Last updated: June 2, 2026
If you’ve made yourself a working space within your home, you’ve got a lovely little productive corner to get things done.
It’s nice to be able to retreat to a real office space when you’ve got meetings on, or there’s some emails you need to write, as you get a lot more focus from being able to shut out the rest of the house.
However, when you create a home office space, you also need to design it in the right way. You can’t just push a small desk into the corner, grab a chair, and think you’re good to go. You need a space that actually encourages productivity.
That won’t happen without a few careful design choices. Here’s a few to think over.
The Outside World is Too Distracting
It’s nice to have an office space with a window, as this means you’re getting plenty of natural light during the day (and a good bit of fresh air when you need it).
However, there’s a downside to having the window right there in front, to the side, or behind you: you can hear everything going on outside!
And sometimes, the sunshine that comes in through the window is going to blow out the space and make your screen hard to see, and that just won’t do either.
Prepare for these issues now, to prevent them from slowing you down on a working day. Set up some blinds on your window, so you have much more stringent control over how much light is entering your workspace.
And if possible, investigate ways to ‘soundproof’ the window as is. You may need to tape up the seal, for example, or to simply place items in front of the window (like a plant, or the blinds we mentioned above) that can help to absorb the noise.
The Desk isn’t Big Enough
If you’ve got a teeny tiny desk to work from, you’re not going to have space for anything other than the keyboard, mouse, and your hands as you use them. And that just doesn’t serve as a great desk space for anyone who wants to get something done!
Yes, you need a small desk that fits. But you also need a desk that lets you keep a drink nearby, as well as a notebook, pens, your phone, and some desk trinkets.
Without these things on hand, you’re going to be pushing your chair back and forth to grab the things you need, and that just leaves you being constantly interrupted!
You Can’t Draw a Line
Finally, it’s important to think about what really separates you from the rest of your home.
If you don’t have a proper screen divider in the way, you’re never going to feel like you’ve retreated to a private working space! You’re just in the corner, and that doesn’t put any distance between you and everything else.
If you’ve got a home office space, make sure it’s built with your working needs in mind!
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