Working from home is a blessing for many people in this day and age, especially if they have to balance work and family life. Still, regardless of the reason why one might prefer to work from home, it’s essential to have a proper work area that boosts productivity and performance. And with your own home office, you have the freedom to do whatever you really want in order to make this space as pleasant, motivational and comfortable as possible. That said, keep in mind the following.
Find the Right Spot
Obviously, the first step in developing the perfect home office has everything to do with its place. If you’re lucky enough to have a spare room, you can turn it into your home office in no time. You can also try out a makeover for your attic, basement or garage in case you really want a separate area and you don’t use your attic/basement/garage for anything in particular. But, more often than not, you’ll have to designate a specific corner in the existing room for your home office, which is usually your bedroom or living room. Take the time to analyse your space properly so that you can pinpoint the perfect spot for your work area.
Pick Proper Furniture
You might think that you don’t have a lot of freedom when it comes to office furniture. It’s true, you pretty much just need a desk and a chair. But, in order to create an environment that suits your work and temperament, you can pick the design of your desk and chair, especially if you want to try and match them to your living room or bedroom. Most importantly, you should go with ergonomic furniture. That said, the desk has to be of proper height while the chair needs to be comfortable, with good back support and preferably armrests. It would be ideal if you could try out these items before purchasing them, just to be 100% sure that they fit your height and posture comfortably.
Separate This Area
If you have to make do with the space you already have, as many people working from home do, it’s important that you separate your work area from the rest in one way or another. In the living room, you can use different wallpaper or wall colours around this area to signify the separation and maybe even use the colours for a productivity boost . If the space allows it, you can also move the sofa behind your back. On the other hand, if you need to put your home office in your bedroom, it’s essential that you don’t have a clear view of your bed as this is counterproductive and can make you sleepy. Using a room divider screen is most effective in this case.
Adequate Lighting Keeps Your Eyes Safe
Just like an effective fire duct system is essential for the safety of your home , the right kind of lighting is essential for the safety of your eyes, especially when you’re working from home. For starters, you should try your best to position your office area at the spot that gets plenty of natural light. After all, natural light boosts your health and well-being and generally improves your mood and productivity. But, it’s often inevitable to rely on artificial lighting as well. This is where you need to be very careful. Don’t use overly bright lights that are too white as this can cause headaches and eyestrain. Also, you can’t work in a poorly lit room. That said, it would be best to go with LED lights with a warmer, more yellowish glow.
Add a Personal Touch for Inspiration
No one enjoys the look of a sterile and completely impersonal office space. And since you can work from home, you can use whatever design and décor you want. But, keep in mind that too many trinkets, photographs and personal items can actually decrease your productivity, so don’t go overboard. As mentioned, you can use colours to personalize this space. Aside from that, an image or two of scenery that you particularly enjoy, interesting stationery, a nice plant and maybe even customized gadgets such as a keyboard, mouse and mouse pad can really make a difference.
Remote work can be as fulfilling and rewarding as regular office work, if not even more so, if you make it a point to develop a proper home office space for yourself. In the end, it’s all about the available space that you have and the way you can utilize this realistically. But, even if you don’t have a whole room at your disposal, you can still develop the perfect home office space that will keep you engaged, productive and motivated. When you mix functionality with your personality and creativity, the results are bound to be superb.
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