This day in age, more and more people are working from home. While it is convenient for most, it is important to make sure you separate the productivity of your home office from your home.

Creating a productive work space away from distractions will help you use your time constructively. Check out the tips for creating a productive work space:

• Separate your work space – create a home office space that has everything you need away from outside distractions or noise. If possible, make sure you can close your door and have everything you need right in your office.
• Clean out any extra clutter – how much of the contents in your home office space are you using continually? Determine what office supplies you need and give away any other supplies you don’t need.
• Organize your area – once you’ve cleaned out the clutter, it is time to make your home office productive. Look at various storage options, start a good filing system, only keep what you use every day on your desk.
• Ensure your technology is up to date – If you’re going to be working at home most of the time, you’ve got to make sure that technology is your best accomplice. Chances are that you are holding on to your old devices and gadgets because they still work and you don’t find it economical to pay for an upgrade. Well, think about how much time you’ve wasted instead, trying to troubleshoot and fix them, plus the opportunity cost you’ve lost.
• Make sure your home office space is well lit – set up your home office space in an area that gets a lot of light. Make sure the lighting is over your desk and not shining on your computer monitor.
• Invest in a nice chair – if you aren’t comfortable in your chair at your desk, it will be hard to concentrate on getting your work done. Productivity can be achieved when you’re organized and happy in your setting.

A house becomes a home when it is filled with friends, family and great memories. The Lawhead Team would like to share some tips to making your home a haven and a stress free area.

Create A Focal Point – When you or someone else first walks into your home, you should first notice something you love. It can be a piece of art, a vase of flowers or a special souvenir.

Organize Your Daily Mess – Don’t let things pile up at your entryway. Create a designated place for every item that enters your home such as mail, junk mail, your purse, shoes, etc. to make your home more stress free.

Create More Open Space – Clutter can make any space look smaller. Do you need all those end tables or picture frames? Painting a bookcase or table the same color as the wall it is against will make the room look bigger, more spacious and stress free.

Mood Lighting – Use dimmers and spot lighting to create a stress free mood. Having one main overhead light makes it difficult to wind down at the end of the day. A cute decorative lamp on an end table will help create a relaxed and cozy feel.

Stay Away From Loud Colors – When mixing patterns and colors, keep it simple. Too many bright colors or busy patterns in the room make it difficult to relax.

Add Houseplants – For a peaceful and stress free home bring in a couple of houseplants or hang a mirror across from your larges window to maximize outdoor vantage points. Photographs of landscape also work.

Bedroom Colors – Use soothing and stress free hues like blue and green in your bedroom. If you do not want to paint your walls, throw in a comforter or throw pillows with soothing colors in them.

Reduce The Use Of Electronics – Remove televisions and computers from your bedroom to rest easier. The light emitted by these devices signal the brain to stay awake, thus interfering with a good night’s sleep.

When moving into your home you have the opportunity to add new colors to your existing décor or start fresh.  A new home is a canvas for creativity and color but sometimes the choices can be overwhelming.  We’d like to share some decorating tips on adding color to your new home.

When decorating your new home, choose a favorite piece that will be the focal point for each room.  If you have a piece of artwork or rug, use that as your color pallet.  From there, you can buy accessories and accent pillows from the most prominent color in your piece of artwork.  You can also paint a wall the same color you have chosen for your prominent color which will coordinate beautifully with the focal point in that room.

Pick colors that complement each other for decorating your home.  For example yellow and violet are complementary colors that work well with gray neutrals.

Select neutral colors for the walls, as these are the backdrop to your house.  If your accent colors are warm like orange, yellow or red, using colors in the tan family will look best.  If your accent colors are cool, such as blue, violet and green, staying with colors in the gray pallet will look best.

Furniture such as a couch, coffee table and dinner table, are likely to stay in your house for several years.  With this in mind, choose furniture with a neutral color.  Plenty of color can be added with accent pillows and blankets.  If you are wishing to add a colorful piece of furniture, select a one of a kind side table or bookcase which will stand out and make a statement but won’t have to be the main focal point of your room.

Lampshades and framed fabric can help add color and interest to a normally dull room.  If you have a fabric pattern you love, you can find a simple frame to frame the fabric.  This is a great way to add color to a craft room or a kid’s loft.  If you have any decorating suggestions we’d love to hear them as well!