9 Ways to Create a Productive Home Office (Infographic) Without a dedicated workspace specifically geared toward work, it's too easy to slack off.

By Kim Lachance Shandrow

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Working from home is great...when you actually work. Often it's tempting not to, like when Mount Laundry threatens to swallow your couch whole or this or that delicious distraction calls to you from the fridge. And that poor pup, pouting in the corner. Doesn't he need to be walked? And, hey, who's on Ellen today?

Telecommuters, yeah, you with the bed-head, you know what we mean. Look around. Productivity-crushing diversions lurk everywhere. That's because you're blending worlds. Your home is your workplace, which is why it's incredibly important that you make it look and feel that way, at least in one designated spot.

Related: How the Color of Your Office Impacts Productivity (Infographic)

If you haven't already, pick an area and call it your home office, even if (like yours truly) it's the sticky end of your kitchen table. Then design that space for optimal hustle and minimal distraction. In just a few quick steps, you'll be on your way to a creative, productive home office that you won't be tempted to slack off in, well, uh, not that you would anyway.

To get you started, care of designer furniture firm Made.com, here are nine simple ways to create a productive home office, from embracing just enough clutter (seriously) to leveraging a dash of color psychology.

Click to Enlarge+
productive home office (Infographic)

Related: 6 Best Practices for Working From Home

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

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