If you have ever worked from home, you would have known that it is totally different from being at the office. I mean, there are no cable televisions in the office, neither are there kids to come and jump on you, asking for one help or the other. While it may seem difficult to concentrate on work while at home, it is actually possible. Having a dedicated workspace is very important for discharging your official duties in an efficient manner. This means restructuring things in one of the free spaces in your house to look like an office environment to you. Here are some tips for setting up one.
Let there be very good lighting
Offices around the world are usually known for their interior’s bright lighting. We are talking about fluorescent lights. Imagine having to work under gloomy light and struggling to see what you are working on. It would either make you feel sleepy or affect your psyche in a negative way and you won’t feel motivated to work.
If you plan to set up an office in your home to replicate a typical office environment, then the lighting is key. Pick very bright and inspiring choices. Make sure the lights do not cast shadows on your work area. Remember you will be straining your eyes looking at the screen most of your office hours so it will be too much work for your eyes if the surrounding environment is not well lit. A well-lit office is a productive and happy one. Natural lighting also helps a lot especially for its health benefits in the morning. So, whichever space you are working on to convert, ensure that it has windows open to the outside where sun rays could pass through.
Choose office colors for your wall paints
The colors of the walls of your office have a way of welcoming you to a work environment. The reflections from the lighting in an office space bounce off the walls to create the office feeling in our brains through our eyes. The color of the wall painting has a part to play towards achieving that ambiance. Green proves to be an office color especially if you are working long hours because it is the easiest on the eyes. If you are also trying to create some balance in lighting, touches of green around the office would work perfectly. Pure white colors may look like a typical clinic environment so an off-white color would suffice also. Other choices of colors for your home office’s walls are teal, light blue, grey, purple, and pastel yellow.
Get suitable furniture
Your choice of furniture should be to serve you and not the other way around. Your work desk, shelves, and storage space are part of this consideration. To do a fantastic job in this regard, you will need to look at your workflow and the items or tools that should be within your arms’ reach. For example, if you need an office phone, it has to be close by. Some of your office equipment like your simultaneous translating equipment, earphones, and other important office tools need to be kept safely and within reach. So when considering the furniture design for your home office, all these need to be put into consideration. You can then look for pieces of furniture that will be functional and also match the design of your home office.
Think ergonomic workplace equipment for your comfort
Having comfort in your home office is a requirement for productivity. You will not be able to concentrate on discharging your duties well if you also have to deal with discomfort in the process. Usually, most jobs require you to sit for long hours. The process of designing or arranging workplaces, products, and systems so that they fit the people who use them is what ergonomics is all about. From the chair that you sit in and the way other things that you use are arranged at your desk, the principle of ergonomy makes sure your comfort is considered. Some ergonomic factors to consider when setting up or adjusting your workplace are the chairs, monitor, desk, wrist rests, keyboard, mouse, phone, laptop computers, and notebooks. Your ergonomic chair should be a swivel chair and the desktop should be arranged at an arm’s length from your chair.
Give yourself a view with your office arrangement
Sometimes you may have stared into your screen for hours and need a break. When you look up, do you stare at just the bare wall or do you want something else to feed your eyes? It may sound trivial but feeding your eyes on something interesting when you want to take a break from work helps to relieve mental stress. You can position your chair in front of a window that you can open or an artistic display on your wall. You can even restructure your work area to face the door which can be left open. The aim is to be able to take breaks off the computer without moving around.
Final Word
Working from home is fast becoming the norm these days. In fact, if you own a company and are not offering remote work options to your staff, you risk losing your top employees to competitors. If you have the privilege of working from home, it is important for you to create an office environment for yourself. Some tips here will help with decorating your home office space so that you can feel motivated to work and deliver efficiently on your assigned duties.
