Before I started my business, I could think of tons of things that I thought were important. Finances. Getting clients. Staying afloat.

Know what didn’t pop into my mind as much? Having a designated workspace. I just didn’t think it was important enough to have on my master list. Until, of course, I didn’t have one. It was then that I realized just how important that special area was.

When I first started my business, I did it all from our kitchen table. Needless to say, it was a nightmare. It was cramped and crowded. It was hard to be inspired in the same spot where I dug into frozen pizza every night. Plus, since it was a dual-purpose space, it meant I spent half of my time packing and unpacking all of my work stuff.

So, when we finally moved into our home, I was thrilled that we had an extra bedroom we could transform into an office space. And, while I share a portion of the room with Ty, the majority of it is really my space—and I love it!

Today, I thought I’d share just a few of the (many, many, many) reasons that I love having a designated office. If you’re still deciding whether or not it’s worth it, let me go right ahead and convince you.

REASONS I LOVE HAVING A HOME OFFICE

1. I FEEL MORE INSPIRED.

You probably don’t need me to explain to you why a kitchen table leaves a lot to be desired in the inspiration department. This is one of the biggest reasons I love having a dedicated office—I can fill it with the different things that inspire me. I have a bookcase with some of my favorite books. My guitar sits in its stand in the corner. I have a bulletin board above me with little notes and pictures that always make me smile. It’s an environment that encourages creativity—rather than stifles it.

2. I’M MORE ORGANIZED.

Believe me, it’s tough to stay organized when you’re a nomad and your “office” is a temporary spot in the middle of your kitchen. However, I’ve found that having a real space of my own has made it so much easier to be (and stay!) organized. I have drawers for my supplies. I have a file cabinet for my receipts and important documents. I have folders for each of my clients. Running a business is stressful enough without feeling disorganized on top of it. So, the ease of organization has been a real blessing with this office space!

3. IT PROVIDES STRUCTURE.

Working from home makes it difficult to set boundaries to begin with. But, when you hop all over your house with your laptop? Well, it gets even tougher to separate work from your personal life. Having an office has really brought some structure to my routine. When I’m at home, I only work in that space. That way, when I enter that room, I immediately shift into “work mode”. And, on the flip side of that coin, when I turn my computer off and shut the door at night, I know it’s time to kick back and relax. It seems silly, but those physical boundaries actually really can help with your work/life balance.

4. IT HAS A DOOR.

Let’s end on something seemingly small and eye roll-worthy, shall we? Everybody around here knows we have a dog. And, let’s face it, he’s an animal—he makes noise sometimes. His favorite time to chime in? When I’m on an important phone call. That obviously presented some problems when I was working from the kitchen table. Now, I can close the door and shut out all of the noise and distractions. Plus, my office is at the very end of our house, meaning I’m always far removed from anything else that’s happening under our roof. I love it!

Do you currently have an office? Or, are you debating over whether or not to transform a certain space in your home into a designated work area? If you’re weighing your options, I hope these reasons help to push you in the right direction!

Until next time!