Working from home without a home office can be quite challenging when it comes to being productive. Distractions like family members, pets, the television, and being in an overly relaxed environment can impede your work ethic and can lead to unproductivity. So, if you’re regularly working from home, but you need a place to focus, here are 5 helpful tips to help you set up you home office.
Essentials
There a few initial essentials you may need to take into consideration when creating your home office including space, organization, and lighting. All of these things can greatly impact your work ethic, but most importantly, getting these things right can improve your level of productivity.
- Space
First and foremost, the space where your office is going to be is the most important. If you have any unused rooms in your house, this is always a benefit. But if you don’t have a spare room in your house, then you could always reinvent an old shed, or the unused summer house!
Whether it’s inside or outside, the space also needs to be separate from the in-house goings-on. A simple way to do this is by placing all items to do with work in your home office and keeping your work clutter out of the house. This separation should create a healthy balance between home and work life, and lead to improved productivity.
- Organization
Organizing work time is important as it helpsyou distinguish between home and work life, so it doesn’t make you feel like all you do at home is work. To do this, you could begin by implementing designated hours for work and letting the people you’re living with know when you are working and when not to be disturbed.
A clear space equals a clear mind, which is why maintaining a clean and organised work environment is essential. The most important area to keep tidy is the desk where you’ll likely be spending most of your time. Avoid having all your paperwork sprawled in disorganised piles. Instead, you could create designated “working zones” including a main workspace (your desk), a reference area (filing cabinets, trays, shelves), and a supply area (drawers, cupboards).
- Lighting
Good lighting is also an important aspect of creating a home office. Natural lighting is always best, so if you do enjoy the idea of an office summer house or shed, then this would be perfect! But if no daylight is available due to time of day or lack of windows, then it may be better to get a light-fixtures that replicate natural daylight (white or light yellow-cast illumination).
If lighting levels are too low and you’re staring at a brightly lit computer screen, this can cause eye-strain and headaches. Dim lighting can also affect your mood in a negative way which is why it’s best to have a good balance of light when working.
Decoration
If an office is too homely, casual, or isn’t separated enough from the home itself, it can affect concentration and productivity. With this said, it’s also important to avoid making the office too bare or bland, as this will also impede on your work ethic. A simple yet effective solution for this is to decorate the space with homely comforts, but not something too homely like a television!
- Plants
Using plants as a decorative item not only spruces up the room, but can also greatly affect the working environment in a positive and productive way. In fact, having plants in the office is believed to reduce stress, anxiety, and tension by 37 per cent and can increase productivity and concentration by 15 per cent.
Pot plants and flowers can also brighten up the room, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. But if you’re not too great at taking care of plants, like forgetting to water them, for example, then artificial plants are also a great option. Many of these are of a high-quality, last all year round and their permanent vibrant colours can bring any bare room to life.
- Colour
Choosing which colour you wish to decorate your office with can also affect your state of mind when working as colours are thought to evoke emotions and thoughts.
For instance, the colour red is thought to provoke strong feeling like excitement which is why this colour can be used as an accent rather than to cover a whole room. It may be wise to avoid the use of “cool colours” such as blue and green which are thought to evoke emotions of peace and relaxation, leaving the occupant feeling sleepy or even lethargic.
Purple is a rich colour that has been proved to stimulate imagination whereas the colour yellow is believed to make people feel happy and evokes optimism. Either of these colours are great for decorating your home office with.
