The Proverbs 31 Woman is not only industrious, she also works hard without complaining about it. In fact, she goes about her tasks cheerfully:
“She looks for wool and flax And works with willing hands in delight.”
– Proverbs 31:13 AMP
That sounds nice, doesn’t it? The thought that chores not only should be, but can be, enjoyable is encouraging to me. I never really thought about it that way, but it makes perfect sense to delight in your tasks if you are one who is grateful for all you have, including an able body with a home to take care of, or a job to do. And what can make your work more delightful than having a home office that inspires you?
I have learned that when it comes to home offices, people often neglect them since they are for your own personal use rather than for entertaining guests. And when people neglect decorating their home offices, they end up working in other places of the house such as on the couch or at the kitchen table. What’s so bad about that? I have also learned that taking the time to style your home office can actually help spark your creativity and help you to be more productive.
I live in a small space so my home office needs to be functional while also providing a nice backdrop for my social media videos and photos. How you style your home office all depends on what you do for a living and your work style. Regardless of your profession, create your inspirational home office with these four steps.
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Step 1: Choose Your Colors
The first bit of expert advice is that there is power in paint. Did you know that the color of your office has an affect on your mood and creativity? How do you need to feel in your work environment? The color you choose can energize you, or make you more relaxed, or inspire you.
I definitely need to feel inspired but because my space is small, I need to leave my walls white, the one color experts say to avoid.
Fortunately, there are other ways to make use of color in your home office besides painting the walls. You can also add pops of color such as bringing in a colorful filing cabinet or by creating a gallery wall.
Lastly, research has shown that the color green may boost productivity. If you do not want to paint your office green, the same result can be achieved by adding natural greenery. Just looking at a pretty plant on your desk can improve your mood while it naturally purifies the air in your workspace. Plus the foliage will give your office some texture.
Having a colorful office, along with the calming effect of a pretty desk plant, will inspire you to actually work there, and efficiently.
See Related: Build a Home as a Proverbs 31 Woman
Step 2: Choose Your Furniture
When deciding on furniture, consider the size of your space. If your space is small, you will need to take scale into account.
Desks for small spaces can include a leaning ladder shelf that both creates a workspace as well as hold office supplies. If you are a DIY-er, you can also convert a bookcase to include a fold-down desk out of one of the shelves. Or you can mount a floating shelf in a corner to make your own custom corner desk.
Regardless of the size of your space, to determine what furniture your home office will need, you should also keep your workflow in mind. Do you work at a computer but need to retrieve and return files? Or do you need to get reference books from a shelf? Does your desk have storage for office supplies or will you need to install shelving for that? Would a chair with wheels help you with efficiency? Take all of these things into consideration to keep your home office functional.
Step 3: Optimize Your Space
Being organized is essential, especially in a small space. Considering that even a corner of a room can be converted into a home office, taking advantage of every inch of that space will be helpful.
This includes vertical space: Mount shelves all the way to the ceiling for storage, and/or attach a pin board or a stylish grid to the wall for supplies to free up space on your desktop. You can also store those supplies in pretty boxes that you place on your shelves.
Create a system to keep paperwork organized and stored out of sight.
You can use a stylish filing cabinet for that or you can use some filing folders and a wicker basket to create your own filing storage. Tuck your filing system and your printer into a drawer or corner so that you are maximizing all of your space.
See Related: Closet Organization Tips
Think about where you will position your desk. If you have natural lighting, positioning your desk to face the window will not only improve your mood and help you to be more alert, it will make your space feel bigger. If you are not able to position your desk to face a source of natural lighting or you have none in your space, you can position your desk diagonally across the corner so that it faces away from the wall. Then use the wall space behind the desk to hang shelves on the wall or to position a bookcase against it. Not having to face a wall while working can help boost your productivity and may help you work longer.
Step 4: Add Accessories
Accessorize your home office with items that double as decor and organizational tools, such as pretty pencil cups and other stylish desk accessories. Install floating shelves that you can add plants and other knickknacks to for decor and inspiration but that will contain clutter to keep you organized and focused.
Create an accent wall. Hang framed wall art of favorite scriptures that inspire and motivate you. For personal touches, include framed pictures and other keepsakes. Add texture and more color to your space with an area rug, and warmth with a throw pillow and blanket.
In other words, create a space that makes you happy to get to work each day.
“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.” – Ephesians 6:7-8 NLT
– Ephesians 6:7-8 NLT
See Related: 1 Big Reason to Try This Planner
Do you already have a stylish home office? If not, have you been inspired to create one? Please let me know below in the comments.
Blessings!
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