How to Set Up a Home Office for Productive Working from Home

How to Set Up a Home Office for Productive Working from Home

This year, more and more people have started working from home due to necessity, but I believe many people will request flexible working options with some of their work done from home after this world crisis.

When you’re working from home, it’s important that you are disciplined and that you have a good working environment. In this article, I’ll take you through some tips that will help you set up a home office that will hopefully help you be productive when working from home.

How to Set Up a Home Office

• Choose the Space

If you have a spare room to use as an office, then that’s great. A separate room is very useful as it lets you separate work and home life well, and ensures peace and quiet if you’re working with family around. If you don’t have a spare room to use, try and carve out part of another room to help keep you focused.

We have an office combined with a playroom for the kids so that I can work and sit at the desk while the kids play with their toys or read some books. A desk in a bedroom can work well too if you have the space, or maybe an unused area on the landing if you only need a small desk.

If there’s no space for a desk, the kitchen table or dining table will work just fine if you’re working on a laptop. Or if you tend to work from the sofa, a lap tray will help keep everything level. Do ensure you clear it of other things before you start working, so that you can treat the area as your office space.

• A Comfortable Chair

Most of us work quite long days in front of our computers and it’s important that we try to be as ergonomic as possible while we work. A comfortable and supportive desk chair for your office space is a good investment that will help you with this. Your back will thank you! Remember to take regular breaks to stretch and move around a bit too.

• Equip your Office

The equipment you need in your office will depend on your job but most of us need a computer and a printer for office use. Check out Cartridge Save if you’re looking for a new affordable printer. Use a printer monitoring tool to manage printing tasks. It will save you a lot of time. These days, a webcam and a headset are useful too if you have a job that requires virtual meetings. A notebook and some good pens are always handy too! Don’t forget to ensure you have the right software, the best monitor for a home office, and a suitable VPN service too.

• Other Things that Help

Below are a few other things that will help your working environment be its best:

1. Keep your workspace tidy and organised. End each workday with a quick tidy up and you can enjoy arriving at a tidy workspace the next morning.
2. Move any distractions away. If you tend to put the telly on or look at your phone as soon as you get a notification, then make sure these distractions are not in your working space. You’ll still hear your phone ring if it’s nearby!
3. A bit of fresh air. Working next to a window is good as it lets you let in fresh air when you need it (a great way to perk up a bit when the mid-afternoon slump appears!) and also lets you look out into the world around you which can offer you a nice break from the screen while you’re on a phone call for example.

Hope these tips have helped you if you’re looking to set up a home office too!

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