Top Ten Tips to Perfect Your Home Office Space

Over the last few months, working from home has become the norm for many of us. The My Favourite Voucher Codes team have become well accustomed to the new set up and we’re sure that we’re not the only ones. In fact, almost half of us in the UK worked from home in April 2020, with over 80% doing so as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. While many offices are now beginning to reopen with many employees returning to work, some of us may still be settled into our home offices for a little longer. Whatever the reason - whether your office hasn’t reopened just yet, you’re a bit anxious about returning, or perhaps you’re only back one or two days a week - if you haven’t got round to perfecting your home office just yet, now is the time! Likewise, if you’ve been barely muddling through with working from home these last few months, today’s blog is for you.

Working From Home Office Ideas & Tips with Wall Art & More From PrinterPix

That’s why today we’ve put together our top ten home office ideas to help you set up the perfect working from home environment. Not only are we looking at practical tips to help you work to your best, we’re also looking at ways you can make your home office a place you’ll actually enjoy working in. There’s plenty of ways for you to brighten up your working from home space - one in particular is with PrinterPix! The clue is in the name of course - the site specialises in quality photo prints and gifts, with everything from collage canvas prints to personalised mugs on offer. Plus, grab a PrinterPix voucher code from us, and you’ll save a bundle on unique ways to perk up your office space!

So, what else can you do to create the perfect home office space? Read on to find out!

1: Get Inspired

If you have no idea where to start, get on Pinterest to find yourself some inspiration! There’s a whole load of boards and ideas available to help you create your perfect home office. Whether it’s decor ideas, or perhaps even infographics on the best furniture set up, there’s so much on there to help you out! A good place to start is by taking a look at our Home Decoration board!

2: Quality Furniture

We know it can be tempting to go for cheap and cheerful with this sort of thing, but realistically, if you’re spending a good 8 hours a day at your desk, you’ll want any home office furniture to be good quality. Our advice? Do your research and read plenty of reviews!

3: Furniture Positioning

Once you’ve got your home office furniture sorted, the next steps are to position it correctly. It sounds a bit picky, but believe it or not, you can actually position your desk in a way that will help with your productivity. Of course, the positioning of your furniture will depend on the amount of space you’ve got to work with, but one nugget of wisdom can be to position your desk facing the room rather than against a wall. This creates a more open feel and will mean things don’t feel too claustrophobic. If you can position your desk facing a window, even better, as this will let plenty of natural light in.

4: Keep It Just For Work

If you’ve got a dedicated home office space, it’s important to make sure that you keep the area just for work. Ideally, don’t set your work area up in your living room or bedroom, as these places should be kept for relaxing! If you don’t have the luxury of a spare room in your house, make sure that you leave your work area at the end of the day so that you can switch off from ‘work mode.’ If you have a portable set up at your kitchen table, it can be a good idea to pack away your laptop and any notebooks or folders at the end of the day so that work is out of your mind - literally and figuratively!

5: Wall Art

There’s no denying that a few decorative touches to your walls in your workspace can really brighten up the area and get you feeling motivated. This is where PrinterPix comes in, as not only can you order your favourite photo prints, but you can also find a whole variety of products for brightening up your walls.

There’s classic canvas prints printed in HD ink for vibrant colours, and stunning details, perfect for showcasing those special memories, or for something a little different, why not opt for their hugely popular photo tiles? Perfect for anyone who regularly changes their mind on what photos to display, the lightweight tiles come with their own adhesive pads and don’t leave marks on your walls so you can reposition them as often as you like! Alternatively, if you really want to create a statement look, we love their stunning metal prints! Your favourite photos will be bonded by heat onto premium aluminium panels, with the end result being incredible details, rich colours, and a glorious shine. What better way to show off those extra special memories? Plus, grab yourself a PrinterPix discount code, and you’ll be able to save on this fabulous wall art! Be warned though, once you buy one, you won’t be able to resist adding to your collection!

6: Personal Touches

It’s always nice to add a few personal touches to your home office, not just in your wall art, but in your stationery and other bits and pieces too. PrinterPix has some great options when it comes to photo gifts, and who’s to say that you can’t get yourself a little something? If it gets you motivated towards a productive day, we certainly think there’s no harm in that. Treat yourself to a stylish collage photo mug to enjoy your morning brew in, with loads of different styles and combinations to choose from. There’s the best-selling magic mugs, which reveal your favourite snap when you pour in your hot drink, or stylish latte mugs designed to pair with your daily caffeine fix. Either way, there’s plenty of personalised mugs to bring a smile to your face during a boring work day! Alternatively, if you’re wanting to up your water intake, do it in style with one of their personalised photo water bottles!

Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten the stationery lovers either - there’s plenty for you too. Use your PrinterPix promo codes to save on a fancy photo cover notebook, or even a personalised spiral bound diary to keep track of all those upcoming video calls!

7: Pops of Colour

There’s nothing like adding a splash of colour to your space to get you feeling motivated, and there’s so many different ways for you to do it. Whether you’re a dab hand at DIY and decide to give your walls a fresh lick of of paint, or you choose to go down the more subtle route of colourful cushions, stationery and knick knacks, there are so many ways to add a pop of colour to your home office space. Why not gather up a handful of your favourite photo prints or even a few quirky postcards and slip them into some colourful frames too?

8: Go Green

There’s nothing like spending a little time outdoors with some gorgeous greenery in our sights, but moving your desk outside (especially now the weather’s started to turn) isn’t exactly the best idea! So, why not go for the next best thing with some plants for your workspace? Plants are a wonderful way to bring life into a dull office space, and the good news is there are plenty of low-maintenance varieties that will still thrive even if you forget to look after it! There’s numerous benefits to adding some plants to your office, including reduced symptoms of stress, improved concentration and productivity, and even reduced absenteeism! If you’re not sure what to go for, check out this article on the best office plants to get some ideas.

9: Have an Action Plan For Distractions

We know what it’s like, you can try your hardest to minimise distractions when you’re working from home, but despite your best efforts, they can still happen. It happens to the best of us - take it from this chap!

Admittedly things might be a bit easier now the kids are back at school, but for some of us, distractions will still be there. So what can you do? Well, this again will depend on your office set up, but here are a few top tips.

• If you’re working in a communal room like the kitchen, make sure others in the house know that aside from popping in to make a cuppa, the room is off limits during your working hours. 

• For those sharing a workspace with partners or housemates, set some rules for your new “office.” Some people like a little chit-chat, others work better without it. 

• If you have a set room for working, set some rules where you can and can’t be disturbed. Just something as simple as keeping the door shut when you’re busy can be effective!

But what about those of us who are our own worst enemy when it comes to distractions? A cheeky scroll of Facebook, or perhaps even singing along to the songs you’ve queued up on your playlist, it all adds up to time that could be better spent working. Here are a few more tips:

• Unless you’re using it for work calls or similar, keep your phone in another room to get rid of temptation. There’s even apps out there that will keep you out of your social media accounts for set periods for those who are really guilty of it! If that sounds like you, take a look at this article for some recommendations.

• Opt to listen to the radio or queue up a few podcasts so it’s less tempting to flick through your music library if you get bored. The My Favourite Voucher Codes team are quite partial to a round of Popmaster on Radio 2 every morning! 

• Stick to your usual routine as if you were in the office. Go for lunch at the same time as you would normally, make a drink at your usual times and so on. It’ll bring a little more normality and will also help you create a routine.

10: Keep It Tidy

We all know the phrase “tidy desk, tidy mind,” and it’s true. We’re not saying to thoroughly clean every nook and cranny on your desk every day, but simple things like putting your rubbish in the bin, removing dirty cups and just generally decluttering can go a long way. Let’s be honest too, with the current situation, keeping things clean isn’t exactly a bad thing!

Whether you’ve been thriving with working from home or majorly struggling, we hope we’ve given you a few fresh ideas on how you can make your space even better. Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune to perfect your home office space, and even simple touches like plants and wall art can make a huge difference. We especially love the selection of personalised photo prints and gifts that PrinterPix has to offer, and it’s all super affordable too. Whether you decide to brighten up your workspace with a cute and quirky photo mug or colourful collage canvas prints, there’s plenty of ways for you to put your own stamp on things. To save even more on photo printing, make sure you keep up with our PrinterPix discount vouchers so you can always get the best deals. With everything from money off codes, seasonal promotions, and even free photo prints, there’s so many ways to save! 

Written by Amy Jackson - 4th September 2020