If you’re working from home, you should know that one of your biggest factors for success (apart from your skills and training) is the nature of your home office. With the right home office, you’ll feel more motivated, you’ll be more disciplined, and you’ll ultimately accomplish more—all while having a better attitude and feeling both satisfied and engaged with your work.
Unfortunately, many people new to working from home consider their home office only as an afterthought; they work at the dining room table or even on the couch, procrastinating the development of a proper office or utterly disregarding its importance.
Creating a valuable home office should be one of your highest priorities—and it’s easier to do than you might think.
Consider Purchasing a New Home
Think about your current home, and what it has to offer. Do you have enough space to convert into a home office? You don’t need much—maybe a couple hundred square feet, tops—but if you’re already living in a cramped space, you may not have that room to spare.
If this is the case, or if you live in an area that’s rife with distractions, you may consider moving to a different home. This is an incredible opportunity to find a home that’s better suited to your work-from-home lifestyle, but you’ll also want to make sure you’re securing a good deal. Consider working with a real estate agent, or even getting your own real estate license, to increase the volume of properties you can find and secure a better price.
Choose the Right Room
Once you have a property that satisfies all your criteria, your next job will be choosing the right room of your house to turn into your home office.
Consider these factors:
1. Size
Again, you don’t need a lot of space for your home office, but you should have plenty of room to move around. Choose a room with ample space.
2. Closure
It’s ideal to have a home office that can be completely closed, both for privacy and to block noise. Choose a room with a door that can be fully closed.
3. Positioning
The location of your home office matters. Consider keeping your office away from the main traffic patterns of the home, and choose a room with a window you can look out.
4. Exposure to noise
Most people work much better when dealing with minimal noise. Choose a room that’s isolated enough that it doesn’t have to deal with sounds from other areas of the home.
Invest in the Best Furniture
Next, you’ll want to deck out your office with the best furniture you can afford:
1. Desk
Your desk will support your computer, your notes, and everything else you need to work effectively. Make sure it offers plenty of space, and fits well in your home office.
2. Chair
An ergonomic chair with proper support will greatly reduce your chances of injury or chronic pain. This is especially important if you’re sitting most of the day.
3. Storage
Depending on the nature of your job, you may want bookshelves, filing cabinets, and other forms of storage on hand.
Add Finishing Touches
These touches can take your home office to the next level:
1. Lighting
The right lighting can make it much easier to focus on the work in front of you, and reduce the potential impact of computer vision syndrome.
2. Paint
Choose a color for the walls that invigorates you, or one that you find personally pleasing. There are no hard rules for which colors work best in an office, so consider how each prospective color makes you feel when working.
3. Additional soundproofing
If you’re dealing with lots of outside noise, you can improve the soundproofing in your home office with a handful of sound absorbing panels, or additional renovations to the room.
4. Speakers
Most people feel more productive and more engaged with work with a bit of background music of their choice. Invest in a set of high-quality speakers if you want to enjoy your music at the highest possible quality level.
5. Plants
Research shows that even just a few plants in your immediate environment can boost your productivity and make you feel more satisfied with your job. There are many theories as to why this is the case, but regardless, you should consider investing in a few plants.
6. Artwork
Consider hanging some art on your walls. Whenever you need a break or a moment to think creatively, you can gaze at one of your favorite paintings or sculptures.
Every individual working from home will have a different set of preferences and a different working style. Be sure to experiment with different types of furniture and different fixtures before settling on a finalized setup—and ultimately, go with whatever works best for you.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
