Years ago, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition stole the hearts of TV viewers across the nation. Whose story would they tell next week? Which deserving family would have the honor of yelling “move that bus” to reveal their beautifully renovated home? And most importantly, what amazing side by side transformations would we witness on our TV screens?

If you are an avid HGTV fan like myself, you have likely heard that after an eight year break, we are in for even more incredible home transformations from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. All of the hype surrounding the return of this beloved show, has left me wondering why we don’t extend the same care and excitement to making our workspace Pinterest-perfect? After all, a majority of us spend most of our waking hours at work… Why not make it a comfortable, visually appealing, functional and organized space?

If looking at your workspace reminds you of a “before” picture on a home makeover show, it is time to take action. In fact, you can follow the same format of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for your very own Extreme Makeover: Workspace Edition.

Storyline:

You can’t have a makeover without a storyline- at least according to every home makeover show that I have watched (and I have watched A LOT). What is your story? Think about who you are as a professional and what you want your workspace to reflect. Have you recently earned a promotion and want your work area to reflect your newly aquired status? Or maybe you need your workspace to be warm and welcoming to those who collaborate with you.

Demolition:

I wouldn’t recommend donning a hardhat or bringing a sledgehammer into the office, but you should start demolition early in the makeover process. After you determine how your background and current position will influence the overall look of your new workspace, it’s time to clear your desk and surrounding area. Starting with a blank slate will help you to visualize the improvements that you are planning on making.   

Planning:

Arguably, the best part of the entire makeover process is in the planning. Research what is popular in office décor and spend some time on Pinterest deciding on color schemes and what vibe you want your workspace to give off. Again, this will be greatly influenced by your role within your company; however, you likely have a lot of freedom in how your workspace looks.

Consider these two important questions as you are planning:

  1. How do I want to be perceived by others who enter my workspace?
  2. How do I want to feel in my workspace?

Execution:

Once you have created a blank slate to work with, determined what you want in your workspace, and researched what you need to purchase, bring from home, or repurpose, you can start putting your workspace back together. Like staging a home, make sure that you include plants, art and furniture that reflects who you are as a professional. If you are lucky, you may even have the option to play around with the space that you have available by moving your desk for a change of scenery.

Reveal:

While you can’t (well, shouldn’t) yell “move that bus” with friends and family at the end of your workspace makeover, what you will be able to do is to stand back and take pride in the area that you have created for yourself.

As labor intensive as a workspace makeover may seem, these steps can be carried out in just a few days. Don’t forget to snap some before and after pics to remind yourself of those changes that you made. I mean, who doesn’t love a good side by side before and after pic?