There’s a sense of freedom and relaxation that comes with working inside your house to work in a comfortable environment. However, it’s better to have a designated office space to help separate personal and work life. It also makes it easier to stay focused and productive during work hours.
While having a dedicated home office space is ideal, you can also turn a specific area of your house into your office. Here we put together a few tips to help you create an inspiring and functional workspace, regardless of the space you’ve got to work with.
Image credit: Bruce Hemming.
Separate the space
Finding a suitable space to work at home is key to being productive. You’ll want to consider an area where you’ll avoid interruptions, so make sure that your home office space is distinctly separate from your day-to-day space. This way, you encourage your brain to transfer from “home” mode to “work” mode because this separation will help you stay organized.
Keep in mind that having a separate office space doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be in a designated room - try to identify an area where you'll be able to focus. This doesn't need to be a huge space, but comfortable enough for you to work in. You can consider a separate room or a quiet corner at your house, as long as you declare that area as your office indoors and stick with it.
Image source: Painters and Decorators Guildford.
Practical and functional
You know yourself better than anyone, so think about what sorts of things distract you from your work and keep them out of your workspace. The whole point of creating an office is that it's a suitable space to work in – so practicality and functionality are important factors to consider. Think about how you intend to do your filing and how you'd like to organize yourself.
Increasing productivity in your home office starts with ensuring you have the right tools. It can be incredibly uncomfortable spending most of the day at your desk, especially if your chair is stiff or your desk is too high or too low.
An essential element for anyone working and sitting at a desk, even for a short period, is a comfortable office chair. You may consider finding something that is ergonomically designed and suits the look of your space.
As for the best desk for your home office, the process of choosing the right one will involve considering the space you have available in the office designated area and how much space you need for your work tools.
Also, you must ensure your desk is at a height where your feet are flat on the floor, your shoulders are relaxed, and your eyes are level with the top of your computer screen. Your neck and back will thank you.
Image credit: Cult Furniture.
Light, light and more light
Good lighting is critical for any home office space. Not only does it improve productivity, but it also ensures you can see what you’re working on without needing to strain your eyes.
To benefit from daylight, it’s a great idea to position your desk close to windows. However, you must be careful with natural light to avoid glare on your working screen.
If you have minimal natural light or none, enhance the area with a desk lamp, floor lamp and overhead ceiling light. Incorporating multiple light fixtures is a great way to disperse light throughout your home office space. Clever lighting is crucial to creating the right home office ambience!
Go green
Studies suggest that we can make our workspaces happier and healthier through the power of nature - a Norwegian study found that desk plants and flowers improve attention rates and help keep people focused on their work.
Viewing countryside scenes can reduce stress, anger and exhaustion while increasing happiness levels. Plants have a calming effect, so you should consider adding indoor plants to your office space. These will keep you focused while providing health benefits as natural air purifiers.
Image credit: John Lewis.
Keep it clutter-free
With no co-workers around, it can be easy for your used coffee mugs to pile up on your desk or let your documents spread out among your work area. A messy home office can backfire on you – it becomes distracting and reduces your productivity.
Be sure to include some storage, such as shelving or stylish functional accessories to keep the stuff that you don’t always need out of your desk.
When you are planning your office area, it can be a good idea to include and display items that are not work-related – try some shelves for cherished and inspiring books or special pieces of decoration. This way, you will be creating a space you want to be in, rather than one you feel obligated to be in.
Image source: Unsplash.
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