This is a guest post by Gina M Casillo.

6 Simple Tips For Creating A Productive Work Space

If you work from home, like I do, you may find yourself working at your kitchen table, a small room in your basement, or a cluttered guest bedroom. In order to be your most productive, home-based workers need a space of their own, an office that’s designated for work and typically containing the tools you need to do day-to-day business – namely a desk, comfortable chair, computer or laptop, printer, filing cabinet, and other office supplies. And if you have clients in your home, you may need some comfortable furniture for them to sit comfortably when visiting.

If you’re like me, you probably dove right into work – rather than spending time planning an efficient home office space. If you currently find yourself in cramped, cluttered, uncomfortable quarters that don’t do a thing for your productivity, I have a few tips, that I recently followed myself, for getting rid of clutter and carving out a functional home office space in my home…

1. Start from scratch

I don’t care where you currently work in your home – an arm chair in the living room with your laptop balanced on your knees or a small, cluttered guest bedroom where your in-laws crash whenever they’re in town – you deserve better and so does your work! So pick a space you can devote, totally devote, to your business needs, and clear it out of all the bedroom furniture, storage bins, cat litter boxes, and old photo albums.

2. Paint the space an inspiring hue

Color can really inspire certain feelings. And while many of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking about room color, it really can affect a room’s atmosphere and what we do in that room. So in order to be productive and energized in your new home office, paint it a fresh color that inspires you or makes you feel focused. For instance, oftentimes reds can be too overwhelming and blues too mellow. Instead, choose an energizing green, a comforting gold, or a mind-engaging purple.

3. Introducing office essentials

Next, you’ll want to introduce your essential office elements – the things you need to work – meaning a desk, an ergonomic desk chair or stability ball for sitting, a computer or laptop, a telephone, printer, fax, scanner, and anything else you need in order to do your job. Now arrange your desk set up in an L-shape. This will save space, plus keep the long side of the L devoted to your computer, phone, printer, etc., and the other side for making notes, reading mail, filing, and etc. Keep in mind that comfort is vital when you’re sitting for 8+ hours each day. So choose an ergonomic chair, keyboard, mouse, etc., that lessens strain your back, and slouching on your shoulders and neck.

4. Select natural lighting

Soothing lighting will save your sanity and your eye sight – especially if you’re staring at the same computer screen all day. You can choose a natural light for your main work area with a dimmer switch, and use table lamps for your less used areas.

5. Organize, organize, and organize

Whatever else goes into your new office must be organized. No more clutter – think modular when it comes to office furniture – things like mobile pieces, furniture and whiteboards with wheels, and storage solutions that create more space. For instance, drawers, bins and boxes are great for storing items you don’t use all the time and keep the room looking clean and neat.

6. De-clutter your media

This includes physical media – things like CDs, USBs, and paper files, as well as media on your computer desktop – things like electronic documents, images, etc. Use boxes, bins, and filing cabinets to organize physical media, and create electronic files on your computer to file away document and etc. This lessens the stress when you enter your office and open your computer on Monday mornings.

Gina M Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores, your choice place to buy a Barcelona chair. She enjoys decorating the bedrooms for her active twin boys and writing about home décor – especially when it comes to the spaces she’s most intimate with.