With more and more people opting to work from home, a home office is beginning to seem more viable. However, a home office is not just a desk and a chair in your home. There’s more to it than simply placing furniture in your house to mimic an office. To truly make yourself productive and efficient, you need to employ methods that promote a work environment. However, it’s not as easy as it seems- so here are a few ways you can improve your home office.
Zone Your Room for Enhanced Concentration
If you don’t have a dedicated room for your home office, you would at least want to zone your living area into different purposes. Create a nook specifically for your home office, and put all your work-related materials there- and also remove items that will most likely distract you. If you need to use a divider, go do so, as it will help manage clutter and even create a better background for you during virtual meetings. If you’re so inclined, you can even use bookshelves or cabinets to create divisions in an open-plan room.
Use Art to Give You Flashes of Inspiration
Let’s face it, work can suck out all the inspiration and creativity out of us, especially if you’ve been doing it for months on end. That’s why it’s ideal to hang art that would inspire thought and creativity. Use visually appealing or interesting pieces of art, ones that will jolt you awake and get you thinking. It’s also a good idea to switch up the art every few weeks or so to keep things fresh. This also gives you something to do with your home office, giving you a sense of control over it.
Use Indoor Plants to Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Studies have shown that plants can do more than just clean the air; they can also help relieve stress and anxiety, and even improve productivity. Perhaps because of this, indoor plants have seen a resurgence in the past few months, making them rather accessible and easy to acquire. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can use faux houseplants to mimic the feel of having indoor plants.
Don’t Ignore Good Lighting
A common problem makeshift home offices face is the lack of proper lighting. Let’s face it, your house isn’t going to have the most optimum lighting in the first place, so neither would it be adequate for a work setting. If your home office is part of your bedroom, it’s most likely going to be dim and doesn’t have the proper lighting. If it’s in your living room, the light might be too cool or too warm that might either distract you or make you fall asleep. The best option here is to utilize a desk lamp with adjustable color temperature so you can immediately adjust the color settings to how you would like it.
Install a Restroom if Possible
You want your home office to be comfortable and mimic the feeling of work- and that includes the restroom. This advice might sound like it’s rather involving and the truth is, it is. But if you can afford to hire an experienced plumber to do some piping work and install sinks and toilets, then by all means go! Having a restroom in your home office can significantly increase your productivity. You won’t have to go through your home and get distracted by many other things whenever you go to the restroom.
Use Ergonomic Furniture to Make Work More Comfortable
You can’t work your best and most productive when you always have to shift around in your seat and stretch your shoulders just to type. Even if it might seem like such a simple thing, ergonomics go a long way in making you more comfortable and productive. If you type extensively and for hours on end, you might want to purchase a proper office chair that you can control the tilt and height. This will allow you to freely move about as you type, and even control how deep you lean or how tall your chair would be. It’s also ideal to use a keyboard drawer to make sure that your keyboard is lower, right where your hands would naturally be if you were sitting up straight.
Your home office should be the best fit for you, and hopefully, with these tips, you can make your home office work for you. Just make sure to adjust as needed, and not skimp on yourself. This is your livelihood, so you want to make sure that it will make the process of work easier for you.
Meta title: How You Can Improve Your Home Office
meta desc: Your home office is an important part of your work, so you want to make sure that it’s the best for you. Read on and find out how you can improve the appearance, comfort, and function of your home office.