Whether you are looking to start a small business from your home or are a freelancer, it really helps to have a dedicated home office. You can enjoy freedom from long commutes while being able to work in your own customized workspace. The outcome is greater productivity and job satisfaction. Once it’s time to expand, you can look for office space to rent in London or in whichever part of the world you’re based in. 

1. Find the Right Space

Truth be told, no space in your apartment is too small or too big to organize an in-home office. When selecting a space, remember it should be private and free from distractions (so no T.V.). Fix working hours so that your family knows they shouldn’t disturb you at that time. If you’re expecting clients, the location and the path to reach there should all look professional, so no dirty kitchen or stinky footwear. 

Some suggestions are:

• An open space in the living room
• A guest room
• Behind the sofa
• A closet that you can spare
• A passageway
• Unused corners of the apartment

2. Choose the right Colors

The colors you choose for the walls can determine how you feel when you sit down to work. Violet and green promote relaxation and peace. Yellow as a color evokes optimism but if using it, make sure it is not bright. Red triggers energy and excitement so if used in a home office, should be restricted to accents. White, tan, gray and ivory are neutral and 

non-distracting. You can consider teaming them up with accent colors for energy and vitality. Blue may make you sleepy. 

3. Make Wise Purchases 

Make a list of all the things you would need for your office such as a reliable computer with adequate memory, processing speed and backup capability; stable and high speed Wi-Fi, stationery, an all-in-one printer, a paper shredder for confidential documents, and a phone line purely for your home office. Refrain from getting overexcited and buying more things than you would practically need for daily use. 

4. Engage in Smart Storage

Look at space-saving storage options for those important bills and documents. Filing options range from filing cabinets and hanging folders to storage carts with wheels and cubeicals. Adjustable shelves that can also be repositioned means you can fit the shelves to suit your items and avoid wasted voids. Similarly, modular storage enables customizing of size and design to suit your budget. 

5. Be organized

Keep everything organized so that you don’t end up wasting time hunting for things – you should be able to quickly identify where the pens are, and where you kept the memos, scissors, stapler, notebook, folders, index cards, business cards, USB memory sticks, post-it stickers and so on. 

6. Ensure Proper Lighting

Ideally, your home office should be somewhere where lots of natural light comes in. Sunlight is known to boost health and general well-being. If daylight is inadequate or just not available in that area, use artificial lighting, blending general and task lighting. Take care to position the lighting and computer in such a way that you can see clearly but there is no glare. This will help to minimize eye strain. 

7. Make it Ergonomic

When setting up your home office, give your long-term health the priority it needs. Aim for ergonomic design of your desk, chair, mouse and keyboard. Consider whether you want a standing desk that could help you avoid the bad effects of sitting all day. 

8. Decorate and Personalize

Having something aesthetic or pleasant every now and then to look at can make you happy, inspire you and keep you at the task. It can also offer you some relief from the eye fatigue caused by long hours at the computer. These could be pieces of artwork, family photos, or even some indoor plants. Greenery in your home office will serve to trigger a happy frame of mind and reduce stress. 

To summarize, if your home office is a place where you can work hours on end comfortably, with absolute concentration and free from interruptions, while making you feel at home, you’ve achieved your objective.