The perfect home office hub

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Australians work from home full-time? And even for those who don’t, there’s often a place needed for kids to do homework, or a base station for sending emails, dealing with family paperwork and wading in that never ending stream of bills. It might be in the living room corner, the spare room or even the back shed.

Wherever you have set up your desk, you can create a home office to be proud of by maximising space and minimising the clutter - and you’ll get more done in less time.

Ergonomically yours

For comfort and to prevent injuries, you should apply a few basic ergonomic rules to your home office set-up. Some quick and easy checks worth doing include:

• make sure your eyes are at least 50cm from your computer screen
• keep your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest
• recline your chair slightly to reduce vertebrae pressure and prevent lower back pain

And remember to take regular breaks during long projects to keep circulation – and ideas – flowing.

Take small steps to big productivity

When office “stuff” stacks up, it can overwhelm you and greatly reduce your productivity. Aim for weekly mini clean-outs, but if you get behind on clearing up, don’t panic. Remember the little engine that could? Conquering your mountain of paperwork is all about small steps. Take short breaks and throw out just three – ok, five – items you don’t need and then get back to work.

Don’t over-commit to a major de-clutter if you don’t have time to follow through. The house will look cleaner but you’ll start stressing about all the work you’re not doing. Instead, pick just one file drawer or one shelf and spend 10 or 15 minutes organising that space. Then do the same with a different trouble spot the next day.

Perhaps your notice board is another eyesore of visual clutter. Howards new Umbra Magnetic Bullet Board is not only practical as it can take pins or magnets, but also looks super-sexy! If it’s become an archive of distant memories and expired events, then it’s not helping you stay productive. So remove old notices and add current items or inspirational messages.

Desktop showdown

Here’s a neat trick that’s well worth the effort for a messy home office. First, take everything off your desk except for the most essential tools of your trade and put it all in a box. Put the box in another room, like the garage. As you continue working, when you need a missing item, go to the box and retrieve it. Howards range of Easi Store plastic boxes come in a variety of sizes and are perfect for this exercise.

After a week, all the things you really need will be at your side again. Whatever is still in your storage boxes can be filed, donated, recycled or thrown away. Reward yourself with a stylish new desk set to store those essentials and encourage tidy habits.

Maximise vertical space

If you don’t have a lot of room at home for traditional office furniture, send your workspace up the wall and create a place for everything with an elfa workstation. With only one fixed top track mounted to the wall, a mix of desk, drawers, shelves and baskets, can easily hang from floor to ceiling if you like. Workspace configurations change easily to suit your projects by readjusting or adding to the wall brackets.

Away from the wall, the new elfa Freestanding range allows you to create and ‘office island’ and is an instant office, anywhere, with overhead adjustable shelving on top of a double-sided desk, all attached to a sturdy commercial grade frame. With access from two sides, your home office space can be more flexible than ever. Both the wall and freestanding styles allow you to add extra storage for display or storage as your home business or hobby grows.