Choose a place to set up

Making  the  best  of  your work-from-home situation starts with  finding  a  spot  in  your  small  apartment  to set up a functional  home  office.  And , if  you  don’t  think  that  you have  enough room for a home office, chances are that you do (although it might take a bit of compromising with some other spaces).

• Bedroom â€"  One-bedroom  apartments  allow  you to integrate your office area in the bedroom. With your desk up against the wall, instead of impeding the room, it will provide a rather cohesive look. If the bedroom space is too petite for a full-size desk, try placing a smaller one next to your bed so that it doubles as a nightstand.

• Living room â€" If  you  don’t have a spare room, work with the space you do have. Try transforming a console table in your living room into a desk or utilizing the dead space behind your floating sofa to park a narrower desk. 

• Entryway â€" Try maximizing the space of your entryway, and then turn it into a tiny office by exchanging your console table for a bar-height one. Then, either add a bar stool or use it as a standing desk. 

• An awkward nook â€" Random  alcoves  or  awkward corners in your home that you have absolutely no idea what to do with can provide a perfect opportunity for you to tuck in your small office space. 

• A wall-mounted shelf â€"  Hanging  a  floating shelf on a wall and using it as a desktop will work perfectly for any small apartment design. Just make sure to hang one with enough depth to hold your laptop.

• Under the stairs â€" That  open  slice  of  space  underneath  your  staircase  is  just  the  right  size to sneak in a tiny home office nook.  

• A pass-through space â€" Any pass-through space or a free wall with no specific purpose will do.

Tailor the space to your work needs

While  picking out a spot to set up a small office area in your apartment, you’ll need to assess your work needs. Consider the kind of work  you’ll  be  doing,  how  much  space you’ll need, and what tools, materials, or appliances you’ll use. Only after you’ve answered these  questions  can  you  know  the measurements of your desk, the size of the necessary storage space, and eventually, the right spot for creating a productive workspace in your small apartment.

Do you  need  more desktop space, but have no room to fit a large desk? Consider some space-saving hacks, such as wall-mounting the  monitor  of  your  computer.  Do  you  want  to  separate your work life from your personal life, but your limited square footage doesn’t  allow  you  to  create  a  distinct  workspace?  Use a curtain or a folding screen to visually carve out the working nook. Is the laptop the only thing you need for work? Buy a smaller workstation that won’t overwhelm your small living space.

Create a workspace you’ll love

Decide on a design that suits your style. Options are numerous: modern,      mid-century ,  rustic,   industrial,   minimalist,   glam, traditional, or you can choose to play with a few different ones. 

Secondly,  bear  in  mind that color palettes are packed with the potential for boosting one’s mood and overall productivity. They can  help  you  accentuate  a sense of cohesiveness, happiness, and  warmth.  Even  if  your home office is not a separate room, you    can   add an accent color to the wall where your desk is  to make things less uniform-looking. 

Keep everything organized

Once  you  set  up  your  home  workstation,  it’s  time  to make it work for you. By finding an effective mode of organization, you are bound to minimize your stress level, keep your thought stream driven, and increase your overall productivity. 

• Purge your workspace of all non-essentials and reserve the desktop only for the supplies you use every day.

• Get cable organizers or a technology box to keep those cords and wires controlled and out of the way.

• Choose a filing method that works best for you and your compact space, or opt for digitizing most of your paperwork.

• Use jars, bins, trays, drawer dividers, binders to control any clutter and store your office supplies.

Use the full height of the wall

Avoid  relying  solely  on  your  floor  space  for storage. Instead, keep  everything  you  need at arm’s reach by installing shelving directly  above  your  desk.  You  can  use  these shelves to hold important  files,  as  well  as  stashes  of  pens, books, and other various  office  necessities.  In case your rental lease agreement keeps  you  from  nailing  the  whole  construction  into the wall, think  about  buying  a  free-standing  ladder  desk  with vertical shelves.

Of  course,  shelving is not the only solution. There are many storage solutions for small apartments, such as the space underneath your desk, finding a desk with installed drawers.

Think ergonomically

Lastly,  let’s  talk  about ergonomics! Having an ergonomic workspace means looking after your physical and mental well-being. With your body aligned and supported properly, you avoid back and neck pains, unnecessary eye strain, headaches, and repetitive stress injury.  Consequently,  you’ll  experience  a  substantial  boost  in  productivity  and  need fewer breaks. We’ve already spoken about decluttering,  as  it  seems  to  be  the  number  one  step  in most makeovers.  Start  by removing all excess, then limit the personal belongings you keep on your desk, and categorize each zone to suit different purposes (the extra vertical storage will help). 

Next, adjust the height of your desk at 25 to 27.5 inches (depending on your height) so that your underarms and elbows lie straight on  the  surface  of  the  table.  You  can  purchase  a  desk  riser  if  the  desk  is  too  low,  as it is a great way to keep your keyboard and  screen  at  comfortable levels. Also, upgrading to a comfortable chair that properly supports your lower back is vital in avoiding needless straining and leaning. Additionally, consider adding lumbar support to fill in the gap between the chair and your back. 

The last thing you need for creating a productive workspace in your small apartment is to improve your available light. Add proper lighting by picking out a desk lamp with light that mimics natural light and, if possible, has an adjustable dimmer.

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