Freelancers have the most freedom when it comes to deciding what their work environment should be. No one is going to come by and tell them to take down whatever pictures they want to put up. It is their home after all.

One of the disadvantages of this, though, is that the freelancer has to procure all of their own office supplies. There is not a cupboard at the end of the hall that has everything that you could ever need. If you want it, you have to get it yourself. You also have to figure out how to decorate.

If you’re just starting out at working from home, or you just need some tips on how to make things run smoother, here’s how to set up a home office that will fit your needs perfectly. Plus, I’m serving up tons of photos of home offices for inspiration. If you need more ideas, check out this Pinterest board.

Make your work area separate

Working as a freelance writer can be psychologically odd. When you have a nine to five job, you get up in the morning, get washed and dressed and commute to work. When you arrive at the office, you are subconsciously aware that you should now be working. Your brain will start perceiving things differently, concentrating and responding in different ways. If you're good at your job, this change will be advantageous and will allow you to prosper.

With freelancers, they get up, get washed and dressed (don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!) and then go into the room where they work. They are still at home, the place where they relax, so getting into the mindset for work is sometimes more of a conscious process. This can be difficult sometimes. One way of dealing is separating your home into zones where you work and zones where you relax.

This means you need a dedicated area just for your home office. Ideally, this would be a room, but you can get away with setting up an office in a corner of your living room. I had a home office in my dining room for years. Just be sure that you don’t use the kitchen table as your desk. That’s a prescription for disaster. Eventually someone will spill something on important papers or your laptop.

Adjustable Desk

My first recommendation on what to buy for your office is an adjustable desk. With an adjustable desk, you will be able to raise and lower the height of your workspace and you can decide whether you work standing up or sitting down in your chair.

Research has shown that sitting down for long periods can actually be bad for you, according to the Mayo Clinic. So, by standing up every so often and still being able to type can make your day a lot better for your health.

I have a full standing desk, like this Halter model, but there are units you can buy that fits on top of a normal desk and will just raise your laptop or keyboard. These are less expensive than buying a whole standing desk and is a great way to upgrade an old desk you found at a thrift store. For example, the SHW Height Adjustable Sit to Standing Desk Converter Riser Workstation is under $90 and the Wallniture Updesk Wood Height Adjustable Monitor Stand Riser is under $40.

Heighten Your Comfort

Bending your neck to look at a screen can give you neck pain or really hurt your back. The solution is to boost your screen so that it is right in front of your face.

Here’s an example of a homemade screen booster made from scrap wood.

The problem with this type of booster is that it makes the keyboard high, too, which can be misery on your wrists. The photo below is a better option. It puts the laptop keyboard at an angle so your wrists don’t hurt. I personally use this type of setup. You can get an inexpensive AmazonBasics stand to get started and then move on to something fancier later.

For a regular monitor, you can set it on a stack of books until it reaches the right height or buy something a little more snazzy, like this monitor stand with storage.

While you’re at it, be sure to get a mousepad with wrist support (I personally love rose gold, so the one below is my choice) to prevent strain that can lead to carpal tunnel and cushion to pad the edge of your keyboard so your hands stay in an ergonomic position.

Proper Filing

Next, we need to think about a great filing system for your home office. My favorite way to file items is digitally. You can scan documents or receipts, or take photos of them using your cell phone and keep the images in files on your computer. (This is only a good idea for paperwork where you won't need to keep the originals, btw.) There are some scanners out there that will scan and digitally file your paperwork automatically, like the Neat Company NeatConnect Scanner.

You might still have a lot of hard copies of important documents and data. Not everything has to be digital, and sometimes it’s useful to have a hard copy of a file that you can layout across the desk.

However, if you’re going to do this, you need to make sure that you can easily find and access files. This means you need a great storage system in place. I personally have cute little wooden filing cabinets, but I’ve also been known to stash hard copies in three-ring binders with clear pockets.

Also invest in a shredder to “file” documents you don’t need anymore safely. It doesn’t need to be an expensive one, either. The AmazonBasics 6-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder is just $35.

Office Chair

It’s easy to just pick an old chair for your office. Hey, it's cheap, right? There are several reasons why you should spring for a new chair, though.

For one thing, it may not be giving your back the support it needs for hours of sitting. Therefore, your back could end up in jeopardy if it’s not getting the cushioning it needs.

And not only is an old chair not good for your back, but it’s not good for the floor either. Old wheels or worn furniture pads on the legs could mark your office floor.

I personally have a Serta Executive office chair because it is fully adjustable and it was a great investment. I also keep a yoga ball chair in my office. Sometimes it's good to switch things up.

Hard Drive

There is nothing more frustrating than working all day only to have it all wiped out. That’s why it’s always a good idea to back everything up on an external hard drive. When I started out, these were huge, but now you can get tiny ones that can fit in your bag. I use the My Passport Ultra, but there are a lot of great ones out there on the market. I also back up my work into the cloud with Google Drive, which costs around $11 a month.

Add Some Light to the Room

A lot of people choose a particular room because it has the most privacy. After all, you need minimum noise to get on with your work. But you need to think carefully before choosing the room.

For one thing, you need to think about lighting. Low light can tire your eyes and force them to work harder if you are writing on the computer. Lack of natural light can also lead to depression, sleep problems and other crap you just don't need to deal with on top of running your own business.

I myself chose my home's sunroom as my office when I moved in (I’ve moved to a larger room since then). Half of the room is covered in windows and I have a nice view of my garden and pecan trees. Even if you don't have a sunroom, at least put your desk facing a window. Trust me, it will do wonders for your outlook on life after being cooped up inside all the time. (Plus, facing a window will prevent glare on your computer screen.)

Choose a room which enjoys a lot of light during the day. Then add some blinds so you can adjust the light accordingly. If you don’t have a room with a bunch of windows, add some extra lighting. Make sure it’s soft lighting overheard with bulbs that mimic natural sunlight, then add a lamp for task lighting on your desk. Some twinkle lights are nice, too.

Give the Desk Some Life

There’s nothing worse than sitting down at a boring desk. You need to give the desk a personal touch to boost your home office. You can do this by adding a beautiful vase of flowers or even a photo of your loved ones. I have like five plants on mine, some books, pretty rocks and crystals and a golden Buddha coin bank.

You might even want to give the desk some life by getting creative. For example, you could paint it a fun color which will make it stand out in the room. Or you could even skip the paint and decorate your desk by covering the whole thing in wrapping paper. That’s what I do to mine (see below). It will look fantastic and will give you a smile when you start your work.

Paint the Walls a Great Color

You should also color the whole room so it becomes somewhere you love to work. Choose a great paint color that will give the room a lift. It might be that you go for something bright like orange or yellow to lift your spirits. Calming green and blue have been found to improve efficiency and focus so you will have an office which will ensure you have a productive work day.

My office is purple has been purple and now it is pink. Both are colors that help with creativity.

And remember the walls in your office don’t have to be plain. Go for inspiring wall quotes and artwork which will give you a boost!

Why not print motivational work posters around your room to remind you of why you do this? This doesn’t need to be the infamous "office motivational posters" that were popular in the early 90’s. A picture of your family or intended long-term purchase can both be applicable here. Seeing what you're working for every day can keep you going.