at the windows, why not invest in some blinds for your office? Make sure you have a real desk, not just a table you’ve taken from elsewhere, and the same goes for your chair. It should be an ergonomic office chair, not an armchair or a kitchen stool. On top of this, try not to have any furniture in the room that you wouldn’t have in an office. If there is a spare bed right beside your desk, it’s never going to feel quite like a real office, and that means you’ll never feel truly comfortable working there. 

 Natural Light 

Natural light is something that can truly improve the mood, and it’s good for your overall health as well as your mental health too. That’s why it’s important to step outside at least once a day to breathe in the fresh air and feel the sun on your skin. It’s also why you should have as much natural light coming into your workroom as possible. The more natural light you have, the more pleasant that space will be, helping you to be more productive (and save money on your lighting bills). 

Depending on where you are working, this is not always an easy thing to accomplish, but there are certain measures you can take, and depending on your budget and your requirements, you can make almost any space more full of natural light. 

 The easiest thing to do is to ensure that your windows are as uncovered as possible – don’t have anything on windowsills that might be blocking the light, and if you have curtains you should tie them back to allow more light in. Also, position your desk so that the light is coming towards you. If it’s too bright, you can use special films on the glass to diffuse the light a little but still get the benefit from it. 

 If you work in a room that has no windows or that only allows a small amount of natural light in, don’t worry; you can still enjoy the benefits of the sunlight. The best thing you can do is to invest in a natural light lamp. This lamp sits on your desk and shines the equivalent of natural light into the room. This is almost as good as the real thing, and if you can’t get natural light any other way, it’s an ideal compromise. 

 Have Your Own Room

Something we’ve mentioned briefly above is having your own workspace, and although this is ideal it’s not something that everyone can enjoy. If you live with other people, you might only be able to work in your bedroom or in the kitchen, for example, and neither of these areas is a good workspace – the bedroom shouldn’t be used for work as it’s meant to be a place of relaxation, and the kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in the house; you’re sure to be disturbed. Even if you live alone, having a dedicated office that you can close the door on when you’ve finished working will be better for your mental health, your stress levels, and your productivity. 

 So what can you do if you really can’t find your own space to work in? The answer is to make one. If you have a backyard, then installing a specially designed pod can be ideal. You’ll be able to design it to your specifications and, since it’s away from the house, it will make the idea of working from home much easier to deal with. Or why not use the attic in your home? If it’s currently only used for storage, you could investigate having it transformed into a usable room. If you do this, make sure you speak to a roofing company about installing some windows or perhaps a skylight up there to make it truly comfortable. 

 Change It Up

As we’ve said, working from home isn’t for everyone, and even for those who love it, sometimes there can still be days when you would rather be anywhere but in the same four walls you’ve been in for weeks on end. If this is how you feel, it’s time to change things up and make your working environment a little more diverse. 

 Having an office at home is a great start, but if changing your routine is what will make you happiest and most productive this is what you’ll need to do. One way to do this is to find somewhere else to work once in a while. Take a walk to a local café or coffee shop and spend some time working from there. Or, on a sunny day, head to the park or even the beach. What about going to a friend’s house and using their spare room when they don’t need it? You can even rent a desk in a communal office – this is especially useful if the reason you don’t like working from home is that you miss being around other people. 

 In the end, working from home is something that is clearly here to stay, and more and more companies are choosing to work in this way. Therefore, making yourself as comfortable as possible in whatever way you can when you’re working remotely has to be a priority. 

7 Design Trends to Boost Your Work from Home Productivity

There are many advantages to working from home, including a flexible schedule, a comfy dress code, and a nonexistent commute. But sometimes, an atmosphere that’s too familiar can interfere with your focus and productivity. Design changes can help. Here are seven design tips and trends to make your home office a place you can focus and relax.

Influential color

Color is an influential design tool. Since light travels to your eyes in waves, it releases different sections along the way. Color is the portion of the light spectrum that you can see. Each color triggers different electrical impulses in the retina of your eyes. From there, the impulses travel to the brain, where they affect the endocrine system and influence your emotions, sleep patterns, blood pressure, and metabolism.

The colors that you should use in your home workspace depend on the qualities you want to strengthen. Blue is calming and helps you concentrate. Red is energizing, yellow is uplifting, and orange is fun. If you already have an abundance of energy, try a soft blue, a contemplative palette of violet, or a restful green.

Functional furniture

Imagine working in a room with no furniture. Soon enough, you’ll see the impact that emptiness has on performance. The furniture you want in your workspace depends on your business, but each type can affect your overall work performance.

Choose a spacious surface for work, whether it’s a desk or table, with a comfortable chair and all the materials you need close at hand. Take the time to set up your workflow: pending, in-progress, and archived should all have a designated place to minimize time waste. You might even consider using a standing desk to boost your energy level.

A versatile option like a modular sofa adds comfort to your space and lets you take a break without losing your mental focus. Physical comfort is an important part of job performance that extends beyond the basic ergonomics of keyboard and monitor positions.

Relaxing nature

Exposure to nature reduces the stress that interferes with your ability to get things done. Fight stress fatigue with beautiful surroundings that include a view of green space through your home office window. If you don’t have the option to choose a room with a view, bring nature inside with houseplants and create an indoor green space.

Strategic lighting

By now you’ve heard of the perils of blue light and circadian sleep woes. Yet blue light isn’t always a bad thing if you need to wake up and concentrate. The key to success is using it at the right time of day so that it won’t interfere with sleep.

Have multiple light sources in your workspace, some with blue light and some without. Start your day in bright, cool light, and transition to warmer light as your workday draws to a close. Use blue light filters on all your screens, or wear blue-blocking glasses, about two to three hours before you plan to sleep.

Comfortable temperature

Where’s the heat source in your workspace? This is something to consider when deciding on your room layout. You’ll also want to plan for air movement during the warmer months if your home office is upstairs in a house with no air conditioning. The ideal temperature for workplace productivity is somewhere between 72 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, but that can depend on the type of work. Having the final say over the coziness or briskness of your office is another work at home perk.

Functional walls

If you’ve ever hung a small corkboard and run out of space to pin items, you might appreciate a cork wall. Designers often choose an accent wall and paint it a color different from the rest of the room. Your accent wall can be a place to pin ideas, notes, lists, photos, or anything else you want visible or easily accessible. If you don’t like the idea of a wall covered in pieces of paper, consider chalkboard paint instead. Stock up on some colored chalk and enjoy the vast expanse on which to write notes, lists, mind maps, or even doodles when you need a brain break.

Soothing sounds

Design is more than just visual elements. Sound is a near-constant in our environment and can make or break your home office environment. Are you working at home while others are present? Any sounds they make could interfere with your focus and take you off task. 

If possible, locate your workspace away from the main shared areas. If you don’t have enough room, invest in comfortable noise-canceling headphones for complete quiet. You can also use a cell phone app for a variety of audio options: classical instrumental music, meditation music, nature sounds, or café ambiance.

When you work from home, it’s hard to tell where your work life ends and your home life begins. This is when effective design strategies help to carve out a customized space tailored to your preferences. With the right personalization, that space can be more than just productive—it can be inspiring too.

 

Tips for Staying Focused When Working from Home

It can be hard to stay focused when working from home. Family members, your TV or your phone can all be unwelcome distractions that stop you from achieving the productivity you’re capable of. Whether you’re a student striving for academic success (if so – you should use scribbr’s plagiarism tool), you’re a home-based business consultant or you’re a freelancer, it’s important to have periods of time that are completely focused. So, how can you stay focused when working from home?

A clear space Being focused can be difficult when you’re in a cluttered, messy or dysfunctional space. In order to work from home successfully, you will need your own space which is free from any distractions. This might mean your own office space, where you have a desk, an organized filing system and a door to shut out any disturbances. However, this is not always possible. Wherever you’re working from, make sure that the desk is clear of clutter and you keep the area tidy. A messy and chaotic working space will only lead to messy and chaotic thoughts.

Turn your phone off

Social media is often the biggest distraction in the current day. It can feel impossible to sit down and be productive when your phone is constantly pinging and you’ve got a stream of photos, videos and messages to keep you occupied. So, to be focused, have periods of time where you turn your phone off. This will allow you to completely focus on your work and whatever tasks you need to complete. You can take breaks to switch it back on and check your messages, but don’t be constantly distracted.

Routine

When working from home, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy, productive routine. It’s tempting to wake up whenever you want, eat breakfast at your desk and stay in your pajamas all day. But this is rarely practical. Focused work days often revolve around a regular routine, and many people benefit from behaving as if they’ve got up and gone to work. This might mean waking up at the same time, having regular scheduled meals and getting dressed in the morning before sitting down at your desk. However, people work in different ways. You might be more of a night owl – and that’s OK. The key is to establish a routine that works for you and stick to it.

Breaks

Alongside a clear routine, it’s important to take breaks. No one is productive for every minute of their working day. The key is to work for shorter amounts of time and make these periods productive. If you can tell yourself that you’ll work without distractions for half an hour and then go get a coffee, you’ll be more productive than if you get up mid task and make it. It’s always good to give yourself an incentive to keep working, and breaks do just that. Plus, they give you the time to refresh your brain and look away from the computer screen.