The Complete Guide to Optimizing Your Home Workspace (And Why You Should) |
|
In October, I had a friend over to brainstorm & collaborate on a few upcoming projects we were cooking up (one of them became the Dinner Party Giveaway! Pun intended). He asked if he could see my home office, aka the former guest room that I took over as my “WFH” space during the pandemic. I later joked that he literally transformed into this meme after I opened the office door: |
|
To be clear, this friend was incredibly gracious about the mess he witnessed when he stepped in. But the mere act of sharing my office aka my #shameroom with him was jarring, because I saw the space through somebody else’s eyes for the first time. And it was bad. 🫠 It also made me realize that I really didn’t want to continue working in a room that wasn’t meeting my needs (at all), was causing plenty of low grade anxiety, and making me feel, well, SHAME.
〰️
A note about “shame rooms” *record scratch* I bet you’re wondering how I ended up here, with a home “office” filled with empty Amazon boxes, a broken mug and a monitor that was partially melted from an unfortunate incident with a candle two years ago. Why did my home office suck so much? If you have a shame room of your own, then I know I don’t need to explain it to you folks. You are the real ones. 🫵 I'm kidding. But for those of you tidy, non-feral types (please send some of that energy over here), I think the main problem was: I never really decided what I wanted this room to be, or what purpose it needed to serve, so it became a weird limbo, and kind of a dumping ground. It was an office, sure, but I also sort of wanted enough space to work out sometimes. I thought I’d turn it back into a guest room someday, so I dilly-dallied on investing in the office furniture I actually needed. Indecision is not a good recipe for creating an aesthetic and functional space. I think it's the root of most shame rooms: they're simply in need of a thesis. SO. After my gracious friend left—we are still friends despite his exceedingly polite horror—I decided once and for all: this space is my office, and I’m going to invest in the things I need to make it a damn good one! 〰️ The overhaul begins The Instagram/TikTok algorithm quickly caught wind of this, because I started seeing “cozy desk” content like crazy, which I’ve written about in past newsletters, and found two spaces that REALLY inspired me: Jules Acree’s office, and Kennedy’s (Cozy Games) workspace. |
|
And then I got to work. First, I decided what was important to me. Above all, I wanted a home office that would bring a sense of calm, comfort and joy to my work day. That boiled down to… 🪑 Ergonomics 🙏 Order 🛋️ Space to lounge ✨ LIGHT 💅 Aesthetics 〰️ 🪑 Ergonomics 🪑 While I was linking posture-related articles in this very newsletter months back, I need you to know that I was sitting in my trash-picked office chair like a gargoyle. How I addressed this: - By brushing up on the basics of setting up an optimal workspace with this delightfully irreverent video.
- Investing in a completely adjustable, ergonomic chair with MAJOR back support, which I desperately need. I scooped the Aeron chair during Herman Miller’s epic sale last month—you can also grab one for a fraction of the price from refurbishers. And while this chair was a seeerious investment for me, there are few places I spend more of my day. Note that this and many other Herman Miller furnishings have Declare labels (an immensely helpful tool for healthy product sourcing, used primarily in the commercial building space), which disclose all of the materials used in manufacturing. The Aeron chair is “Red List Approved,” meaning it complies with/avoids the Red List chemicals of concern (maintained by the International Living Future Institute) known to pose risks to human health and the environment.
- A footrest: The root cause of my pretzel poses in office chairs is simple: my short legs mean my feet aren’t flush on the ground, so a footrest is a must to get me in proper alignment. I got this HumanScale one that rocks, a feature I didn’t know I needed, and use it constantly while sitting AND while standing—it keeps my legs moving all day.
- A monitor stand: I’ve linked this in the newsletter before, but I nabbed this Amazon dupe of a much more expensive monitor stand that you may have seen around Pinterest/Instagram. I LOVE that it not only allows the top of my monitor to sit optimally at eye level, but has little cubbies to stash and organize things, like my laptop and notepads. This was my first *office optimization* purchase and became a gateway drug, if you will.
- Existing stuff I had: I’ve been using an adjustable standing desk for a few years (in part subsidized by the last company I worked for in-house—check your WFH benefits!), which I feel is a home office essential to bring more movement to your workday. I also found an old ergonomic mouse and keyboard sitting unused in the back of a drawer, which begs the question: Why hadn’t I been using these all along? 😵💫
〰️
🙏 Order 🙏
I wanted a supreeeemely organized desktop and room overall. Everything—file folders, mail, my hoarder's stash of Japanese pens—needed to have a home. How I addressed this: - A hook for my headphones: It’s silly how much joy this $11 hook brings me (found via Jules Acree’s office roundup linked above). It sticks to the underside of your desk so you can hang your headphones out of the way. I also hang a dad cap on my headphones hook to hide messy hair before Zoom calls: SIMPLE JOYS.
- A felt desk mat: Kennedy’s cozy office content (linked above) inspired this purchase, and I don’t know how I’ve lived this long without one. It brings a coziness/hominess to my desktop, and everything feels super tidy aligned on top of it: mouse, keyboard, pens, mug.
- I “clam-shelled” my laptop: After a great deal of thought and research into how to best arrange my laptop as a second screen to my monitor, I decided I didn’t need a second screen at all. My laptop is closed and tucked into my monitor stand, and it charges directly from being plugged into my monitor, where it displays. This makes my desk setup SO much sleeker.
- Getting a letter tray to hold mail and miscellaneous papers. Doom piles be gone!
- A storage cabinet: While a giant solid wood cabinet with non-toxic finishes would be my first choice for storage, I compromised and grabbed an IKEA Pax made from particleboard. IKEA has been vocal about its efforts to reduce formaldehyde in their glues, and they’ve long banned an array of chemicals of concern, so I find them to be a nice fallback if you can’t splurge. I filled my Pax with perfectly sized storage baskets and canvas file folder boxes: in short, the Pax gets all my clutter off my desk (and my floor), and everything has a “home” with plenty of space to spare. 🙏
- Drawer organizers. I also scooped some little bins to keep post-its, pens, hard drives and other “like” items together in my filing cabinet.
- Cable management! I’m still working on this part, but there are so many solutions for hiding the tangled mess of cords and cables that’s haunting your desk.
〰️ 🛋️ Space to lounge 🛋️ In my dream scenario, I would have a comfy place to post up with espresso and write out my to-do list each morning—or to take a quick break and read a trashy mystery novel. How I addressed this: - Added a loveseat: I took the space-hogging credenza out of my office and replaced it with a comfy couch. I went with the Sabai loveseat, which is one of the only sorta affordable “non-toxic” and sustainable options out there—though of course I have some notes on the materials they chose. I’ll do a full review of this down the line!
〰️ ✨ Light ✨ If you read the newsletter a few weeks ago, you know that bright blaring overhead lights are my mortal enemy. So creating a vibe-y space with lamps and hue bulbs was a necessity. How I addressed this: - See the newsletter from two weeks ago all about the hell that is harsh lighting.
〰️ 💅 Aesthetics! 💅 The cherry on top = an overall visually pleasing space. I wanted to pull together pieces for my office that would create a sense of cohesion and make my eyeballs happy. How I addressed this: - I made a little plan/moodboard in PowerPoint: This is super easy, just drag in the items you’re considering buying and use the “Remove Background” tool within the “Picture" tab. You can do this in Canva or another tool like Spoak, too. I’ve made these little boards for almost every room in our house: they really illuminate how all the pieces of furniture and textiles work together, and help avoid a giant pile of returns after you realize things clash or don’t fit your space.
- PLANTS! Highly recommend making your office a jungle, the benefits of biophilia are broad.
|
|
〰️ The expected (and unexpected) joys of improving your office My office overhaul came together in about a month, and I can’t stop thinking about it, talking about it (hi, hello) or finding reasons to spend more time in my office, now that it’s no longer a black hole of despair. My back hurts so much less from hunching, and I quite literally wake up with a spring in my step, excited to sit (or stand) in front of my monitor for most of the day. The mental health gains of having a space that is free of clutter and an absolute pleasure to be in are worth the monetary costs many, many times over. Once again, I'm re-learning that the quality of the environments where we spend the majority of our time have such a powerful effect on the way we feel. Changing up my office has improved my workday mood to a magnitude I didn't totally expect, but one of the even more surprising benefits of this little project is that I've actually gained a new hangout spot. I come in here at any and every opportunity, often unrelated to work: folding laundry, Netflixing, painting my nails—I will find any excuse. Although I'm bummed about how long I neglected this space, I'm proud of how quickly I got it together once I horrified my friend set my mind to it. I’ve got a few more things to fine tune (wall art, a side table, getting that damn dimmer installed) and then maybe I’ll actually take photos. I figured at least a few of you may have “home office improvements” on your bingo card as the New Year approaches, and wanted to remind you that if you work from home, you deserve an optimal setup in the space you spend most of your day, whether that’s in a dedicated room, or at a desk you've set up in a bedroom or a common area. And a good number of the refinements you can make are free, or very affordable. Maybe the end of 2023 is your moment to finally put together your own cozy desk/office? 🫵 And for those of you with a dialed-in desk setup already, I really want to hear what your must-haves are. What did I miss? What do I have yet to discover? I feel like a newborn baby in cozy office land and I never want to leave.
|
|
I'm traveling to celebrate the holidays early with my west coast family next week, so I'll catch back up with you in two weeks. Miss you and I mean it! Until then: 🐇 Don't forget to say “ Rabbit, rabbit” first thing today for good luck all month, |
|
Until next time, Jennifer @ Sway |
|
Sway emails contain affiliate links. We only recommend products to you that meet our rigorous standards for health. Thank you for your support! |
|
|
