My husband said to me one morning, “uhhh, can you help me make the bed?” This is a funny question on a few different levels.  One, he doesn’t care if the bed is made – he and my grown children have often said, they only plan to mess it up again that very night. Also, after I get out of bed, our cat tangles himself up in the covers and I usually don’t like to disturb him, so we make the bed a little later.  

But the reason why we needed to make the bed, is because my husband, who now works permanently from home, had a Conference Call and didn’t want the background of the call to look like an unmade bed.  Now I know, you can purchase background filters, but we haven’t committed to this as an office space and he often just needs his photo on the screen and not our entire bedroom.  

Flash back 1 year: He had an office in our house that we had created after we became “empty nesters.” That lasted about 5 minutes and my daughter and son in law are living with us while they save for a house and have their first baby.

All that said, we didn’t plan on our bedroom being a shared office space, but that is what it is …  and maybe you find yourselves in what I call the accidental home office.  Meaning, you never thought you would be working at home either part time or even full time.  But here we are …

So, it’s time to commit to The Space, whatever that looks like for you. Investing a little time and effort in your work space can really help you be more productive and make your workday a little more enjoyable.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive investment – sometimes your company will even let you take office supplies from the old office.  Think about your daily routine – what are some things that would make this space work better for you?  A white board, a bulletin board, a file organization tote, some actual office supplies, more than 1 pen, a small file cabinet to hide things away (if your desk is out in the open), maybe a desk calendar.

As Merry and Pippen said in Lord of the Rings, “Time for a few well-earned comforts.” Here are some fun inexpensive ideas for your home office:

A coffee cup heater; phone stand (for hands-free and music); a second chair so someone can visit occasionally; a cool desk lamp; artwork; a small desk fan; foot rest; cord organizer; monitor riser or even a lumbar support pillow.

And of course, if you need help with your office set up or small business, Midwest Organizing is here for you!

The Accidental Home Office