Have you been thinking about building a hobby room, den, or “man cave” in your home — or upgrading one that you already have?

Everyone needs a space to relax from time to time, to work on different projects, hobbies and side hustles, and to get a break from the normal routine and hustle-and-bustle of everyday life.

Creating or upgrading a hobby room in your home may involve getting your Garage Doors replaced, having your basement or attic overhauled, or just deciding what props and items of furniture to invest in.

Either way, here are some tips for creating a hobby room that you actually love spending time in, instead of one that just takes up space.

Go for motivational posters and ornaments that put you in the right mindset

The kind of ornaments, props and decorations that you have in your hobby room — or in any room of your house, for that matter — can have a major impact in shaping your overall mood and mindset.

Over the course of everyday life, we all generally fall into certain thought patterns that are likely to not be great for our overall sense of well-being and purpose.

Having a place that actively boosts your motivation, your sense of enthusiasm, and your sense of positivity and optimism can be a game-changer with regards to how you experience life as a whole — and how likely you are to make real headway in pursuing your goals and dreams.

So, the gist of all of this is that you should decorate your hobby room with motivational posters, and with powerful ornaments and motifs that help to put you into an empowered state of mind.

Orient the space towards proactive activities, not just relaxing in front of the TV

Relaxing in front of the TV every so often can be great, but if you spend too much of your time doing that, you’re likely not going to feel too great about yourself — and you probably won’t be achieving all the kinds of things you want to achieve in life.

A lot of hobby rooms and “man caves” end up being little more than comfy chairs and widescreen TVs. Instead of building yours this way, focus on gearing the space primarily towards proactive activities, instead.

Opt for things like items of workout equipment, craft tables, a punching bag, and so on.

The TV can be there too — it just shouldn’t be the reason the room exists.

Keep the space tidy and organized

Any room in your house is likely to become pretty irritating and depressing if it ends up completely messy and disorganized — and since your hobby room is the kind of space you should be able to “recharge your batteries” and gain some extra energy and drive — it’s important to keep it tidy and organized.

Make sure there’s enough storage available in the room, and routinely clean the place up and pack things away.

That way, it’s more likely to stay the kind of place you actually enjoy being in.