Creating a Home Office When You Have Tight Living Quarters

You've likely seen the pictures on Pinterest of gorgeous home offices complete with a large office space and a mahogany desk facing a picture window.  If only all of us could work in such luxurious surroundings! 

The fact is, though, if you work at home and your house is small, you have to find a workable office solution within your tight quarters.  Thankfully, that's not as hard to do as you might think.

In fact, in his book On Writing, Stephen King confessed in his early days, when he worked as a teacher and he and his wife had a small dwelling, his "office" was a desk he put in a closet.  If he could go on to become a prolific author and multi-millionaire working out of a closet, there's hope for all of us.

Strategies for Creating Your Work Space

Is there any nook in your home that you could use?  Remember, all you really need is a place for your desk.  This might be in the corner of your kitchen or living room.  It might be in a closet.  (If you have a small closet, your desk could always go inside and you would sit on the outside.  Then when you're done working, simply close the closet door.) 

Strategies for Organizing Your Work Space

1.  Get rid of the clutter.  Keep your desk clean and tidy with the minimum items you need to do your work.  This will make the space appear larger.

2.  Use containers to stow items.  There are some items in your office that you probably don't routinely use but still need like notebooks, files, and a stapler, to name a few.  Keep these in file boxes or storage containers, out of the way of your main office space.

3.  Be inspired by Pinterest.  For every spacious home office featured, you can find plenty of inspiration for tiny home office spaces.

Take to heart that many people have not only survived small home offices, but thrived.  All you need is a dedicated space where you feel comfortable and can focus on your work.