With more people than ever currently working from home, many people are starting to suffer from the endless distractions and discomfort that result from lacking a proper workspace. Whether it’s your kids demanding your attention or a dim workspace draining your energy, everyone can benefit from a productive home workspace. Here are a few tips for setting it up:
Make Your Own No-Distraction Zone
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you can’t separate work from play. Picking a specific area dedicated to your work can help you turn on work mode and reduce the temptation to check your phone or procrastinate. If you have a spare room that can be converted into a home office, this can provide an excellent barrier to the outside world. If you don’t have that much space available, you can create your own work zone within a larger space using a divider or curtain.
Choose The Perfect Chair
One of the hardest things about working from home is finding a chair that’s comfortable enough to sit on but sturdy enough that you aren’t at risk of falling asleep. As comfortable as the couch may be, a professional office chair will provide you with better back support and allow you to work at the proper height. A chair with an adjustable height will be more likely to be a proper fit, as it can be difficult to find a chair that fits perfectly unless you try it out in person.
Focus On The Lighting
A major aspect of the home office that most people underestimate is the lighting. If you’re in a dimly lit portion of your home, you may find your eyes tiring and reading difficult. Natural light is definitely an excellent option, so long as you use adjustable shades or curtains to prevent glare. You’ll also want to ensure that your computer monitor is set to a sufficient level of brightness, as this can also strain your eyes.
Get The Right Equipment
The biggest bonus of working in an office is having access to the proper equipment to do your job. When working from home, you’ll want to invest in the proper equipment to help your work flow. A high quality printer can greatly benefit your work from home, as the ability to print quality documents in a timely manner can expedite the work process. Color inkjet printers can help you print almost anything you need from photos to documents, while laser printers will be a bit cheaper and are better for printing mass documents in black and white. A multifunction printer will let you print, fax, and scan documents directly to your computer.
Setting up a home office requires a little bit of time and money, but it pays off exponentially in increased productivity and peace of mind. By creating a space free of distractions and stocked with the proper equipment, it’ll be just like being in the actual office—maybe even better!
