Organize My Life: Home Office Set Up

{Organize My Life is a multi-post series all about (you guessed it) organization! Make sure you check out the other posts listed at the end of each entry (as most of these posts will reference one another), as well as the coinciding video!} 

When I was moved into my apartment a year and a half ago, I was lucky enough to have a spare room to play with. With graduate school looming and in need of a work space, I turned this spare room into a home office! It has taken me a while to find a system that works for me in the space that I had been given (it's a pretty small room and can't really be used for a lot), but I finally think I have a pretty good set up that's conducive to my working style. I love when other bloggers show of their work spaces, so I thought I'd show you mine!

*As a heads up, this blog post is just a brief outline of how my office is currently set up. If you'd like more details, please check out the video at the end of this post!

I generally use this space for blogging, video editing (and sometimes shooting), and homework. I store a lot of arts and crafts supplies in my office, but given the size of the space, I don't have a lot of room to actually craft, draw, or paint, and I typically just grab the supplies I need and work in a more spacious area, like my living room. I also sometimes have 1-on-1's with my student staff in this office (if it's not a disaster zone, which it can become during the mid-semester craziness), as well as store a lot of "extras" in the closet that is attached to this room, such as holiday decorations, suitcases, and other things I don't need on a daily basis.

The first section of the room is my additional seating for meetings. This is the chair that came along with the desk my parents found for me, but I preferred the office chair I already had as it propped me up higher when sitting at my computer (important needs!). On the wall by the chair I collect my race bibs & medals (this wall has grown so significantly since I moved in!) as well as a few old licence plates that I use as decoration. There isn't a ton of storage in my office, so I keep some documents stored under this chair as well in a plastic bin. On the opposite wall from the chair is the door to the storage closet. I didn't take a photo because it is currently a MESS. (I did, however, show it in the video, so if you're really interested in seeing it, make sure you watch it!)

Behind my desk is a wall full of different photos and hand made name tags (we ResLifers call them door decs/door tags) that I've collected over the past few years that I've lived at Dean. Boring white walls are NOT my thing, and I find it hard to focus if the environment that I'm in is too blank. My walls are kind of like a giant scrapbook and I love looking at all of the memories!

This is where the majority of my storage is - a metal black bookshelf and a set of plastic drawers from Target. Craft supplies, stationary, a few important documents, and my printer are located in this area. If I had more room to organize, this section would look a lot nicer, but like I mentioned before, I mostly take what I need from this section and work on it elsewhere.

And this is where I spend the most time when I'm in my office - my desk! I try to keep this space the most organized out of the entire room, especially when I'm working on assignments for graduate school. I do have a few organizers on top of the desk as the desk itself only has one small drawer in terms of organization. With everything that I keep on it, I'm able to comfortably use my laptop, work out of a book, as well as review notes, and have all of the supplies I need right at hand. It's perfect for what I need it for at the moment!

---

And there you have it! It's not much, but I love having a space that is designated specifically to getting work done. As soon as I walk into this space I feel motivated and ready to tackle any project that's in front of me, whether it be for school, work, or my personal life. If I had to change anything about my office, I would definitely want to have some more space and more storage to be able to work more freely, but I understand that having an extra room is pretty lucky for someone who is only a part-time RD!

Unfortunately, in a few months, I may not have a space like this anymore. Brett and I will primarily be looking for studio and one bedroom apartments when I start my first full-time position, meaning my days of having the luxury of an extra room are numbered, so I'm going to savor this extra space while I still have it!

Like I mentioned, this video goes into a lot more detail than this blog post did. I show you some of my favorite details of my office, and with this small space, it really is all about the details for me! Take a look if you'd like to find out more! :)