AD | Having a home office is a blessing when you’re working from home, especially for creative efforts such as blogging. While not everyone has a spare room to turn into a home office, it’s also possible to create an inspiring corner in rooms where work isn’t the primary function.
Think about the environment that suits you best. We’re all different and what is an ideal working atmosphere for one might drive someone else mad. Maybe you need some background noise, for instance, in order to think clearly. On the other hand you may do your best work in total silence. Decide which atmosphere would most encourage and motivate you to get (or continue) blogging, and then explore areas of your house where you could set up your workspace.
Making Space Work
If you’re trying to make an inspiring corner for blogging in a room that’s shared with others, it’s a bit challenging. But here are some ideas:
Use a bookcase, turned edgewise to the wall so it sticks out into the room as a room divider. Place your desk or work table against the wall on the other side. The bookcase won’t provide total privacy, but it does have a psychological effect as a barrier. It also creates a handy place to store reference books or materials. Use the wall above the desk for motivational quotes or artwork, shelving to hold supplies, or a corkboard for notes and a content schedule.
If your kitchen is your favourite place to work, with a laptop on the breakfast bar maybe, or in a sunny dining alcove, try to commandeer a kitchen cabinet just for your supplies, notes, reference books or materials. Having everything together makes it easy to pack up when the family needs the space, and it’s easier to get started because you don’t have to go hunting for the stuff you need.
A spare bedroom is a great place for blogging if you’re lucky enough to have one. Put guest bedroom furnishings into self storage so you have room for a desk. Turn bedside tables into stationery cupboards and pencil drawers, and install a few extra shelves to hold books, the printer, and whatever odds and ends help keep your blogging ideas moving forward.
Visualising Your Space
Before making any sweeping or permanent changes in how you arrange your furniture or how you use the rooms in the house, it’s a good idea to sketch out your plans. You don’t need any artistic or drawing talent, just the ability to draw the outline of the room then add shapes within it to indicate items of furniture. You can include windows, doors, fireplaces and plug sockets then fit furniture around them.
Making a schematic like this also helps make sure you don’t overlook vital elements in your planning, such as electrical outlets to power your computer. That sunny spot in the conservatory might be wonderful, but it’s no good if your laptop dies and loses your work.
If you can draw to scale so much the better, but a rough idea is good enough. You can make sure any additional furnishings will fit without creating a barrier across a room, figure out if you need smaller furniture alternatives and would be better putting larger items into self storage for a while. Self storage units also give you the option to experiment without committing. It gives you some breathing space, taking away any concern about making changes at home that you might regret later on.
Go with whatever inspires you, whether it’s a comfy chair and handy side table in a cosy nook, or a purpose-built office arrangement in your spare room. We’re all different, thank goodness, and inspiration should know no boundaries or limitations.
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I would LOVE to have my own space for working/blogging but at the moment with my partner and me living with my parents and all of us (bar my mum who is a key worker) working from home it is hard in terms of where to work. But I love some of your ideas, and I think I need to spend some time just creating some space on my desk in the room xx
This was such a great read! I would love to have my own space, but sharing with other people makes it difficult as well as a small room. Will hopefully get more space soon and apply all this, i think a proper space would make wonders with productivity! Thanks for sharing x
I have always blogged from my living room and all over the house. Since I changed my job and I work from home, I do more blogging at my desk in my office and I seem to get much more done!
Rosie
I finally, after years and years managed to get myself a desk (in the living room, but it looks nice) and I’m so happy for it. It’s probably the best investment I’ve done in years.
I have this little space in the corner of my bedroom for my workspace and that space is really comfortable, but I’d LOVE to have my own workspace – enough for stuffing my books and stationery (maybe someday) lol thank you for sharing this x
Great post, I love these tips. Looking for a good space for blogging is esencial
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
These are great ideas! I think it’s important to create an ergonomic, but beautiful work space and you’ve provided some helpful ideas. Thanks for sharing.
I love these tips Kayleigh, I would love to be able to have my own blogging space that isn’t the living room! I love the advice you’ve given here x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Brilliant suggestions here. I would love to have a dedicated space to blog. As it stands I do work much better if I am sat at a desk or table than in bed or the sofa.
But I have my best ideas when cuddled up in bed or on the sofa.
I currently share my space with my fiance and home schooling teenager! It get’s a bit chaotic in here!
Some useful ideas here to create a bit of space (which is much needed when blogging). I love in a very, very small place and have a desk in a sort of hallway/room that leads to the kitchen so it’s heavy on foot traffic (only from my husband so not so bad) but I can certainly have a go at being a bit creative with how to make where I write more private/quiet!
These are great suggestions! I learned that I absolutely can’t have my work area in the same area as my bedroom, so I’ve been transitioning my living/dining room area as my work space instead. x
I can’t stress enough how our environment affects our productivity sometimes. If we plan to make the most out of blogging I really think we should consider making the right space for us to write too. This is to stay comfortable and possibly to stay inspired everytime we write. Thank you for sharing this! xx
These are some really good tips! I need to make space for blogging in my bedroom. I just do it on the sofa atm x
I’m looking to improve my blogging office. And I imagine how I can improve and what else I can do. Great tips! Thank you for sharing!