Redecorate Your Home Office

Quick and Inexpensive Ways to Make Your Home Office More Inviting

You have a successful home business. Your home office is a busy, productive place. You're living the dream, right? Not necessarily. As a home business owner, I sometimes get a case of the blahs, even when things are going great. One thing that might help renew your motivation is to redecorate your home office.

Say you've operated a home business long enough to get tired of your home office décor. You peek inside your office at the beginning of your workday, and it's all you can do to force yourself to sit down at the desk. You'd love to relocate for an afternoon at a neighborhood café, but the nature of your home business means you've got to stick to your desk. As a freelance editor, I often have this problem. I could bring my laptop anywhere, but I can't drag all of my hefty reference books and bulging file folders with me. My home office usually has to stay home.

You can improve your home business attitude if you redecorate your home office. And you can do it without spending a lot of time or money. For starters, try moving your desk to a different spot. If that's not possible, or if it's not enough of a change, go a few steps further. Take down the pictures and notes you've had pinned on the wall above your desk for what seems like forever, and replace them with colorful, uplifting images. I've put up items that remind me of my connection to the world beyond my home office: postcards from writing students, a world map, a flyer from last year's local book festival.

You're the boss of your home business, so when you redecorate your home office, reward yourself with a few nice touches. Buy colored file folders and Post-It notes, an extra lamp to give your home office that rosy look, a woven basket to hold unsightly odds and ends.