4 Ways to Improve Your Home Office
Many of us have started working from home, and this is a very exciting thing! But if your office is not designed correctly, you might not be as productive and motivated as you might like to be. If the office is too casual or if it isn’t separated from the home environment, we can easily get distracted and it becomes hard to achieve peak productivity.
Before you get started, there are a few questions you must ask:
What will you be doing in the space? Will you be mainly on the computer?
What type of work needs to be done?
Will there be clients visiting?
Will you be having colleagues over to collaborate on any projects?
What time of the day will you be doing a bulk of your work?
Will you be making conference calls?
Will you be video conferencing?
Answering these questions will help drive the design of your office and help you prioritize what is necessary.
If you already have a home office or you are just getting started, here are 4 ways to improve it:
1. Ergonomics
The way you are positioned while you are working is one of the most important things about your home office. The image above shows how we should be seated to make sure our body is comfortable.
It's important to create a balance between sitting and standing. We shouldn't spend too much time sitting or too much time standing. The image above shows how we should be positioned while we stand to make sure we're not putting pressure on our eyes, our neck or any other part of our body.
2. Lighting and Color
Lighting is very important in an office. Make sure you are getting enough light to cut down on eye strain & headaches, but be aware of glares. The color of walls in a room can influence your mood and some even cause more stress and arguments in a relationship.
3. Layout & Function
The positioning of your desk in relation to all of the items you need is really important. All of the supplies you use on a daily basis should be reachable from where you are seated. You don't want to create any distractions, so the less you have to move around, the less distracted you get.
4. Stay Green
Plants are not only aesthetically pleasing, but they convert the gases we create throughout the day into the much more pleasant oxygen variety. They also add a pop of color to the office and keep us connected to nature. Here’s a great resource on how plants can improve mental health.
Make the space your own. Ensure that the space reflects your personality and that you enjoy being there. Ensure that your office reflects you and that it contains a favorite object or photo that will give you the break you need when you pause in your work. It is these small touches that help you make the space your own.