Your home office needs its own designated space, with things specifically for the office only. Find a place in your apartment that you enjoy, and set up a desk and a chair to start. As you begin to create your workspace, you’ll want to find a balance between personal and functional. Here are a few must-haves to keep your space efficient.

1. Filing System: Today, we try to be as paperless as possible, but you’ll still have those important documents that you’ll want as hard copies. Have a safe and organized place to keep your important documents. Find a filing cabinet or convert a drawer to a file cabinet to keep things stored in an out of the way place. Organize by category in folders to keep things easily accessible.
2. Power Strip: You’re going to have several things that require electricity. Buy a surge protected power strip that fits nicely under the desk. Plug in all of your chargers, tools, lights, and more through this one outlet. Zip tie stray cords to keep everything nice and tidy. You don’t want your feet to get tangled up in a mess of cords.
3. Clock: Everyone has the time displayed on their phone, but that still shouldn’t replace your standard desk clock. Regardless of your time management skills, you still need a visible clock from any location in your office. It’s helpful to see so that you can stay on target with your schedule. Plus, you won’t get distracted by checking your phone to see the time.
4. Calendar: Just like the clock, we all have online calendars. These are fantastic because we can access them no matter our location. We can see our interirary anywhere we go, and we can have it set to send us reminders. Keep all of your important information stored in one location so you know how to plan out your day/week/month. If a physical day planner works best for you, then buy a small one that you can take with you.
5. Shelves: Install some shelves to store your organizational products, books, tools, and other personal touches that make it your space. For your mind to be clear, you need a clear working space. You don’t want to crowd your workspace with loads of things on the desk. Keep them nearby and out of the way by storing things above and around you.
6. Stationary Organizer: Have a designated space and container for all of the little things that you need. An organizer for your pens, highlighters, paperclips, paper, and pins. It’s great to keep all of these things close together so you know exactly where to reach when you need something.
7. Desk Lamp: Even if you have excellent lighting in your room, you’ll still want a desk lamp. Having an added light over the desk spotlights it, making your brain gear in to work. It’s helpful to give yourself a consistent environment of light to keep your mind engaged.

The hardest part about the home office is making it a true workspace. You need to be sharp during your working hours, and it can be easy to find reasons to relax when you are in your apartment. A home office doesn’t take much, but there are certain things that you need to invest in. Put measures in place so that you can keep functioning at a high level.