Office Progress and How to Stay Motivated when Unpacking

When we moved into our house, right away, I started working to make this house a home. I’ll be honest, I’ve probably worked TOO hard on unpacking, but I was just so excited to see my vision become a reality! I’ve waited so long to own this place!

As I’ve shared the progress, I started to get questions about how I was able to stay motivated while unpacking. I thought I’d pass on what I’ve learned as well as share some photos of my office.

One of the reasons I was so excited for this house is that there is enough space for a dedicated office! Something I’ve only dreamed of having before! I created a mood board and started to brainstorm ways to make it extra special.

office moodboard

sofa / inspiration photo 1 / inspiration photo 2 / desk / chair / globe

I moved over a bunch of furniture from our Florida home and was so excited to set them up in the office. The only problem, the office was FULL of boxes!

Scary- right?! But I started working through them and now the room is looking much better. Before I show the after photos, here are some unpacking tips if you’ve just moved (or still have packed boxes from a move)

how to stay motivated when unpacking

Its all about mindset. Just know when you get through one box, you never have to unpack that box again. For me, knowing that it was a temporary challenge made it easier to conquer.
After you’re done unpacking one box, immediately break down the box. For me, being able to physically see that the room was emptying felt like progress and was motivating.
Set a timer. If I had a particularly difficult box to get through, I’d set a timer for 15 minutes and work as hard as I could until the timer rang. Then I’d take a break (even a quick water break in the July heat was nice!). Then I’d do it again and see how much I could unbox during the next timer.
Find a way to be held accountable. Personally, if I have someone that’s watching my progress (like on my blog and Instagram) I feel like I have someone to answer to and that pushes me to work harder. Even if you don’t have a blog, you could send your mom or bestie photos to celebrate how far you’ve came!
Set a goal. At the beginning of each day, my husband and I would set a goal of what we’d like to accomplish that day (we each set our own goal). That way we both felt like we had something to work towards and could identify what would feel like success at the end of the day. This worked really well and then we knew what the other was working towards as well.

office progress

After working on the room, I thought I’d show where we are at now. The first thing I was able to decorate in the room in my shelves. All of the decorations was in one box and it was sure fun to put together!

tutorial for bookshelf- its an Ikea hack for $100!

My favorite piece of furniture from my last house was my pink sofa. I couldn’t bare to part with it, so we moved it all of the way from Florida. I’ve got to tell you, the day I was able to get this corner set-up was a good one!

I know that a sofa isn’t the most normal home office furnishing, but this is a big space and its nice having a variety of places to work on my laptop.

sofa / rocking chair / rug / ottoman / peony art /

I also set up a little wall with new art on it. It was fun to use one of my favorite pieces (the floral cabinet) and see it in this home!

floral cabinet / wake up and be awesome / dinosaur (no longer available) / suzani (no longer available)

Next to the desk is Don’s dresser that needs to be brought upstairs (when someone strong comes to visit and can help carry it- lol). My desk area isn’t exactly how I want it, but it’ll get there. One thing about moving is that you really have to be ok with living with your home as a work in progress.

I did put up a shower curtain to block the view of the garage. I have new drapes on the way, but until then, this’ll work!

desk / chair

And then there’s the scary area! The closet doesn’t have any doors (yet!) and holds photography stuff, my husband’s clothes (since his bathroom is connected to my office), the lights that need to be hung for the whole house, and art that needs to be hung. As the house keeps getting set-up, this area will get smaller. For now, this feels like progress and ok.

what else does the office need?

There’s still a bunch that needs to be done for the office! Here’s what I’m thinking-

paint the door to the bathroom
paint the walls (the grey is painted on really sloppy- I’m playing along with the idea of using stripes)
move the dresser upstairs
move the kitchen table to the office when the new table arrives
build the pink chairs
sell the black chairs
hang drapes- those should arrive any day!
get closet doors
install new ceiling fan

There are my ideas, but I’d love to hear what your’s are! Feel free to let me know if the comments. I really want this space to feel like mine and be a productive space to work in!