4 Tips for Turning That Spare Room into a Home Office

What do you do when you’ve been working for a number of years as a nurse and would like to further your studies? Perhaps you are looking to take that bachelors in nursing to the next level, however, you aren’t looking to give up working at a great job with a better-than-average benefits package. You can take a BSN to DNP online course while working, but where can you study? The common living areas are just too noisy and the bedroom is too relaxing to get much work in! Why not turn that spare room into a home office where you can set up to study online doctoral nursing programs? Here are four tips to get the ball rolling.

1. Choose a Room Away from the Hubbub

Although the spare room may be located adjacent to the living room, this may not be your best choice for a home office. You may need to consider moving one of the kids to that room in order to keep your work/study area as far from noisy family life as possible. Nothing is more distracting than loud music or kids fighting over who gets the TV next.

2. Keep Colors Neutral

When painting a room or redoing the flooring, the one thing you will want to be aware of is the effect colors have on the human brain. It is suggested that you keep work/study areas neutral so as not to be too calming or too exciting. White may be a bit bright but eggshell to tan to very light mauve work quite well.

3. Fit the Room for Internet

While you have Wi-Fi connectivity on your laptop, is your room too far from your router to get a strong enough signal consistently? If you find that this area of the house has dead spots, either use a range extender or have the room hard wired for Internet. When you study online doctoral nursing programs, you will need reliable connectivity at high speeds. This is a must!

4. When All Else Fails – Acoustic Tiles

Since studying for an advanced degree requires extreme focus, you will want to mute sounds coming from adjoining living spaces. Did you know that acoustic tiles or acoustic panels work both ways? If the ‘noisy rooms’ are too open or too big to tile walls and ceilings, you can always use these sound-muting panels in your home office. When remodeling a room to use as a study area now and perhaps a home office later when you get that DNP degree, keep in mind that noise can be your biggest enemy!

You are about to embark on a new journey in your career as a nurse. The field has been fulfilling but there is more you want to accomplish personally and for the patients you care for day after day. There is a real shortage of doctors and it is only going to worsen as time goes on. Get that degree in the comfort of your new, soundproof home office and be ready for the next chapter in your professional life.