This pandemic in 2020 has caused most of us to turn our homes into our offices which can be difficult sometimes. The best part of working in an office is that you come home and it is a stress-free zone where you relax and leave your long day behind. How do you do that when your workspace is now in the middle of your house?
Choose the correct space in your house
The first thing you need to do is find the right place for your new workspace. That does not necessarily need to be a whole room because not everyone has the luxury of space within the household, this just means a dedicated space somewhere in the house that will be solely your workspace. Whether you choose for that to be your kitchen table or to purchase a small corner desk, that is just a matter of personal preference. If feasible, it is highly recommended to choose to work in a separate room to the main section of the house, especially if you have a family to avoid any distractions. You still need to be as professional as you would be in your office so at times of conference calls, you want to make sure there is as little background noise as possible.
Lighting and atmosphere
When choosing your workspace location, choose somewhere with a lot of natural light. This will help you stay awake and will increase productivity levels. You want to give the space a positive atmosphere being as attractive as possible to boost your will to work and encourage productivity. The perfect light can also be complimented with some plants and greenery. Plants are known to better someone’s mood, give them a feel of the outdoors and in general keep stress levels at a low.
Your furniture
Depending on the scope of your role, you may also want to invest in a second screen especially if your laptop screen is small. This will help keep your eyes from tiring out too soon and is also more comfortable to work on as a whole. This will go on your desk a long with a few bits of stationary but not too much. You don’t want your desk to be too cluttered otherwise you will spend more time cleaning it up than actually working on it.
Organization apparel such as a desk calendar, your diary and perhaps a notepad are always a good fit for your workspace. This way you will be able to put together your to-do lists, take your notes and be organized as if you were in your office. You can add a small plant too just to give it a more “comfortable” feel and it will make it look a little more attractive to you.
In most cases, people will disregard one thing when it comes to setting up the workspace and this is the importance of a comfortable office chair. If you know for sure that you will be working from home for at least the six months to a year, the purchase of a quality office chair is unavoidable. The strain on one’s neck and shoulder from being sat on a laptop or computer all day is enough as it is, why not take a step towards improving or completely avoiding that pain? There are some inexpensive options that you can go for that will last you enough to get your through the work-from home period. If you know for sure that you will be working from home for good, then definitely invest in a better-quality chair.
Breaks
Make sure to take breaks! Breaks are not only for your office, but they are also vital for your home office. Take breaks every few hours to make a fresh cup of coffee, go outside and get some fresh air or even to do a 10-minute yoga stretch – this is entirely up to you, just make sure you do it. By taken breaks, you give your eyes and your mind a chance to relax and then get back to work fresher rather than being sat at your computer for 8 hours straight. You will feel exhausted by the end of it and more likely than not, be productive for only 4 or 5 of those hours in total.
Finally, the one aspect of working from home, all need extra effort with is separating work from personal life. When you have your work at home, literally your whole office there, it may not come easily for all to separate the two from each other. But everyone needs a break and their time to relax and re-energize for the next day and setting a timetable for yourself can help you do so. Make sure that you have a cut-off time everyday where all work-related talk, projects and meetings are done and everything is switched off.