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3 Ways to Create a Home Office Anywhere (And Put It Away at the End of the Day)

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3 Ways to Create a Home Office Anywhere (And Put It Away at the End of the Day)

September 6, 2024

The Remodelista editors have been working from home since the early days: The site started, after all, around Julie’s kitchen table. It’s taken me some trial and error in my own remote-work journey, but I’ve learned a few tips for success: Getting dressed (even putting on an equally comfortable but different pair of pants) is key to dividing the day between work hours and off hours. So is getting a change of scenery (a walk before work, or a swim afterwards), taking a real lunch break, and creating a physical way of dividing my home office from my regular home.

That last part is easy to do if you have a separate office, maybe. But what if you don’t?

When one space serves as both your home and your work, your relaxation space and your meeting space, your unwinding-on-the-couch and get-stuff-done space, it’s both challenging and essential to create a physical divide. As I’ve learned, if you can’t close the door on your office—if you’re working at the kitchen counter, say, or even on the couch—you can at least pack it out of sight when 5 p.m. hits.

Here are a few ideas we’ve put to use over the years for creating a mobile office (and putting it away).

1. Office on a Tray

at remodelista, we&#8\2\17;re longtime fans of trays for every need, includ 17
Above: At Remodelista, we’re longtime fans of trays for every need, including corralling desk essentials (like on these Cafeteria Trays by Schoolhouse; see more we like here). A few weeks ago I was looking for a way to move my whole workspace off of the table at the end of the day, and bingo: trays to the rescue again. This time, though, I used a regular old baking sheet lined with a pretty kitchen cloth. There’s no need to buy anything specially, and it’s big enough to hold a computer, pens, and a few essentials. Move your office-on-a-tray to your workspace during the day (it works as a lap desk on the couch, too), then set it in a separate part of your space, out of sight, when the workday’s done.

2. Office in a Drawer

if the kitchen is your workspace, clear out a drawer and create space inside fo 18
Above: If the kitchen is your workspace, clear out a drawer and create space inside for your office essentials: a laptop, pens, paperclips, a tray for papers, and whatever else you need. Pull out your supplies during the day (maybe even work at the counter; it’s a perfect standing desk)—then literally close the drawer on it when you’re done. Photograph by Matthew Williams for The Organized Home.

3. Office in a Bag

an idea from the organized home book: an office in a bag. slip your laptop 19
Above: An idea from The Organized Home book: an office in a bag. Slip your laptop and papers into a bag (we like a stand-up canvas version like this, but any will do); chargers can go into smaller bags inside. Tote it all to your at-home workspace in the morning, then pack it away when it’s time to relax. Photograph by Matthew Williams for The Organized Home.

Also helpful: Aha! Hack: 5 Smart and Surprising Alternative Uses for Binder Clips. (Hint: They’re great for keeping cords and chargers from taking over your living space, which they’re prone to do.)

N.B.: This story originally appeared on April 13, 2020, and has been updated with a new introduction.

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