7 Quick Ways to Improve Your Home Office Space
There’s only so long you can sit at the dining room table before you’re going to start fantasizing about dropping $200 on a fancy office chair that will soothe your back pain away.
If your resolution this year was to upgrade your work from home set-up, you are in luck because we have all of the best tech solutions to help you reinvent your home office space.
Table of Contents
7 Quick Ways to Improve Your Home Office Space
A Potted Plant
You don’t have to be a green thumb to bring a plant into your office. There are plenty of low-effort plants available that are sure to improve your home office space. Plants are a great way to bring a little “life” into your office. They release water vapor into the air, help purify the air, and even some reports say that having a house plant helps increase focus. For around $20-$30, you can bring a pre-plotted mature houseplant into your home office space.
Be sure to read up before becoming a plant parent. Some plants require specific amounts of light, regular watering, and more attention than you may be willing to give. Pearl and Jade Pothos plants are fairly easy to care for, at least in my experience, and I’ve killed many plants in my lifetime.
A New Microphone
If you’re like millions of people around the world, you’ve probably spent a lot of time creating a quiet environment to hold important business conferences at home. You probably relied on your built-in webcam and microphone to handle most of your business calls last year, but now is the perfect time to invest in a high-quality microphone to make you sound even better on your next call.
Now, there are a lot of options out there. You could easily find a $25 microphone on Amazon, but you will run the risk of having connection issues or feedback problems. Instead of wasting money on cheap, low-quality microphones, set aside some money and invest in a high-quality microphone like a Blue Yeti.
Blue Light Glasses
Now that you’re working from home, you may find that you’re spending a lot of time staring at a computer screen. Maybe even more than you were before. You may also find that you’re squinting a lot or dealing with migraines where you weren’t before. Did you know it may have something to do with the “blue light” from your screen?
If you have prescription glasses, you can actually get them treated for blue light, but if you’re one of the lucky people with decent eyesight, you can pick up a pair of blue light reading glasses for a reasonable price from shops like Shopbop. Blue light glasses won’t change your workspace, but they might help improve your eye strain.
A Ring Light
Speaking of light, have you upgraded your home office lighting yet? If you haven’t, you should consider upgrading with a simple light ring. It will improve all of your video conferences, potential job interviews, and anything else you might have to do with the camera on. Go from bland fluorescent lighting to well-lit cool tones.
There are many ring lights on the market, but I’m obsessed with this one from Amazon. For less than $40, you can use three different lighting tones and adjust it to your height preference up to four feet.
Filing Cabinets
If you haven’t already invested in filing cabinets for your home office, consider buying a filing cabinet that will double as a pop of color in your space. While regular metal filing cabinets are practical and typically low-priced, they tend to run in drab greys and dark colors. Use your home office furniture to bring a little life into your office and give you something visually appealing to look at while you deal with work all day.
This bright blue rolling filing cabinet from Target would make for a nice statement piece. Shop around and find a filing cabinet that matches your personal color schemes and aesthetic preferences! Plus, it will help you get organized in the process!
Add Art
You’re not stuck in a corporate office space. No one is going to judge you for how you decorate your home office. Get creative!
If you love fashion, create your own art from that stack of magazines you’ve already read. Cut out pictures and create a colorful collage, and frame it. Search Etsy for your favorite fandoms and help support small artists by buying their prints.
Whatever you love, you can showcase it on the walls of your home office and give yourself something to look at while you wait for everyone to join your morning conference call. There’s no reason not to bring your own style into your home office space.
A New Desk
If you don’t have a dedicated office space, this might be a little more difficult, but you should invest in a new desk. It doesn’t have to be super fancy — don’t drop a grand on a fancy standing desk; it won’t actually make your work any better.
The key to finding a new desk is to find a piece that helps you maximize your space. Look for a desk that has a built-in bookshelf, filing cabinet, or extra storage. It will help you use your limited space in the best ways.
This Amazon desk is only $110, and it has a built-in bookshelf and plenty of space beneath it to install more organizational pieces.
The Bottom Line
These may seem like simple purchases, but they can go a long way to helping you improve your work environment. The great part of working from home is that you are in complete control of your set-up. You don’t have to get permission to hang up artwork or get written up for having too many pictures of your pet on your desk.
Regardless of whether you’ve always worked from home or you’re approaching one year of turning your home into your office, now is a great time to find new ways to customize your space to your comfort level. What are you waiting for?
This article was written by Maggie Lovitt from Your Money Geek and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
