You’re sick of your home office. You’re often being bothered or your space is poorly structured. You decided to dedicate part of your vacation to renovating your workspace, or possibly even creating it if you have just joined the ranks of the self-employed.
The door to your office isn’t insulated enough? There is a draconian solution: take the office out of the house, which is something many people have done. Some have even renovated a room near the family home, even if it involved paying rent.
Why not convert the shed into a workspace? That was the solution for author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory played by Johnny Depp in the movie) and Russian writer Anton Tchekhov, who set up a pavilion behind his property.
You could also use the garage. Some self-employed workers have also set up their offices there.
A less radical solution: build an outside door and cover the one that connects to the inside of the house.
You have to expand the space between you and your family, your friends and your neighbours, who will not hesitate to travel the short distance to go and bother you.
If none of these ideas work for you, try the attic. It’s a space worth considering. Self-employed workers often take refuge in the basement. However, it’s harder to go upstairs than it is to go down. Your entourage will be less inclined to bother you.
If you want to keep your current office. Add a separation between you and your entourage. It could be a screen, a glass partition wall or even a bookshelf that covers the wall. The more massive it is, the more efficient it will be.
You have no problem with your entourage, but you don’t like the layout of your office. First step: take a look around and ask yourself how much space you really need and how you want to set it up?
If you receive more and more visitors for your work, divide your space into two zones: one reserved for you to work alone, the other to greet visitors, or even the employee you recently hired.
Do you have foibles that help you concentrate for some inexplicable reason? You have to give in to them. The quality of your work depends on it. It is said that Mozart often worked laying down on the billiards table. He rolled a ball, wrote a few notes, rolled the ball when it bounced back, wrote more notes.
Some feel the need to walk while talking to themselves. They therefore need space. Others prefer to work on a massive table rather than something lighter. Why? They wouldn’t be able to say.
Some advice: configure your workspace according to your health. More and more startups and companies like Google require that their employees work standing up. Scientific research has proven that you have to avoid working for too long sitting down.
To obtain maximum efficiency, buy a treadmill on which you can stroll slowly while you work. The impact on your ability to concentrate is amazing.
If you prefer to be sitting, get up every half an hour for five to ten minutes of walking or light exercise.
Do you need baskets around you to keep everything together? Are your documents easy to access? Did you know that adjustable table lamps are better for your eyes than ceiling lights?
If your workspace is limited, keep in mind that made-to-measure furniture lets you benefit from each square centimeter.
