9 Home Office Ideas for Small Spaces That Will Help to Overcome Procrastination
This post was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.
Many distractions and stressors can cause procrastination, and they’ll prevent you from accomplishing your goals if you let them.
If you’re in your home office, these distractions may include:
- Not being able to handle emotional distress
- Feeling unmotivated or overwhelmed
- Lacking energy and time management skills
Working in a small space can feel confining, detracting you from getting any work done. So what can you do to boost your energy, improve your time management skills and stop feeling overwhelmed?
Practice mindfulness!
Mindfulness is the enemy of procrastination, and the best way to overcome procrastination is to focus on the tasks at hand.
A small home office can make mindfulness seem impossible. However, there are tips that can help you stay focused and get your work done.
Nine Home Office Ideas to Stop Procrastination in Its Tracks
- Flip-down desks. The Murphy bed of office space, these space-saving desks mount on a wall or in a cabinet. Open the area when you’re ready to work, and everything is at your fingertips.
- Standing room only. Standing desks take up less space, but they also have the added benefit of burning extra calories. You’ll stay more mindful if you’re standing because you know you can’t sit down until you’re finished.
- Zoom ready. With virtual meetings occurring throughout the day, position your desk and chair in a corner, so you always have a professional-looking background. This strategy can help you keep clutter at bay, which means there’s less to distract you.
- Everything handy but out of sight. Have the tools you need for work nearby. The time you spend looking for a pen or a folder adds to the amount of time you spend procrastinating.
- Color coding. For those who are visual, try color-coding your folders. You’ll find what you’re looking for much quicker.
- Whiteboard desktop. Do you like to jot down ideas as they come to you? You’re not alone. Most people rely on oodles of sticky notes, but these can quickly overwhelm anyone working on a project. Instead, lay a whiteboard on top of your desk. Feel free to scribble notes, tasks, whatever. Then erase them as you deal with each one.
- Create a division. Having an office in the middle of your home and all the activity that goes on there can add to your procrastination. To help you stay focused, enclose your workspace with a curtain, louver doors or even shutters. You’ll be less tempted to join what’s going on and more likely to complete your work.
- Put a clock nearby. Workers swear by the Pomodoro method as a means of staying focused. Work for 25 minutes and take a break for five minutes.
- Set your office up in small spaces. The nooks and crannies, closet office or cupboard office can provide you with a small space to get your work done. The appeal of this smaller space is that it’s impossible to pile up other things in the workspace. By having only what you need to work on, you are more likely to vanquish procrastination.
It’s possible to practice mindfulness and overcome procrastination when setting yourself up for success. That success comes from small space home office ideas.