I partnered with Jason.L on this sponsored post.
I’ve been self-employed and working from home online for a few years now. I’m still learning as I go, but I’m happy with the progress that I’ve made. When you work from home, having a home office is important for many reasons. If you’ve never worked at home before you may not fully realize how easy it is to get distracted or side-tracked when working from home. After all, everything you own is right there with you! Your living room with your TV and video games, your book shelf, the garden, all of it is accessible at any moment. It takes more self-control to stay on task when you are at home. Having a home office space can help you to get in the right mindset to stay focused and on task, while using your computer in your living room or bedroom can be must more distracting. It’s a similar concept to why many home-schooling families choose to have a ‘school room’ to keep their kids in the mindset to pay attention and work.
Another big benefit to having a home office is taxes. When you are self-employed having a home office allows you to write-off some expenses on taxes, such as a portion of your rent. If you browse products related to your home office online, such as office desks and decide to purchase one that can be considered a business expense. The same is true for much more minor office expenses too, including printer ink, paper, paper clips, staples, and so on – assuming that they are needed for your business.
My mother worked from home starting when I was about 10 years old, though she had a traditional employer. I was surprised how frequently they changed her office equipment whether it be desks, chairs, mouse, etc. They were always updating her on new recommendations for posture. With me being self-employed I don’t have an employer encouraging those things or sending me new educational resources so it’s important that I keep track myself. It’s really easy to have terrible posture if using a computer from a platform other than a desk and appropriate chair. If you are self-employed or if your employer isn’t keeping you in the loop it’s important to do your own research to make sure you aren’t causing harm to your neck or back. Plus carpel tunnel can occur from using a mouse long term as well.
Personally I love the concept of height-adjustable office desks. If you plan to keep the same desk for many years, you may decide to change out your hair. Having a desk that is adjustable gives you more room to switch chairs while still getting the right height. It also can allow you to get the desk ideal for your height or seated height. As someone who is 5’1″ I love being able to adapt things down to my size, and I suspect it’s healthier for my body when I’m not stretching or leaning to reach.
While blogging seems simple on the surface, I own quite a few items that I use for blogging. Of course my computer comes first. Others include my desk, chair, printer, ink, paper, whiteout, iPad, smartphone, cases, digital camera, several photo backdrops, photography lights, a light reflector, dishes for food photography, a physical planner, a whiteboard and accessories, and I’m probably forgetting others!
We’ve been talking about painting our office. We are renting but we are able to paint. We always rent a two bedroom apartment so that we have room for an office. The previous tenants had painted the room I believe, because the paint throughout the rest of the house was all the same color but our office is bright pink. It’s rather bright and is not the most calming environment. We would like to change to some sort of neutral tone as I think it might subconsciously make a difference. I remember reading a long time ago about how different colors impact our moods somewhat, such as blue being calming and red causing tension. I don’t feel like the bright pink causes tension but it’s just a bit too bright for my liking. It’s also a gloss paint and I find that matte is a bit more calming because there isn’t that shine.
Tell me about your home office or how you manage your home in order to work from home. Have you created a calming and quiet environment to make it easier to stay on track?
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Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
This post currently has 3 responses.
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Peggy Nunn
I have a room as my office. I look out directly in the front yard that is lined with flowering bushes. It is nice. I have a very good chair that lets me move everything on it. I love it.
Definitely paint the room a nice neutral, and then choose decor to coordinate with it. So for instance, you could paint in a nice greige ( popular these days) and then refresh your desk with a coat of dark brown paint. Add some colorful curtains in yellow or aqua, a plant, and a fresh lamp shade and you’ll have a much nicer work space. Don’t forget lighting – it’s the most important, besides a good ergonomic chair.