If you’re working from home, you need a comfortable, efficient, and overall enjoyable space to work in. You’d be surprised at what a difference a well-designed office space can make in your productivity and attitude. Here are some expert tips for organizing your home office, whether you’re upgrading your current office or converting a spare room into your office space.

When it comes to furniture, you don’t necessarily need to have all the pieces that make up a corporate office. The beauty of setting up your home office is that you get to choose the right furniture for you.

The majority of your work will be conducted at your desk, so find one that suits your needs and your style. Perhaps you want a Scandinavian-style desk to keep your space airy and light. Or maybe you prefer a heavier, darker desk with lots of desk drawer space. Either way, be sure that your desktop is big enough.

Arrange furniture so that you can get up and comfortably walk around your home office without bumping into furniture. Most people prefer their chair and desk face the door, but whatever configuration works best for you and your space is up to you. Experiment to find the best set-up.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on office decoration. Work with what you have. You can decorate with photos, artwork, framed posters or certificates.

Having a plant or a two in your home office may also be beneficial, especially if you add in plants that are known to improve the air quality such as spider plants. Also, did you know that green plants can help you better focus on the tasks at hand? A research study conducted at Exeter University in the U.K. found that indoor plants can improve productivity by as much as 15%.

Taking advantage of vertical space can expand your working space, especially in a small office. For example, hanging a narrow shelf on the wall directly over or behind your desk expands your worktop and gives you a place to set small items such as a stapler and container for pens and pencils.

Or maybe you’d prefer to hang a large reusable calendar with dry-erase markers for keeping track of projects – or a corkboard for pinning design ideas and important notes.

Keeping your workplace tidy is very important. You want to have the things you use most often most easily accessible. Designate a place for everything. All your equipment, tools, and paper should be placed in the proper areas and always put back in their places at the end of the day.

Organizing your desktop really comes down to personal style. Some people prefer to have everything out and in tidy containers. Others prefer a spotless desktop and would rather have everything organized neatly in drawers. There’s no one right way to organize your home office – only what’s right for you.

Not only can lighting affect your mood, but it can change how your phone and computer screens light up. Ensure that the lighting you install isn’t too bright or too dim and that it illuminates you well if you need to make a Zoom call. There is nothing worse than having a professional meeting online where you can’t see the participant because the backlighting is so strong. Keep in mind that natural lighting is also important, as it will affect your mood and can help you conserve electricity.

Is the temperature of your home office comfortable? Be sure your chair isn’t directly under a heating/air conditioning vent. You may prefer to keep your office on the cooler side. If that’s the case, is your home air conditioning able to tolerate keeping a consistent temperature from morning to night? Checking in with an expert in air conditioning may ensure that your office and your home is the perfect temperature all year round.

So much of setting up a home office is really personal, from your chair to the decor. You want this space to work for you. Just remember, the more comfortable and organized your home office is, the more efficiently you will be able to work.

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Allie Shivers enjoys reading, quilting, and researching how to move abroad with her bull terrier, Fritz. As a freelancer, her niche is writing about interior decor and business automation.

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

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