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Your home office shouldn't be your bed, but it should be just as comfortable. Because you're spending a lot of time there, yes – but also because you deserve it. You deserve a space where you can make things happen – not where you're wondering if you'll ever get a moment of privacy. I'm not suggesting you need to wear a tuxedo or evening gown to your next team meeting. But working from home is about balance. Comfort and professionalism can coexist, in much the same way that a home can be a very effective office. Want to get the balance right?

Then ask yourself this question: Does your home office inspire you?

Looking in the direction of success means shaping your environment toward your goals. When considering your home office, your surroundings are an extension of your work, your life, and your career. And you've got to have a space that serves you.

At least, that's what I learned from Shakespeare's sister. Do you remember her? Her name was Judith.

She had the same aspirations and sense of adventure as her brother, William. She had similar gifts – in fact, she had as much or even more talent than her sibling. But he rose to fame while she vanished into obscurity, trapped by expectations instead of expanding into her true potential. Are you familiar with the story?

Of course, Judith was a fictitious creation of Virginia Woolf, invented in 1929 in her most famous essay, A Room of One's Own. Without a room of her own, Judith's life remained in the shadows, unable to fulfill her destiny.

Hopefully you're not afraid of Virginia Woolf?

While Judith was a fictional character, Woolf's point remains a hard reality: a room (or even just an area!) of one's own is critical to success. If your space is not inspiring – a separate place where you can do what needs to be done – how are you going to be successful in working from home? Beyond the tactical decisions about which laptop you need or what camera to buy, let's go upstream for a second. Let's look at the strategic decisions that go into a room (or space) of one's own.

Your home office needs to be a distinct, dedicated area. If you're trying to manage your career from your bed or your couch, you're not thinking about this the right way. Double duty is deadly; a dedicated space – even if it's a small one – is crucial.

Boundaries are the key to your success. As Robert Frost said, “good fences make good neighbors.” And fencing off an area for you to work – exclusively for work – is just good business. And trying to pull double duty in a space, or cut corners, can be disastrous – and painful.

Work is a guest in your home. It only shows up where it's invited. You control the invitation. If you don't want work creeping into your family time or your fun time, don't let it. A separate space (even a section of your space) is the first step. But don't stop there.

“Here's where it all started,” Kendra tells me, pointing behind her. She's a thirty‐something product manager living in a studio apartment in Manhattan. She leans forward and twists, so I can see the area in question: it's just above her left hip. Turns out, millennial back pain is actually a thing. Especially if you're confined to a cheap chair. “Not a good idea,” Kendra explains, elaborating on how she started working from home: sitting in a dining room chair for 9 to 12 hours a day. She saw the error of her ways. Kendra ends our call by pointing to the newest addition to her small space: a highboy leather office chair that looks like a pillow on wheels. “Now I'm all set,” she says, leaving her back pain behind her.