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How to Turn a Spare Bedroom into the Perfect Home Office

Lawton self storage units near me home office

How to Turn a Spare Bedroom into the Perfect Home Office

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 5% of the nation’s workers did their jobs from home in 2017. Today, nearly 45% of workers are logging in from home! It’s clear that working from home has become a new normal for many of us, and the percentage of those doing so is likely to only go up in the coming years.

Working from home, telecommuting, mobile work, remote work: Whatever you call it, it means that you’re setting up a workspace in the spare room and doing your 9 to 5 there, possibly while still in your PJs. For some, getting to work at home is the best work perk ever. Others, however, may find their work efficiency suffering.

The difference in productivity may boil down to the environment in which you’re working or even taking online classes. To that end, we’ve put together a few tips on how to turn a spare bedroom into the perfect home office or place to do your schoolwork and how self storage units near you can help!

Pick a room and get it ready. If you have a spare bedroom, that’s the perfect place for a home office. Not everyone has a spare bedroom in their house, though, so many people use space in their basement, the attic, or even a large walk-in closet. Wherever you set up, you’ll want to start from scratch. Clean out the room, clean everything up, make any needed repairs, maybe even put a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Do anything you need to make the place feel welcoming and new. Of course, Lawton, OK self storage units can provide a safe and convenient spot for anything that your new office has displaced.

Fill the space with items related to your work. Focus is important, and keeping your workspace dedicated to work helps keep you on track. Plus, you’ll want to have everything you need close to hand. From computers and printers to paper and writing utensils, you don’t want to be running all over the house to grab a print job or re-set the wireless. Depending on what type of work you’ll be doing and how you do it, you may also want a whiteboard, a filing cabinet, some shelving, and other office supplies. You’ll also want to have plenty of lighting. Nobody wants to go to work in a room that feels like a dungeon.

Buy a decent chair and desk. Remember, you’re going to be spending a lot of time here, so make sure you’re comfortable. That old office chair that works when you’re scrolling Facebook in the evening may not be sufficient when you’re spending eight hours a day in it. Invest in a good desk and an office chair that’s comfortable and functional. Putting your home office in a carpeted room? You’ll probably also want one of those plastic floor protectors that save the carpet from your chair’s casters and keep the casters from getting full of carpet threads!

Decorate for success. One way to ensure that your home workspace is a success is to create an efficient and office-like environment. That doesn’t have to be minimalist – though it can be if that works for you – but it should help you to feel like you’re “at work” when you sit down at your desk, even though you’re still at home. If you’ll be participating in a lot of video calls or Zoom meetings, it’s also worth thinking about what your backdrop says about you and your workspace. Make sure your computer is positioned in a way that creates a backdrop that isn’t cluttered or distracting. It should send a message that you take your work-from-home position seriously.

Create a secondary seating space. You won’t be at your desk all the time – nor should you be! It’s good to get up, stretch, move around, and change positions frequently throughout the day. If you have room, it can be helpful to have a sofa or a comfy chair in your home office where you can sit to read over documents, make notes, brainstorm, or sit in on conference calls. It’s also good if a client comes by for a meeting.

Sign up for better internet access. This is the age of the video call and the Zoom meeting, but according to research from Stanford University, only around 65% of Americans have internet fast enough to support a good video call. No one enjoys glitchy, lagging video calls. If you can get better access from your service provider, it’s worth the extra money to do so. It may cost a little more every month, but it’ll pay for itself in lower stress and a more pleasant work experience. Many residential providers around Oklahoma offer speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps, which will make it easy for everyone in the house to be online for work, study, or leisure.

Set specific work-from-home rules. Sure, working from home can sometimes feel like a vacation, but it’s still work, and it’s no less important or serious than when you were doing it at the office. As such, it’s important for you and your family to remember that your home workspace is just that. You’ll want to establish clear rules for your kids and other family members about playing in your office, when your work hours are, and so on. These rules go for you, too. It’s easy enough to get distracted when you’re working from home – especially if the kids are doing at-home learning, as well – so it’s important to maintain a good work/life balance.

Use self storage near you for everything that stands in the way. Setting up a productive workspace means making room for what contributes to work, study, and total productivity and moving out everything that doesn’t. Whether your home office was previously a storeroom, game room, craft room, or guest bedroom, there’ll be stuff that you had to move out to make space but don’t want to part with. Fortunately, there’s a simple answer: climate-controlled storage units near you.

If you’re looking for Lawton, OK storage units or simply searching Google for “storage units near me,” you’ll find the perfect solution for your home office clutter at Storage ‘R’ Us! We can help you make a little extra space in your spare bedroom, basement, or attic for that home office, while keeping all your belongings safe, out of the way, and easily accessible! Just give us a call or stop by one of our many locations today!



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