Now that many of us are working from our dining rooms, kitchens, and,

sometimes even our bedrooms, why not create or reinvent your ideal

home office space? Time to take your WFH area—be it a cozy corner or a

complete wood-paneled den—from unruly to unmatched. How to get started?

Follow the four Ds: designate, design, declutter, and decorate.

First off, designate an area or room to be your home office. May be you’re

lucky enough to have a traditional home office complete with the ubiquitous

bookshelf. If you don’t, consider turning an unused guest room or even a

part of the basement or a corner of the kitchen into your unique space. Just

remember: When you’re in this zone, you need to think, “I am at my office.”

Report here at certain hours and actually be productive while you’re there.

Next, create a design. You will be working here so you’ll need essentials: a

desk or table, a comfortable desk chair, a computer, a printer, lighting, and

easy access to electrical outlets. (Hopefully, you’ve already got Wi-Fi all set

up.) Can you be efficient and easily do the tasks at hand without moving

too far around? Make sure there’s plentiful task lighting and if you’ll be doing

conference calls, try to position your desk with natural light shining on you and

not behind you for the best video quality.

Now it’s time to declutter. After all, as you’re Zooming, do you really want to

be wondering, “What’s behind me? Can people see that dirty coffee mug?”

Clear your workspace and keep it free of non-work-related items. Try a Zoom

or House Party call with a friend and ask what they can see, then edit out

anything you don’t want others peeking at (i.e., laundry, personal photos,

open closets, and anything you’d prefer to have under wraps). It’s also wise 
to remove any distractions, such as a TV, magazines, or snack foods. Lastly, 

the fun part: Time to decorate. Organize your papers, pens, books, and

other necessities to get your job done. Pick a fun color or a streamlined design

scheme and stick with it. After all, your space doesn’t need to be devoid of

personality. Books, art, and colorful home décor, can all be a signature of your

at-home work style. With a few tweaks you can make your home of fice space

organized, chic, and the envy of the video chat.