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Monday, November 01, 2010

$ense & $ensibility Monday: Working Work Zones

Happy November, lovelies! If we haven’t met, I’m Katharine and I’m here the first Monday of the month to share ideas about how to live like large on a budget. You can find more about me at my blog. And feel free to follow me on Twitter!

Last month we revisited DIY spa treatments and this month I want to share with you some cheap-yet-chic ideas for inspiring work zones.

Monticello's Library (Book Room)
Image Credit: Thomas Jefferson Foundation/Robert C. Lautman
Copyright © Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” -Thomas Jefferson

On a recent visit to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello,  I was once again (yes, I have been to Monticello multiple times as I am nothing if not a sucker for historic houses) inspired by all of TJ’s inventions and writings and how he set up his work areas.  It made me want to reinvent the work zones in my own home and get right to work!

Desk Foot Forward
You don’t need to spend crazy amounts of money on a desk.  A simple table works wonderfully.  You can even build your own if you’re so inclined.  Just make sure it’s a piece that will inspire you to work on it.  My own desk is made out of a piece of shelving with sparkly purple legs attached – hey, it works for me!

Visionary
Make sure you decorate your work are so that it is most inspiring for you.  For some people that might mean vision boards and note cards with ideas on them tacked to a corkboard.  For others it means bare but colorful walls and an assortment of writing implements.  Whatever you find aesthetically pleasing, incorporate that style into your work zone so that you can be productive and happy while working. 

A Place for Everything
I am one of those people who need to see what I have on hand. If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.  A cheap way I’ve found to keep my creative goodies easy to see is to reuse those clear plastic boxes that hold salad greens.  That way I can see all my supplies without having them tumbling all over the place.  I also really like keeping my files in magazine boxes on a bookshelf.  I don’t forget where they are and the colorful boxes add a pop of color to my work zone. 

How do you keep yourself inspired to do your best work?

Keep living big on that budget, my loves!
Katharine


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1 comment:

Tiffani said...

Great ideas! Now that I am working mostly from home I am on the constant search for different ways to organize and create.

My personal favorite touch is I had bought a piece of plexi glass (cheaper than real glass and lasts longer) for the top of my desk and I place photos, magazine clippings, etc. that inspire me.