Home Office Ideas for Small Spaces & Apartments

Work-from-home is here to stay. While many corporations are asking their employees to come back to the office, many won’t be doing that ever again. It’s actually been estimated that there was an increase in new businesses during the pandemic, and many of those undoubtedly started as work-from-home groups navigating the worlds of Zoom, Discord, Slack, and more. For many who have had to turn a corner of their apartment into their new office, it’s been a difficult change, to say the least. The benefits of working from home are great, but not everyone wants to turn their guest room into their small home office. For those that do, it helps to use some inventive strategies that boost both creativity and productivity.

Instead of wondering why everyone else is having a good time at their home office, it’s time to take charge of that personal space! Here are some small home office ideas to create an ideal workspace in the middle of an everyday apartment.

Comfortable or Ergonomic Seating

This is not a surprising sales pitch for a new desk chair. There are numerous health benefits to having a comfortable or ergonomic chair in your home office. For anyone experiencing neck or back problems while they work, it can offer extremely crucial support that helps prevent pain and long-term issues.

The more subjective reason to have comfortable seating is that it makes work easier. No one wants to endure an uncomfortable work environment, but that’s simply the reality for a large number of jobs. Office work is not one of those. A solution to several pain issues that workers could experience is just to improve the seat on which they spend most of their work hours.

High-quality or Noise-canceling Headphones

When working from home, the unfortunate truth is that the world does not revolve around that work. The world will continue to move, including the world right outside apartment windows. That means that it can get loud, distracting, and frustrating when having to contend with barking dogs, crying babies, or even lawnmowers. There is no solution when having to use a microphone, other than sneaking into a closet or bathroom, but there are great solutions for listening.

Noise-canceling headphones aren’t just a gimmick, they’re a lifesaver for countless WFHers in their home office or small space. It can ensure that distractions aren’t heard, making it easier to focus on and complete work and tasks. Stop listening to the birds outside and optimize the home office experience with a pair of cheap or expensive headphones.

Clear and Uncluttered Workspace

A desk is not unlike the mind that inhabits it throughout the day. The more clutter there is the harder it is to focus on the task at hand. Then, when the work piles up, priorities get confused causing even more stress and procrastination.

Increase productivity, creativity, and focus while reducing stress by taking some time to organize that desk. Buy a small shelf that can include priority levels that can be used to determine what work needs to be completed before other work. Then whatever is needed will be ready and nearby so that all work can be completed at the desk. Stop creating reasons to be pulled away from a work environment and have an organized space that includes everything needed for a successful and full work day.

Reliable Internet and Appliances

A reliable internet connection is the most important detail when working from home. Almost everything is online these days, including work. Everyone has to log into some kind of software to start their day, and they need a solid internet connection for that to work. The same goes for their computer and their appliances.

Uncomfortable keyboards or a mouse that works poorly are going to inhibit work quantity and quality, and probably cause some unnecessary frustration in the process. Ensure that every appliance, from the monitors to the routers, works at its optimal capabilities. If not, it might be time to scout out some replacements.

Whiteboards and Notepads

Ideas are fleeting. They don’t stick around as much as we’d like them to, so it’s important to write them down. Having a notepad on or near a desk ensures that small details don’t get missed, or that when a call is taken one doesn’t need to fumble with their phone to write a detail down.

The same can be said for a whiteboard. Seeing ideas or content differently is important for strategizing and analyzing. That’s hard when everything is put together on a monitor. That’s why so many people continue to use whiteboards throughout their homes and offices. With them, anyone can write out big ideas and let them simmer into full-fledged campaigns. They can also plan out important details and can even improve some underutilized motor skills.

Several Charging Devices

As much as we don’t want to admit it, phones are a part of our constant life, not just daily life. A phone and other devices are completely different from a computer, and they must remain charged in case of work or personal emergencies. Instead of having to hunt for that single plug somewhere in the bedroom, having several charging devices nearby.

Not only does it promote focus and a good work ethic, it can prevent accidents or moments of forgetfulness. Instead of having to wander away from a project to plug in a phone have a charger handy and keep those distractions at bay.

Houseplants

Lastly, adding some much-needed life and color is one of the simplest and easiest small home office ideas for apartment renters and owners. Nature in general is good for health and mindfulness, especially when brought into the home. Plants are famous for improving air quality in whatever space they occupy, but they can do so much more! They can provide a sense of calm, add humidity, improve focus during work hours, and have even been shown to reduce overall stress levels.

They might need a little bit of love and water now and then, but they can provide a wide array of benefits to those looking to spruce up their spaces.

The home office is just like the one outside the home. When it’s colorless, drab, and disorganized the work done there tends to reflect that. Create and cultivate a positive environment and the work, and the occupying worker, will reflect that positivity too.

To see some of the apartments we have available for WFHers, contact us and get a fast response!