How you use your working space has an impact on both your productivity and your time management. A cluttered, disorganised space is not conducive to productive work. If you’re working from a home office, it’s important to optimise your space for working and design it in such a way that you can get your projects completed while still maintaining a high quality of work. Here is how to manage projects better by managing your space better.
1. Consider The Power Position Of Your Chair
One part of managing your space is deciding how you will arrange everything in your office. An important aspect of this is deciding where your desk and chair will be and how this placement will affect your feeling about your work area and how much work you are able to get done. Positioning your desk to face the entrance of your office or the area where clients may sit (if you see clients in your home office) can give you a sense of power because it means you know when someone enters the room and it also puts you in a position of authority. A sense of control in your own space is important for your management of your work and projects. For clients, it shows that you take your job seriously and it also means that you can protect sensitive materials or confidential work you might be managing from the view of those coming into your office.
2. Create Different ‘Zones
Depending on the layout of your home office and where it is in your house, it can be useful to divide the area you work in, into different zones. Sometimes you might not have the space to have a whole separate home office in a different room and instead you may have to settle for an office nook or the corner of a guest bedroom. If this is the case, creating different ‚Äòzones’ in your home as a way of managing your space is one way that you can manage your projects better. Establishing separate areas whether it be with a curtain, rearranging furniture or different paint schemes is a way of helping you think differently about each space and the things you do in that space. This means that even if you don’t have the luxury of a separate office, you can still get in the right headspace to do your projects.
3. Declutter
A cluttered space has a big impact on your how you manage your projects because
physical clutter can lead to mental clutter. Clutter not only affects the physical appearance of your office space, by making it look cramped, crowded and messy, it can actually hinder your productivity by making it more difficult for you to work. This might be because it’s harder to find the documents you need or because clutter is taking up space that you could be using to do work. An organised space and clutter-free work area is important because it makes you feel motivated and ready to tackle whatever projects you may get thrown at you, whereas a cluttered space is more likely to make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Set aside a day or a few hours in the afternoon to properly declutter your workspace and get rid of anything you don’t need. Once this is done, take a few minutes each day to tidy around your office area to ensure that clutter doesn’t build up again.
4. Use Storage Solutions
Once you’ve gone through everything in your office area and decided what to keep and what to to throw out, you need to find space for everything that’s leftover. If you have an office nook or a small room for your office space, then it may not be practical to keep all your files and belongings with you at home. The sharing economy lets you outsource your storage by renting out storage space from people who are not currently using it. This means that for those items you don’t need on a daily basis, you can store it somewhere else without exorbitant costs. By using community storage, you can focus on making the best use out of the space you have and being able to manage limited space better can help you manage your projects better. You can have as much space as possible available to you so you can complete your projects productively. If you need to keep some things on-site, like documents or certain tech gear, in order to access them you regularly, you can choose smart storage solutions that won’t interfere with the way you use your workspace. If you don’t have much space, go vertical with your storage. Choose floor-to-ceiling shelving, boxes that can be kept underneath sofas or chairs, or cabinets with plenty of draws.
5. Decorate Your Space
Decorating your space can help you manage your projects better by making your office area feel more like you. The more comfortable you are in your working environment, the more likely you are to be productive. When you are happy, you’re less likely to start feeling stressed and overwhelmed by the tasks ahead of you. While it is first and foremost a workplace, you can still make the area feel like you. Consider adding personalised touches, such as photos and artwork or mood boards, and create a fresh environment by adding greenery and plants. Using colour in your decorative touches can help to brighten your office and the more fun your working environment, the more excited you will feel about starting work each day. Lastly, mirrors placed in different spots in the room can help a cramped office feel bigger and airier.