Your desk is your creative workspace — a place where you need to feel inspired to think outside the box, focus and work efficiently and effectively. But often times, your workspace is anything but inspiring. Clutter, poor lighting and an uncomfortable setup do not lend themselves to productivity. Want to create your very own personalized workspace with all the bells and whistles? Check out these suggestions for how to create a workspace that offers equal parts swag and inspiration:
- Figure out your design, set a plan and take measurements. If you’re not sure where to start with your planning and design, you can always look to the Internet for ideas. Pinterest, Tumblr and home design blogs are great places to start searching for inspiration. Or, if you have a larger budget for the project and you work from home, you could even consider hiring a local interior designer to really help you transform your entire space, not just your desk.We’re all becoming more acutely aware of the dangers of sitting down all day. Even if you get up a few times throughout the day or live a fairly active lifestyle, sitting down for long periods of time still wreaks havoc on your health and body. Consider building yourself a standing desk to encourage a healthier lifestyle and avoid the health risks associated with sitting. To build a standing desk on the cheap, you could repurpose an old dresser or put a short coffee table on top of a standard height desk. You can also build your own desk completely from scratch or by repurposing furniture from a store like IKEA. If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge completely, you can add a standing portion to your existing desk by building a platform large enough for your laptop and mouse pad and then placing it on top of your desk.
- Gather supplies, tools and resources. Once you have a design and a budget, make a list of all the supplies you’ll need to build your desk. Don’t forget to include all the little items like screws, washers and u bolts. Check your toolbox to make sure you have everything you’ll need. A drill or screwdriver and a wrench are necessities. Depending on the complexity of your design, you might also need access to power tools like a table saw or miter saw. Be sure to take your measurements with you when you go shopping and keep a copy of the design handy, too.
- Allow yourself to plenty of time to paint, stain and decorate. Be realistic about the amount of time you’ll need to complete the project. While you might think you can knock it out in a single weekend, you should factor in the time it takes to gather supplies, sand, paint, stain and wait for everything to dry before you can finish and decorate. Also allow some wiggle room in your budget for last-minute fixes, extra features and additional supplies.
- Now get to work. Once your desk is finished, decorated and put into place, it’s time to get to work. Once you start working, you’ll have a better idea of any adjustments you need to make or extra features you may need to add. Pay special attention to lighting and office ergonomics.
You may need to make a few adjustments in the first few days or weeks after your desk is completed, but once everything is finally in place, you’ll have your very own workspace that inspires and motivates you to work more productively.