My desk is pretty much my life-the place I work, craft, and enjoy a morning cup of coffee while watching the Today Show. I mean I’m a designer, so my home office has to reflect my personal style, which is hard to do when you don’t live in your own space, and still live at home. Even though I’m not able to do everything I’d like to do decor wise, I’ve incorporated pieces, in white, like a letter organizer, book shelf with color coded books, and touches of gold decor pieces. My dream office would look something like this, mostly white with a large slab desk and plenty of space to spread out books and magazines, and another area where I could work on my crafts and projects.
I was recently approached by WeWork wanting to share my workspace, and what I love about it for their “Show Us Your Work Space” campaign. WeWork is a co-working company that aims to inspire creative minds to do what they love by offering collaborative workspaces, which build a community that empowers entrepreneurs. As someone whose always seen themselves as an entrepreneur, it often requires working alone, and WeWork is a great resource and outlet to interact and connect with professionals that can help with your business, and vice versa. If you are interested in getting your own workspace find your nearest WeWork locations here.
Those of us who work from home often need organization and a routine to get into the swing of things. A properly setup workspace helps any home office worker stay focus and get the job done, despite all the distractions that come with working from home. Here are just a few snippets of my current office, and a some tips and suggestions for your home office essentials that will help improve your productivity.
Keep it clean. Your workspace should be clean, not cluttered, and simple. I like to make sure I have plenty of free space. It’s easier to get into work state of mind when you’re at your desk, in your office, and away from other living areas in the home.
Create an All-In-One Space. As you can see there are two computers at my workspace which takes away some valuable desk space, but when it comes to office devices, you want ones that will get multiple jobs in one shot, like a printer that scans, and copies.
Stay Organized with a To Do List and Planner. This little pile are the things I’m always grabbing and absolute essentials-my daily planner, a pen, mail, and a white folder I keep projects and recipes I’m working at the moment. I like to start each day by looking over my planner and review what I need to accomplish for the day and week. Set a realistic time frame of when you should complete each task. It makes accomplishing tasks much more feasible, and rewarding once you check it off your list.
Yes, I color code my daily planner, it’s my key to staying organized. To this day I still think it got me my internship after college. And I couldn’t live without my Kate Spade planner, which I use with this glittered heart to bookmark my week.
Stay Connected. Between business calls, cold calls, and a full inbox of emails, make sure to have a charged phone, and good wifi connection at all times. I always have my phone in my favorite Everygirl iPhone case on hand.
An office must have is a letter opener. I found this gold anchor stashed in one of my dad’s boxes, and decided to use it myself. It’s aged a bit and something from my family, so it’s nice to use every day when working. 
I always keep a stack of flagged, in different colors of course, magazines and books with things I’m inspired by like recipes, products, crafts and decor. You can also see my tub of lip butter that I always keep on hand when working at the desk. 
Good Lighting. It’s been proven that natural light improves productivity and mood. Since my house doesn’t have a lot of natural light, I positioned my work space next to the window that gets the most light in the room. Doing this in your office helps your concentration throughout the day, and it’s important to have soft artificial lights, like a desk or floor lamp and overhead light so you can adjust the lighting as the day progresses. And since I love candles, I always have one lit in relaxing but invigorating scents that lift my mood. 
Make it your own. One the of the things that motivates me most are quotes, so I have them placed in different corners of my work space, like my ever changing mood board, along with tiny objects that make me smile, like a dreamcatcher and flowers. Having a place that inspires you is absolutely essential. Make whatever inspires you visible, as a constant affirmation you’re doing what you love.
Keep Track of Days. With digital calendars making it easier to stay on top of appointments, I still like to keep a calendar in sight. Planning is much easier when you have the whole month staring at you. I like both a wall calendar and a paper calendar that I can mark up and visually see my tasks.
Create Ample Storage. Without realizing it, papers, stationary, and office knick knacks will accumulate, so it’s important to keep work documents neatly organized and separate from personal supplies. A great way to clean up the loose clutter is with shelves, storage boxes and magazine files. I especially love these Ikea’s boxes, which start at only $4!
The room is a mixture of darker family furniture, which I chose to lighten up with soft curtains and bedding. Of course I added a fun gold ruffle pillow.
This is the room everything happens from work, to crafts, to working out and relaxing. So there are usually craft items laying around that can’t fit on my craft shelf, like a half finished wreath. If your work space happens to be the room used for more than one activity, make sure you designate areas in your space for each activity, like I have with my exercise gear and craft supplies. 
I really enjoyed doing this project with WeWork because it made me really appreciate my work space much more, even though it doesn’t look like my dream space currently. It works for me now, and in keeping with my grateful challenge, I’m grateful I have this space.
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