Running your creative biz from home sounds like it comes with plenty of ease, joy, and freedom.
In truth, it takes even more determination, self motivation, and organisational skill to work from home than from a traditional workplace. Working from a spare room, shed, workshop, or even the dining room table can create a tug-of-war struggle between work and the rest of your life.
One of the biggest motivation and inspiration killers is a messy, cluttered, busy, or disorganised workspace.
So to welcome in the new year a reorganisation of your workspace can be a great beginning!
Here are 5 elements of the process that will help you get your workspace ready for a new year of business.
1. Purge
First and foremost, a purge us necessary in order to make way for the new planned projects, de-clutter what you no longer use, clean up your email inbox, finish off any book work, and tie up any loose ends. This is a good time to reach for the too-hard basket also (I’m sure we all have one of these!).
Once this is done you will have the physical space and mental clarity for doing what you love, and you’ll be running your creative business with more efficiency.
2. Allocate
It can be beneficial when creating an efficient workspace to allocate space to different aspects of your work. Have a space dedicated to your book work or your new project can create an efficiency when moving between tasks.
Of course, the smaller the space the harder it can be, but just a little bit of allocation and organisation in this area can go a long way.
3. Comfort
Don’t forget to look after yourself! What do you love that can be included in your workspace? A teapot and selection of teas, a bowl of fresh fruit, a bottle of Pinot Noir close by for when you work late, a radio, or a space for your furry friend.
These are just little examples that you can use to incorporate comfort into your workspace. Make it a happy place that you want to be in as often as possible. Bring a little home into the “office”.
4. Decorate
This is something you should always think about. Take pride in your space no matter how big or small.
Pick fresh flowers, grow some indoor plants, put up some of your favourite photos/prints/art, burn a candle, and create an inspirational pin board. Make your creative space inspirational and a joy to inhabit – and you’ll not only enjoy your time there more, you’ll also be inspired by the beautiful things around you.
5. Tidy
Having a de-cluttered, organised, comfortable, and beautiful space is a wonderful thing (though for creative people it is much easier said than done!). Our busy schedules, late nights, family commitments, and unstoppable minds mean a workspace rarely stays tidy for long.
To battle this, try as often as possible to finish a work day on a high note by doing a quick desk clean up and materials put-away.
Just 5 minutes as you finish up for the day will make a huge impact and will help stop the space become unmanageable.
