I started this home office reorganization project in March. It's now July and I've been working in this "mess in progress" for MONTHS. 😐 We're now kicking off the second half of the year... and I'm seriously ready for BIG change.
I thought it would be fun to share with you what I'm changing, what I'm "fixing", and more importantly... WHY, and how those things affect productivity & workflow.
You'll likely get some creative ideas for your own home office, and also learn cool new ways to increase your productivity while working online.
I'll share the actual office changes, but also my methods of Time Management & Productivity as it relates to the day-to-day tasks of running an online business. Including getting focused, creating an Action Plan, organizing your tasks and making sure your priorities get TOP attention.
I'll journal the entire Home Office Project here along the way. Your input is welcome as I go! I may need some good recommendations for certain things. 🙂
There are two reasons I'm rearranging and reorganizing my home office:
First (and this is the big one, the immediate need), because I'm in pain. I've been dealing with a pinched nerve in my upper back and shoulder for weeks on end (6 weeks now!).
Imagine sticking your tongue to a battery. You know that "tinge" you get? Yeah - that, x1000, all the way down my left side and my left arm - into my fingers. It's MISERABLE. And yes, I'm seeing my Chiropractor regularly!
Rearranging your workspace, or changing your position frequently, is the best way to avoid RSS (Repetitive Stress Syndrome) such as tendonitis, carpel tunnel, muscle tension, "blackberry thumb", tennis elbow, pinched nerves, etc.
The second BIG reason is simple: for increased productivity and efficiency.
I need to get more done in less time - period. Who doesn't, right? 🙂 That's going to take an overhaul of my workspace, and more specifically: the way I'm using it.
I don't know about you, but I have ambitious goals for this year - and we're more than halfway through it already. It's time to kick things into HIGH gear!
This post will serve as my "before pictures". Like I said, it's a serious "mess in progress" at the moment. LOL. Isn't that how it always goes, though? It's like cleaning out closets. Somehow I always end up with a bigger mess than I started with. 😛
I'll give you a quick tour as it is now...
I am currently running two PC's and two Mac's. For quite awhile there I was down to one of each. My Dell PC went down, and the comfortable chair I had at that same desk broke. Not because it was a bad chair, but because I used it (A LOT, lol) for years. It died of natural causes. This forced me to have to make a shift in my workspace and move everything to my "Media Desk" - creating chaos in the process...
These two pictures are a "full office view" from two angles:
Behind me is Slim's "dane couch" in my office. To the left is the door leading out to the back deck, and to the right is a door leading into the kitchen. This is the biggest room in my house, the sunroom, which has great natural lighting for photos & videos.
The larger L-shaped desk is my "Media Desk", which is meant for product creation and video editing. This is the desk I took over when the PC at the smaller desk went out. I replaced it, and recently (finally!) got it set up - and ordered a new chair for that desk. So Desk #2 is finally back up & running!
A lot of other things got shifted around in the process, like my continuous lighting kit, the printer, etc. New, in front of the bookshelf in these pictures, is a "photography table" I just set up - which still has to find a spot in the office.
This is where I've been working - and where I'm sitting now:
Often, "organizing" is just a fancy form of procrastination on your priorities. I mean, how much can you really be getting done if your desk is spotless? I wonder! I'm skeptical of those people with a super clean office and streamlined workflow, lol - but probably only because I am NOT one of them.
I have everything I need to accomplish everything I want to do (save more hours in a day! haha)... but it's all in such disarray at the moment that it's hindering my progress & productivity - and my FOCUS.
Creative types are not organized by nature. Fighting that can be a lost cause. I get some of my best work done in what I like to call "organized chaos". 🙂
That said, I'm at a point where my workspace is holding me back, rather than letting me focus on my highest priorities. I'm not set up to easily work on the projects I need to jump in and out of when the creative inspiration hits - such as food photography or shooting video...
* It's taking me too much time to "setup", which often means it just gets put off.
My goal for this 2nd half of 2015 is to get organized and streamlined, so I can run my business more easily - and achieve more in less time. The organization is necessary for a "working flow" with my day to day business tasks.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on how organization (or lack of it) affects your productivity and workflow, and your goals for this last half of the year...
Best,
About Lynn Terry
Hi Lynn. Sorry to hear about your shoulder. I have some advice - find a good massage therapist! OR failing that, find a SCENAR therapist or try acupuncture.
I'm a massage therapist as well as IM apprentice 🙂 and massage can be so much more effective than chiropractic sometimes (yes - I'm biased).
Looks like you're having fun with your office. 🙂
Thank you, Sue! I have a deep tissue massage scheduled for next week (he was on vacation). I've been getting ultrasound massage (electronic muscle stimulation). Painful, but it does help. 😛 I've also been seeing a reflexologist for years, and we're working on muscle relaxation. It's a matter of letting it work itself out at this point. I'll be very glad when it does! lol...
I've got the same problem, but chronic
There are two ways you shower and water falls on the same place of pain
The second way to swim
I wish you a speedy recovery
Thank you so much - definitely doing both already! Swimming is a great way to stretch the muscles, and does provide some relief. I relaxed on a float yesterday, which is a nice option this time of year. 😉
Hi Lynn, hate that back pain, get various forms of it myself way too often. Hope you get some release from it soon. 🙂
I love the space you have to work with, so much room and light! Be my dream not to have to compromise in my own office. Couple of quick questions.... Why do you have the dual screen desktop PC set up on the smaller desk and the laptop and Mac on the larger. For me, I would not want to be using the smaller desk as much and my PC (you have seen the pics of it) is set up for multimedia and everything else. I think having that on the smaller desk would feel too cramped for me to be productive.
Next question.... are you going to use the fish tank at all, or is it being removed from the room? In my experience, as much as I love fishies putting the tank in a really bright room seems to increase the amount of maintenance needed due to increased algae growth.
Apart from that, I think putting all your "production" things together in the best lit part of the room would be ideal. The photography and video area could then take advantage of the wonderful natural light the room has. Your desks could then be arranged closer so that you can go between them with less effort.
Just my thoughts, if it was my own room I would probably remove everything and start over from scratch, but as you already have a set-up then that makes it more difficult.
Cheers, Ian 🙂
Great ideas, Ian! 🙂 I haven't decided on the large fish tank. I'm leaning toward a dry tank - and unsure if I want it in the office... or another room.
A total rearrange, or at least partial is in the works, as the photo/video needs to be in the east corner with the best light. My thought was to map out the empty room and go from there.
Separate spaces help me separate different types of work, which is great for focus. I have dual monitors on the Media Desk too. 😉
Lots to sort out yet. There's also the wall behind me where Slim's couch is now... which is my Travel Wall. Maps, etc - and waiting on a coat of pale yellow paint...
I love all the windows in your office. It makes sense that it is the biggest room in your house, it is where you likely spend most of your time. I actually have my desk front and center in my living room because I feel like I don't want to be "tucked away" in one of the bedrooms when I spend my day here.
I do plan to do an office makeover in the fall when I have more room to spare to set up a more organized work space so I am interested in following along with the makeover. 🙂
Hope your back starts feeling better.
The "biggest room" is all about square footage (home office deduction). 😉
When my children were younger, I had my desk in the central point of the house - to be available to them, and just to be able to hear & see them.
Fortunately with a laptop, or even a smartphone, I can still work from anywhere in the house. The back deck is my favorite "second office". 🙂
Sorry to here about your shoulder, too, Lynn... no fun!
I lost my office last year when Ella was born and I miss having a workspace.. Now I work from the kitchen table and sometimes (and more often than I should really) I work from the couch. I've got my desk , chair and office stuff in the basement but I can't seem to bring myself to work there. It's unfinished and just doesn't feel like a good place to work. I think I need to put some focus on making it nicer so I feel comfortable to work there and really if I can use that as my workspace that's 30% of my house so it's good for taxes, too! 😉
Thanks so much for posting your office organization, I'll be following along to be inspired by what you're up to and I'll be wishing for the day when we do a house upgrade so I can get myself an office again 😉
Put that baby in the basement!!!
I'm just kidding 😛 haha 😉
I'd love to see what you're working with. Maybe we could brainstorm some creative ideas to brighten it up. 🙂
Ha! Yea she'd probably love sleeping in the basement there's lots to get into, I know my son would move down there in a minute and his room would make a nice big office.. hmmmm lol!
So since I don't think I can upload a pic here I posted one on your facebook post with what I'm working with. I might just delete it after you see it cause it's an embarassing mess, eeek!
I just saw it, lol - and had a good laugh at your "assistant with no pants" 🙂 haha. I bet he would LOVE to move his room downstairs! When my son lived at home he had his room upstairs. Boys tend to love that kind of privacy.
I know when you have babies in the house, it's best to be on the main floor where you can be at least available all the time, if not in the same room with them. I get that. Annie was 5 months old when I started my business!
They're all grown up now: https://www.facebook.com/lynnterrybiz/photos/t.666328608/1001787663166703/?type=3&theater <- and that picture was taken 4 years ago. 😛
You know even before I read this I decided to move that desk upstairs! I pulled it up last night and am working from it right now. I think it's great because I 'feel' in work mode just sitting here and the desk chair is so much more comfy than the kitchen table chair. Oh and I'm up early, before 'the assistant', and working at it. You inspired it all with this post. Thanks so much!
Awesome, Angela!! And that makes my day. 🙂 I have a HUGE job ahead of me, but I'm aiming to devote at least 20 minutes (if not an hour) a day to getting this DONE and getting back to a smoother workflow & increased productivity. It feels AWESOME. *cheers*
You are motivating me to make some changes to my office setup, which is in a designated-for-office corner of our large bedroom. When we did the house renovation, I didn't know at that time that I would be in major business for myself. I was freelancing for others and needed only a corner. Changes in organization could make a huge difference. Now to find a week or two to do it!!! 🙂
Change can be such a positive thing! It's going to take me a couple of weeks to do mine as well, but I'm only doing a bit each day (working in Time Blocks). 🙂 There's no way I could stop the whole world and get it done in a day or a weekend - like I would prefer. 🙂
I find such comfort in knowing so many others struggle with this "tiny" HUGE problem and I'm not the only one! There's comfort in numbers! I've been struggling with my "office" space for almost 2 years. Now that I demolished and crashed the glass ceiling by quitting my management day job to build an online business I'm HOME more and this problem of "office" is becoming a huge pain point for me. We live in a small 900 sq foot country cottage so space is huge factor. I'm having to try to 'neatly' incorporate our big open spaced central area into some type of designated 'space' for me and my business. But it's also forcing me to make some decisions and really KEEP and HAVE what I truly only NEED. Other things can be put into storage containers and brought out only when needed, right?
Loved your comment "Creative types are not organized by nature. Fighting that can be a lost cause. I get some of my best work done in what I like to call "organized chaos".
I find I internally "feel" better in an organized environment, but I can't create worth beans. If I don't have the "stuff" around I have a hard time getting the creative juices to flow.
I hope you get to feeling better soon!
Thank you, Kim 🙂
It's definitely a case of "balance" - and also working with what you have AND with your specific personality type. I'm very "out of sight, out of mind" for example. Stowing things away neatly, or filing things away in a drawer or cabinet - for me... means I'll totally forget about it. lol.
The same goes for Time Management strategies. Some are golden classics, common sense even, but in the end you have to work with your own "flow" to not just be organized and efficient - but to be productive and HAPPY.
I love the whirlwind of serious creative energy and eustress. 🙂 I get some of my best word done in those phases. So I do accept my "organized chaos" and even embrace it - the key now is to get everything back to a point where it works for me (vs against me).
At the moment I have so much "stuff" to deal with that I'm having to move something over, or do more work than necessary to complete the smallest of tasks (like simple food photography for my low carb blog).
I agree there's comfort in numbers. That made me smile! It's fun to tackle this overwhelming project with other like-minded entrepreneurs & creative types!