Creating a successful work-from-home and learn-from-home experience depends on the space available. For many of us, home feels a little small if more people in the family are at home for school and work. During a time of social distancing, there has never been a better time for taking stock of what is in your home and making space to create a dual office that works for both work and school.

Have a cup of milk and a slice of banana bread while you read.

Homeschooled students can provide solutions, making more space and realizing what they can live without. You don’t have to become extremely minimalist in order to make a major change to your living space. Here are some ways to get started.

Make Good Use of Built-Ins and Wall Space

If your home already has built in shelves or a space under the stairs, or you add some, these additions can help you make the most of small spaces. Home remodeling is very popular this year, as you might expect, according to the Homelight Q3 Survey of Real Estate Agents.

Consider nooks in a larger kitchen, the area under the stairs, or any unusual shapes in rooms around the house as potential places for a new desk that your kid or teen could call their own.

When teens and kids need a whiteboard for working problems, make space on the walls in order to save the space and clutter that easels would otherwise need. Even small spaces work you’re willing to do a little redecorating.

Get Kids and Teens Involved

Once you’ve made use of the space you have, it’s time to see what furniture, clothing, or items that your family could stand to donate or throw away. Rather than handing down a plan from above, get teens and kids to walk through the house with you, evaluating what isn’t being used and what would be helpful to someone else. Is there an area that always gets cluttered that needs a new organization system? Let them help design it.

Consolidate Items You Cannot Donate or Throw Away

Many of us are sentimentally or practically tied to our possessions, so don’t assume you can only declutter if you are ready to get rid of the things you own. It’s possible to take advantage of storage space through, for instance, better stackable boxes that allow the entirety of a closet or nook to be filled with items. By moving items you need to keep and organizing them to take up the least possible space, you give yourself a better chance at an excellent dual office.

Let Kids and Teens Have A Say

Let your kids or teens help design the dual office. Whether your budget is for one or two new office supplies or is big enough for a new desk or chair, you can let them do some of the fun shopping after the tough choices of cleaning and organizing the house with you. As a result, you both like the dual office much more as well, and look forward to the time you spend there.