The widespread shift to remote work has accelerated dramatically, with a record number of employees now working from home either full-time or hybrid. Even as some return to offices, remote work is here to stay for many. That makes setting up a functional home office setup more important than ever before.
However, not everyone has thousands of dollars to invest in their home workspace. The good news is that it’s entirely possible to create an ergonomic, inspiring, and productive home office setup without spending a fortune.
Small yet strategic upgrades can transform even a corner of your bedroom into a home office setup you look forward to using each day. With a modest budget and a bit of creativity, you can fashion a professional-looking workspace customized to how you work best. From lighting to storage solutions to a quiet electric generator, affordable tweaks abound.
Budget-Friendly Furniture Hacks
While learning what is the home office that suits you, it is worth looking at some of the budget-friendly furniture hacks. Here are a few options to consider.
Repurposing What You Already Own
One of the most budget-friendly ways to upgrade your home office setup is to repurpose furniture and organizational items you already own. For example, your existing dining table can easily double up as a spacious workspace. Simply add a comfortable office chair you may have elsewhere in your home, along with some desk accessories.
If space allows, use a bookshelf divider to section off your makeshift home office setup area. Bookshelves in your living area could also be moved into your workspace and used to store files, supplies, or decorative accents. Think creatively about how you can give thrifted or existing furniture a new purpose before investing in new items.
Thrift Store and Marketplace Finds
For more dedicated home office setup furniture like desks, chairs, shelving units, or small side tables, check thrift stores, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or local buy-nothing groups first. It takes more effort to hunt down second-hand furniture in good condition, but the cost savings make it worthwhile. Look for sturdy wood desks and tables or metal filing cabinets to repurpose.
Test chairs for comfort and ergonomic adjustability. If space allows, consider converting a second-hand dresser into a filling station. Also, check if any friends or family members have old office furniture they want to get rid of. A bit of scrubbing, repainting, or reupholstering can give quality second-hand finds a brand-new look!
DIY Desk Organizers
Decluttering your workspace is imperative, but no need to splurge on fancy desk organizers. For cable management, use an old mason jar, cardboard paper towel roll, or toilet paper roll to neatly wrap up and store chargers and wires. Stash office supplies in cardboard boxes, old ceramic/metal trays, or food containers.
Paint them in colors you like for a cute coordinating look! If you have an artistic streak, use scraps of wood, leftover pieces of furniture, or storage bins to create customized letter trays, pen holders, shelves, etc. The options are endless.
Ergonomics On a Dime
Small ergonomic gear can make a big difference in comfort when you have to work long hours from your home office setup. Avoid strain with an external keyboard if working mainly on a laptop. Use firm cushions or pillows to raise your laptop screen or monitor to eye level. Similarly, improve ergonomics by propping feet up on books, a stool, or a box.
For lumbar support, reuse old neck pillows or tightly roll up a blanket or towel. If you need more monitor height, you can DIY monitor risers from items like sturdy wooden boards or hardcover books topped with shelf liners for grip.
Lighting Upgrades That Won’t Break the Bank
Once you know what small office is that you want, you should take a look at lighting upgrades. Here are the perfect options available for your home office setup to consider.
Harness Natural Light
Start with optimizing what nature provides for free – sunlight! Position your desk near a window to benefit from natural light. Consider moving higher furniture like bookcases or cabinets away from windows to allow light to penetrate deeper into the room. South-facing rooms tend to be the brightest. The inclusion of sheer curtains not only enhances privacy but evenly diffuses harsh light while still letting plenty through.
White window treatments also bounce more daylight inwards. If rearranging isn’t possible, try mobile solutions like freestanding racks to hold laptops that can be easily moved towards the window as needed. Even just 15-30 minutes of sun exposure every few hours reenergizes.
Affordable Task Lighting
Dedicated task lighting sharply focuses bright light precisely where you need it most – your work area. This makes seeing small details easier while preventing eye and neck strain. Thankfully, such desk lamps are quite affordable these days. LED desk lamps provide focused directional lighting at just the right intensity.
Moreover, prices start from £15-20 on Amazon. Look for adjustable gooseneck designs that let you position the light source close to your actual tasks. Smart light bulbs are another budget option starting under £20. Install these in a basic desk lamp with manual dimming and color temperature tuning ability via smartphone app or voice control. This allows matching lighting to natural daylight color and brightness.
DIY Ambient Lighting
Warm ambient lighting flatters the overall office space and you. Place floor lamps in corners or install sconce lighting on walls to brighten up the room. Affordable string lights used outdoors add cozy flair too when hung from the ceiling or tucked behind shelves. Choose color temperature bulbs that complement the room’s current lighting. DIY rice paper or fabric lanterns around the office also diffuse light beautifully.
Repurpose old lamps or light fixtures, and give a fresh coat of paint in colors matching your decor. Swapping outdated pigtail light bulbs with newer, cost-effective smart LED bulbs can transform outdated lamps and pendants into modern-looking fixtures. Ambient lighting boosts mood while making small rooms appear more expansive when done right.
Tech & Connectivity Tweaks
When it comes to tech and connectivity, you can find numerous home office setup ideas. Let’s take a look at them.
Wi-Fi Boosters for Weak Signals
Dodgy Wi-Fi signals spell doom for productivity when working remotely. Before spending on an expensive mesh network system or router upgrade, try simple tweaks. Identify router dead zones with online tools or phone apps and move your workspace closer for the strongest signal. If relocating the home office setup isn’t possible, move the router itself to a central spot, avoiding obstacles like thick walls or cluttered shelves. Tidy clutter that could cause interference, and don’t squeeze routers into tight spaces either.
Upgrading routers to more powerful ones with external antennas can help. But cheaper Wi-Fi range extenders starting under £20 plug into an outlet midway between the router and your device to capture and rebroadcast signals. While speeds slow down, extenders amplify bandwidth just enough for browsing, emails, etc. If internet reliability is crucial, mesh network systems do provide the best coverage via multiple access points. With deals, starter kits cost under £150.
Cable Management Solutions
Tangled wires look unsightly and cause frustration when urgently needed. Start by gathering cables by type – power cables in one bunch, HDMI wires together, etc. Next, route cables neatly along the edges of walls and behind furniture to keep floor space free. Affordable cord organizers like reusable velcro straps (under £10) fasten stray cables in one tight wrap. For just a few pounds, self-adhesive clips, sleeves, and trunking or flexible floor cord covers hide pesky cables. Stashing excess cable length in under-desk mesh holders or basket trays also keeps the workspace tidy.
Second Monitor Hacks
Working across two screens improves productivity by over 30%, according to studies. But fancy monitors cost a fortune. Instead, repurpose that old 10″ tablet as a second display using reliable Miracast dongles costing under £20. Connecting laptops or PCs to Televisions via HDMI cables also works great as budget dual display setups.
Noise Reduction on a Dime
Soundproofing requires major renovation efforts. Luckily, small tweaks muffle ambient noise effectively. Use foam play mats or insulated covers behind pictures/wall hangings as a makeshift acoustic treatment. Filling cardboard egg cartons with craft fibers or old fabric scraps and layering them over walls absorbs echo, too.
Adding floor rugs in restful colors also dampens noise, aside from providing comfort underfoot. Finally, affordable noise-cancelling headphones with decent ANC provide blissful quiet when you need to focus.
Energy Efficiency & Power Solutions
When setting up a home office setup, having reliable access to power is crucial for productivity. Portable power stations offer a versatile emergency power source during grid failures while also serving as power banks for laptops, phones, and other devices if traditional outlets are scarce in your remote workspace. They make great companions for digital nomads working outdoors as well.
We review two excellent options from Jackery – the entry-level Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station and the premium Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station. If you are concerned about solar power and battery storage, you should consider these options.
Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station
The Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station features a 518Wh lithium battery capacity that can power mini-fridges, lamps, TVs, and other electronics via 1 AC outlet, multiple USB ports, and a car outlet. With a lightweight, compact size akin to a basketball with a handle, it’s highly portable for RV trips and outdoor use. You can recharge the electric generator via the grid, a car outlet, or solar panels (sold separately).
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station
With a huge 1070Wh lithium iron phosphate battery capacity, the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station delivers 1500 watts of clean power output via multiple outlets. The ultra-durable LFP battery technology withstands over 4000 charge cycles for exceptional longevity of up to 10 years, even with daily usage. Safety features include thermal management tech and UL certification.
Weighing just 23.8 pounds., the Jackery Explorer Portable Power Station 1000v2 supports UPS-level power delivery, seamless power switching, and super-fast recharging in one hour. Though pricier, unmatched runtimes coupled with advanced safety, performance, and lightweight portability make the Jackery Explorer Portable Power Station 1000v2 perfect for critical workloads.
Personalization & Motivation
Personalize your home office setup in ways that perk you up each morning and boost productivity throughout the workday without emptying your pockets.
Thrifted Art and Inspirational Décor
Forget boring blank walls; instead, decorate your workspace to reflect personality and inspire great work. Frame affordable poster art prints or pages from old books in thrifted frames for an instant gallery wall displaying favorite quotes, nature shots, or street signs. Arrange small succulents, knick-knacks, or ceramic dishes found at flea markets to brighten up shelves.
Use washi tape with fun patterns to define spaces, label storage bins, or get creative with unique wall designs. Incorporate colors and textures sparking joy while keeping sight lines free of clutter.
Plants on a Budget
Living greens boost creativity, lower anxiety, and enhance mood – perfect for stressful workdays! Save on planters by repurposing colorful bowls, mugs, or baskets lying around at home as quirky pots. Propagate cuttings from houseplants you already own or swap with friends rather than purchasing new ones. Fear killing plants easily?
Go for air plants, succulents, or snake plants thriving on neglect. Using pebbles, marbles, or shells as drainage material at the bottom eliminates the need for commercial plant soil, too.
Free Tools for Focus
Staying distraction-free for hours while working solo tests resilience. Block websites that waste time with free browser extensions. Online ambient noise sites generating backgrounds like rain provide just the right amount of white noise to blur external disruptions.
Toggle settings to adjust volume and sounds keeping them running all day. Enable Pomodoro timers splitting projects into timed intervals with enforced breaks. Stretching legs while chatting with family or listening to uplifting playlists refreshes mentally. The key is customizing the right mix of tools that motivate you to remain centered on WORK.
Conclusion
Upgrading your home office setup need not drain savings with the right mix of easy, affordable DIY hacks. Strategic tweaks to storage, lighting, layout, tech, and decor can transform any modest nook into a motivational workspace tailored to your needs. For uninterrupted power backing productivity, the Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station and Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station provide reliable emergency power plus outdoor recharging so you can work in peace from anywhere.
