How One Minimalist-Leaning Entrepreneur Keeps Her WFH Space Functional & Focused

mbg's new series Work in Progress, a spinoff of our popular Holistic Home Tours, zooms in on where and how we work. Join us as we swing by desks, kitchens, studios, and every workspace in between to explore what wellness leaders surround themselves with to feel productive, fulfilled, and successful in their respective fields. Today, Jules Acree of Om & The City is showing us around her home office in Austin, Texas.

My answer to this used to be, "It looks different every day." But since I've been running my biz full time for three years, I've become so much more intentional and efficient with my time. I strongly believe in task-batching and themed workdays: Mondays and Wednesdays are usually my "creative days," spent writing, shooting, editing, and overall creating. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I focus more on emails, admin, and taking meetings. I always make sure to start my day off with my morning routine, which involves getting some movement in and drinking my morning matcha. I also take afternoon breaks outside if the weather is nice, and I'll walk my dog around the lake for an hour to refresh my brain.

Since I work from home, I designed my office to be an environment where I could harness my focus, collaborate with my team, stay organized, and tap into my creativity—with only the necessities in the room.

I opted for a longer desk to give me more space to spread out, but I'm really intentional about keeping it clean and clutter-free. The only things you'll find on my desk are my laptop that's plugged into a monitor, my webcam for video and conference calling, and my Sonos speaker. The minimal desk area helps me stay focused and reduce any feelings of overwhelm and anxiety that might come up during my workday.

I decided to add a lamp to my office, using the Brilli Charge Up Light Bulb, because it helps me power through my workday, especially on cloudy days. I have big windows with a lot of natural light, but when it's dark and gloomy, my Brilli light mimics the same wavelengths found in crisp daytime sunlight! Having good, healthy lighting in my office gives me a natural energy boost to finish off my day strong.

I set up a super-comfy couch where my assistant and other members of my team can come work. I wanted my office to feel like a place where we can congregate to brainstorm or take a break to chat or read a book. I'm all about multifunctional items, so I've repurposed furniture that was on our deck to make it work in the room, and I bought a side table that is actually the perfect height to double as a laptop stand.

The whole room is decorated with storage and organization in mind, which is clutch for me in creating a more open and minimal space. I ended up getting a simple dresser from IKEA to store my tech and photography equipment and annoying cords, and then added custom handles to give it a more unique and elevated feel.

I like to approach productivity simply as a way of making the most of your efforts. I believe in simplifying life, maximizing time, and taking the most direct route, so you can spend less time working to live and more time just simply LIVING. 

Committing to a strong morning routine has been life-changing for me, and by designing my mornings to promote a more positive, calm, and joyful mindset, I'm a more productive person. Drinking my superfood matcha latte is honestly one of the best parts of my morning! It brings me joy; it helps me focus, calms my nerves, and nourishes me.

I can't concentrate with chaos and mess surrounding me, so I also make sure I reset my space before I dive into my workday. Then, I avoid multitasking and give each task, each person, each idea my full attention.