Let’s be honest, we all have that one guest room in our home that we’ve converted into a “storage unit” over the years. You know, the one where you store toilet paper rolls, cleaning supplies, fold up tables/chairs and even Amazon cardboard boxes. Don’t you think it’s about time to put that room to good use, perhaps an in-house office? Did you know that having a dedicated home office space is becoming the new must-have room in most households? According to Global Workplace Analytics, there has been a 103% increase in people working from home since 2005 and that’s among the non-self-employed. So if you’re among the percentage of people who are working from home part-time or even full-time, you may want to know more about how to turn that guest room into a home office. Let’s get started!

1. This may seem like a no-brainer but the number one issue to deal with when working from home is distractions. Whether it’s the pets, the TV or even household chores – there’s probably going to be something occupying your mind besides work. To help with distractions, it’s best to set up your office away from any TVs. If possible, finish your household chores the day or night before. The key is to make it a habit and to treat your in-house office like you would at work. Strictly professional with the utmost discipline. With that said, it’s also important to keep the same routine you would do if you were going to work. To just name a few, I’m talking about getting up early in the morning and actually dressing up like you would if you were to go to work. In other words, that means you must resist the temptation of rolling out of bed and working in your PJs. It’s important to treat your in-house office with respect to work, otherwise, distractions and procrastination will follow.

2. Believe it or not, the key to staying alert and staying productive is good lighting. Whether you prefer natural lighting or artificial lighting, find out which works best for you. If you’re looking to set up your office near a window, chances are you’re looking to illuminate your room with natural lighting. If so, keep in mind that the sunlight’s point of entry through the window is largely dependent on the time of day. For instance, when it hits noontime, the sunlight may penetrate through your window and reflect off your laptop to create an unsightly glare. This may or may not be distracting. There’s also the off-chance the sun might decide to call in sick from work. If that’s the case, try a desk lamp that closely resembles sunlight. Now if you prefer a more controlled setting then artificial lighting would be the most ideal choice for you. However, you may see an ever-so-slightly increase in your electricity bill, to say the least. This controlled lighting option gives you the freedom to position your light source to even the color displayed. This may take some trial and error to determine which type of lighting works best for you. Needless to say that having the right type of lighting is going to be essential to staying alert and staying productive.

3. This may also seem like a no-brainer but trust me when I say this, this happens far too often than not – loss of internet connection. Nothing is more frustrating than encountering a bad internet connection in the middle of your work. It can either slap your motivation across the face or slam the brakes on your work momentum and spiral you down the road of frustration. Both of which will completely destroy your productivity in no time. So, if your work requires an internet connection, I think it would be best to invest in proper internet equipment. Cough up a few extra dollars and save yourself from a world of headaches.

If you’re looking for a storage facility to help make your in-house office dream come true, Ojai Self Storage has got you covered. Declutter and transform your guest room from a “storage unit” to an in-house office today! Here at Ojai Self Storage, we offer a wide range of unit selections to accommodate your every need. To learn more about our self-storage facility, please check out our website at https://ojaiselfstorage.com/.

Before we dive right in, it’s important to ask yourself how much stuff you need to store and how long you plan on living abroad. If hypothetically speaking, you plan to book the earliest flight to London with the intention of staying abroad for more than a year. I would highly recommend that you move out of your apartment or the place you’re currently staying at to avoid unnecessary monthly payments. Let’s be honest, we all love money (some more than others) so why not save a few hundred dollars from rent. Savvy? So let’s say you decided to take our recommendation. Yay money! Great! But then it hits you, where are you going to store all your belongings now that you don’t have a place to store them. Fortunately, that’s where a storage facility comes in! Storage facilities typically offer a wide range of storage sizes so you’ll have no problem storing all your belongings. Whether you only have a little bit of stuff or whether you have a closet full of stuff, a storage facility will accommodate your every need. A storage facility is a perfect solution for storing your belongings at an affordable price while keeping your stuff safely secured. Most storage facilities pride themselves on their security so you can bet that they’ll have state-of-the-art security features to help ensure you’ll have a peace of mind when traveling. But before you jump onto this idea, check out these 3 long-term storage tips first!

1. As obvious as this tip may be, you’d be surprised how often this tip gets overlooked. Properly storing and packing. Now, this goes without say. Please make sure that when you’re packaging your boxes or containers to be mindful of your items. Now, what do I mean by this? Don’t toss stuff or randomly stack your items in a box, especially if you’re planning to store your belongings for the long-term. Be mindful of stacking the harder and sturdier items on the bottom of the box and work your way from heavy to light. This is a great way to ensure that your boxes or containers won’t deform and collapse onto one another. You definitely wouldn’t want your heavier boxes smooshing your lighter boxes underneath now, would you?

2. Decide whether or not a climate controlled storage unit is beneficial for you. How would you determine this, you might ask? This is the part where you would sit down in front of your stuff and laser-beam focus on the items that could potentially be damaged if left alone. When I said potentially “damaged”, I’m talking about the items in your possession that are climate sensitive such as wood furniture, electronics, musical instruments and so forth. These climate controlled units, however, are a little more pricey and expensive than the standard storage unit. But the increased cost is well worth it in protecting your belongings in the long run. To a degree, this may even help provide a better peace of mind knowing that your items aren’t subjected to temperature changes.

3. To invest in storage insurance or to not invest in storage insurance? Hmm, that’s a good question to ask oneself, especially if you’re going abroad for a number of years. I strongly suggest looking into storage insurance for precautionary measures. It doesn’t really hurt to add another layer of security to further increase your peace of mind. And in the event of a natural disaster occurring within the facility, you can rest assured knowing that your items are insured. Like the old saying goes, “it’s better safe than sorry.”

If you’re looking for a storage facility to store your belongings before you embark on your journey abroad, Ojai Self Storage just might be the facility you’re looking for. Whether it’s a short-term or a long-term storage, Ojai Self Storage can help accommodate your storage needs. Here at Ojai Self Storage, we offer a wide variety of storage units at low competitive rates! To learn more about our storage facility, please check out our website at https://ojaiselfstorage.com/.