10 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Home Office Cheaply
While most of your freelancing hours should go towards billable, client projects, it is also important to spend some time making your working life better. For me, nothing makes me feel happier at work than sitting in a nice office environment. Although I would love to have a really spectacular office filled with expensive designer furniture, the reality is what it is. Like any design project, you have to accept your constraints and work within them.
Here are 10 things you can do to improve your home office on the cheap:
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Buy a Plant
Nothing brightens up a space like other forms of life. If you can’t have co-workers, well plants are better company anyway. A bit of greenery can lift a room and make it a much more pleasant place to be. I must confess to having a poor record with plants myself, having sent more than a few to plant-heaven. But while they were alive, I did enjoy their oxygen emitting aesthetic.
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Get a Recycling System
There are heaps of ways that freelancers can be more environmentally friendly, the simplest of which is to have a recycling system. All offices produce large amounts of paper waste and there is no sense putting it in with all those plastic twinkie wrappers. So get yourself a couple of colour-coded bins and start recycling.
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Tidy Up the Wires
Wires are an ugly necessity of the modern world. While you might be able to get a wireless mouse, keyboard and even internet, you simply can’t escape power cords. Chances are that you’ll have quite a few other types of cables too and they’re probably all in a giant pile of knots somewhere under your desk. What can you do? Quite a lot actually…
- Bind cords together
Your cables will often run together in big clumps, so get a ‘tidy’ (you know those little wire binders that come in electronics packaging) or even a string or rubber band and bind the cords together at intervals so that become one giant cord rather than a web of cables. - Clamp long running wires to walls
Sometimes you have to run a long cable from one room to another, or just from one end of a room to the other side. When this happens it’s best to get clamps to stick the wires to the walls. You can get little clamps for this purpose from your local hardware store and they’ll help blend your cables in with the room, not to mention cutting back on you tripping yourself up. - Get retractable cords
One clever innovation that I recently got with my ethernet cable was a retractable spindle. That way excess cable retracts into a neat bundle instead of drifting around the office.
- Bind cords together
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Add a Filing Cabinet
If you haven’t already got one, a filing cabinet can help clean up the most disorganised of offices. You have to stay consistent with them, but they pay off big rewards. Read our 9 tips on using filing cabinets.
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Organise Your Desk
Visit your local office supplies store and grab yourself a few organisational items to clean up your desk. Things like pen holders, trays, boxes and CD/DVD storage can make a big difference to your workspace.
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Get some Colour
There’s nothing like colour to brighten up an office space. Get some artwork or a poster to make your wall a little more visually interesting. Grab a cool desktop for your screen and a nice screensaver for when you’re busy looking away. In our office we have gigantic painting done by a homeless girl that Cyan bought at a charity auction. It’s a bit crazy, but certainly makes the place look lively.
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Get a Clock
A wall clock is another nice way to decorate your wall and a good excuse to look away from your screen now and again to help preserve your eyes from strain. Find yourself something that matches the rest of your decor and avoid a loud ticking clock at all costs!
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Get a USB cup warmer
OK so this is a bit of an oddball suggestion, but I love tea and these little guys keep it warm for much longer. They’re not that expensive, though it is one more wire on your desk. USB Cup Warmers at Amazon
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Improve the lighting
Nothing improves an office space like lighting. If you’ve ever browsed through an Ikea store you’ll know that they always make generous use of lamps and lights. This is because they make things look good!
If your office doesn’t get a lot of daylight, you might want to begin by maximizing that. Make sure your windows are clear of anything that impedes the light. If you are on the ground floor but facing the wrong direction to get much natural light, you can use a strategically placed mirror outside to reflect more light in. Similarly on the inside a mirror can help push light around your room.
Along with natural light, consider getting a lamp or some other types of lighting. Places like Ikea have lots of small decorative types of lamps that can be appended to book cases, hidden below pot plants or placed next to your desk.
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Add a Calendar / Wallplanner / Whiteboard
Despite all the advances in calendar and planning technology, I still use pen and paper to remember things. If you’re like me, a calendar, a wallplanner or a whiteboard are all handy ways to keep track of what’s coming up, what’s going on and what you should be freaking out about. And like a clock, they force you to look away from your screen now and again which is always a good thing.
Of course those are just a few ideas. There are in fact lots of things you can do to make your home office a better place to work. I love visiting my local Ikea and Officeworks to find ideas – although this often leads to inadvertent spending. Remember if you’re spending most of your waking life in your office space, you may as well make it a nice place to be!
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A cupwarmer is an odd little appliance, certainly, but surprisingly luxurious, and occupies very little precious desktop real estate. It keeps my cup at the perfect temperature, hot but not scorching, and each sip of coffee or tea tastes as fresh as the first. When I got mine, back in the Dark Ages before USB was invented, they made to plug into a standard wall outlet; I assume those are still available.
I guess I’m just superstitious, but I avoid unnecessary electrons going through my computer when possible.
Just this week I did a major rearranging of where I work in the house. I had previously worked in/on my bed. It’s not cool to sleep in your bed, then work in it all day. I work on my bed because I have a damaged tailbone and sitting on a chair is excruciating. Anyway, a couple of days ago – enough was enough. My bedroom is cut off from everything, has blockout curtains that are hard to open and close and it’s very hot and muggy – and it really stiffles my creative reflexes.
So, I chose a room that didn’t get through traffic, moved a day bed to sit facing a large window with gorgeous views of my lovely big poinciana tree. I now get lovely filtered light to read my documents, a breeze which brings the tease of rain (I’m in drought-stricken Australia), I can hear the lizards, cicadas and butcher birds. It’s now a delight to get down to work. I’ve done more work in the last two days than in the previous 2 weeks!
Long story short – sometimes a simple change of scenery can work wonders.
People also often locate their office in their home for practical reasons (powerpoints, internet connection etc), forgetting that they have to spend a lot of time there. Your office needs to be somewhere you enjoy being.
Thanks Collies for the super tips. However, I want to make a complaint.Listening to the podcasts and reading other articles on sprucing up your office (and making it somewhere you want to work) is costing me alot of cash!!!
Before I found FSW, I was happy, sat in our freezing cold dining room, on a tiny desk.
Now look what I’ve done. I’ve decluttered a spare room. It took hours.
Then I moved a large desk in there, in front of the window. Now I can look out and watch the trees sway at dinner time, and warm my feet on a proper radiator on the wall below.
Somehow my old chair looks rubbish, so a new ergonomic cool chair is on the my shpping list. Then I thought, heck, why not get a corner desk, for more room…..
And now, you’ve added 30 more things to my shopping list
FSW is good for mind, but its hurting my wallet XD
Great article, thanks
I’m a _huge_ fan of dry erase boards to help plan things out, especially if you’re working with other people. You can get a huge one by buying materials at Lowe’s and making your own — you can google “DIY white board” and find a bunch of different ideas.
Wow… I had no Idea there were such things as USB cup warmers :/ Thanks for bringing this to light!
Thank you so much for this post, it’s reminded me of a few things I’ve been meaning to buy for a long time but had forgotten about!
This is really a nice idea collis, In fact I always watch my clock every seconds. I’m strict about time.
Thanks for this one. Great post
great article. we’re about to move house and you’ve just given me heaps of tips on how to sit up my new office space. a good working environment keeps you creative!
Idil
Ah, my desk has two space saving 5 gallon aquariums on either side of my monitor with my two finned sons… my Betta brats.
They are awesome stress relievers and help ease eye strain. When I start getting tension headaches I simply grab a pencil and point my eraser at their tanks to play with them. Very comical fish I tell ya!
Outside my office is a strange looking trailer-van, that looks a bit like a boat from behind, because it has a rear balcony. There’s a podium on the roof and a politician with an amazing set of loud speakers, ranting some sort of political speech in Japanese. I wish he would go away. It’s hard to think.
An organized work environment definitely makes for better performance. I used to have a cactus sitting in front of the monitor. To absorb radiation, others say. It sort of wilted in the strangest way though to this day, I’m not entirely sure what caused its demise. It could be the radiation or water consumption. The wires are probably the most annoying things to organize. Just looking them can drain so much energy. But when you eventually get around to it, you’ll be surprised at how new and clean your whole work place will seem.
Great tips! Every so often I need to completely declutter and organize all the drawers and shelves in my office. I look for outdated program and equipment manuals, old office supplies, etc. It makes it easier to concentrate when everything is organized. Another thing I did was buy a pretty Indian blanket on sale and hang it with clips and an economical curtain rod. It looks great, makes my office cozy on was cost less than $40.
One way cheap addition that made my home office a lot less of an eye sore this year is a nice little wooden note/pen container that doubles as a paper weight. It’s engraved with three little hearts that reminds me of my childhood and my obsession with anything with hearts on them. It’s a simple item that helps me take few seconds of breaks every now and then. I call it a hearty wooden destressor. LOL.
I want a chalboard. I always wanted one. I would especially want a really big black chalkboard. Also, in Febuary we may be moving to an Apartment where my office view will be the swimming pool. That’s one way to add some color.
Does anyone use use Feng Shui to setup their office/workspace? I wonder if it would actually work. I found a cool Feng Shui video (free) at http://www.beyou.tv/videos/Discover-Feng-Shui
I’m trying to incorporate some of their tips, but it’s a lot harder to do than I thought. For example, I can’t change the direction my office faces. I can, with limited success, change which way my desk faces. I’m working in NYC and space is limited!
Greg
Thanks for your ideas. Another issue to consider – and free – is how the room is arranged. Being able to look out a window at an angle, so the light isn’t right behind or shining on your monitor, is a plus. Check out your traffic pattern so you don’t have furniture or supplies in your way. Keep your most important items, those you use constantly, within arms reach. And definitely keep your own personality in your office!
Or buy a Mac.
At least that’s what I did.
A few days I was looking how people organize their desk so that they can work better and I found this great idea on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blupics/1011455522/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blupics/1011455478/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blupics/1011455570/in/photostream/
To me it seems to be a great idea.
You wrote “hidden below pot plants” — did you mean “potted” plants, or does your home office include hydroponics?
“In our office we … a homeless girl that Cyan bought at a charity auction.”
You bought a homeless girl?
Good tips, I’m definitely getting the plant to have more oxygen in my room:-)
Nice list.
I put a few plush puppets (animals) or vinyl toys @ my office to make it more lively. I always smile when I look at my puppets.
And I have an iMac in front of me.
I second @ the coffee warmer. My coffee often gets cold!
i want a usb cup warmer!!!
I really need to rearrange my desk and put all the cables in an aligned and neat form. That way i can finally put more things on my desk
A Desk Calendar would also be nice. Even though there’s a e-Calendar on our computer, but it can serve as a decoration. Sides, nothing beats circling those important dates on a new calendar
Great list of ideas, i have to say the best thing i did to improve my office was to buy a Mac! Keeping things organized and clutter to a minimum is a must for me, i cant abide mess! Its always funny how articles on here come just at the right time for me because over christmas i am re-decorating my office.
Oh i seccond the USB Cup Warmer, they’re a godsend if your like me and tend to get caught up in work and find your full cup of tea or coffee freezing cold! I went old school and bought a corkboard which adds a little fun to my office as i pin a different photo up each day that makes me smile
Thanks for the hot tips on office space, freelancer style.
#11: hire someone to clean up, organize, and dust the place once a week
I kill plants within hours, so plastic ones are great alternatives.
Not only can a USB device warm your coffee, it can cool your soda as well. I’m cooling a glass of water as I type. My warmer/cooler has a switch – flip one way and it cools, the other and it warms! It’s a simple trick where it collects heat or disperses it. And I love it.
For other desk/office stuff, I like to have a lava lamp going. It’s swirling, colorful lava is relaxing and it makes me feel creative. I also keep a tin of thinking putty handy, to occupy my hands and hopefully keep them carpal-tunnel syndrome free. I usually have a “Sunshine Pal,” a Japanese novelty that grooves when you shine light on him. And a volcano lamp. And a tank with my frog on the corner of the desk. And a glowing USB Christmas tree. It’s best to have a big desk with all this stuff around the edges so you have room to focus on work there in the middle. It’s not for everyone.
I like my office knick-knacks. They are relaxing, make my desk a cool place to be, and keep me from feeling some of the grind. When I worked in an office environment, they also entertained my co-workers when they would come by.
I have read your post and I am so excited for this post this post is very useful to all office furniture buyer.
I have to get a white board at home. I use my all the time at work. It’s the perfect blend of analog (paperesque) brainstorming tool. Plus, it’s also green – nothing goes into a landfill save for the occasional worn out marker. You can also take snapshots then erase when you run out of room.
I like #’s 4 (filing cabinet), 5 (tidy up the desk), 6 (get some color) and 9 (lighting). I did all of these things and it makes my home office look so much better. I will try the plant idea too, but I may pick a fake plant since my record with plants is not much better than yours.
What I use instead of a USB cup warmer is a candle warmer to keep my coffee hot. Works great.
I like simple with good furniture and office equipment with very specious office
The benefits of a clean working space are endless. There is no question about it, when clients, visitors and even employees, come into a dirty office, it immediately gives a sense of unprofessionalism. On the contrary, a clean office will clearly say expertise, and will even improve productivity. Maintaining a clean office provides good quality and quantity of work output. Excellent post.
Mathew, Cleaners London
There are lot of things required for office. beautifully classified all the requirements to make the office more welcoming. Plants are the necessary part for fresh air and keep the employees in mood, like the concept of colour and wall papers on walls, nice article
great article, many thanks for sharing. I agree its all about the right combination that creates the right atmosphere for your working environment. I prefer to keep the desk as clear and uncluttered as possible – that is my personal priority.
Following that, its good to have some nice plants dotted around. I also think buying good quality low voltage lighting for your office is key. Especially ones that can be dimmed.
Nice furnishings with micro blinds and good floor coverings are good. We also like those small bamboo sticks that you can get infused with different fragrances as a finishing touch
Thanks again Tim
London Cleaning
Great post over again! Thumbs up!
i have been looking for ideas all day and this by far has been the best!