Reasons to Update Your Home Office

Hello World! Welcome Friends! For many Americans, telecommuting has become a normal part of their routine, at least on a part-time basis. While this working style offers considerable advantages, it’s up to each individual to maximize their productivity by adjusting their environment to let them rock each day. If you’re still working on a lap desk on your couch, it’s probably time to update your home office.

However, finding a permanent home for your favorite desk organizers isn’t the only time you should revamp your workspace. What are some other clues that you could use a refresher? Here are five reasons to update your home office and tips.

1. You Feel Moody by Day’s End

Just as the invisible pulsing in overhead fluorescent lights in traditional workplaces can trigger migraine flares in susceptible individuals, poor home office lighting can make you a bear by day’s end. Spending hours squinting results in tension headaches, even among those without known health conditions.

Although pain leaves nearly everyone grumpy, light can also improve your mood. For example, sunlight encourages serotonin production, a neurotransmitter often associated with happiness. Do you sit with your back to the window? One easy home office upgrade is to flip your desk around and take advantage of the view. The natural light will make it easier to see that spreadsheet while eliminating glare from behind.

Other mood-boosting visual adjustments you can make to upgrade your home office include the following:

Opt for track lighting: This style lets you direct illumination where you need it the most.

Add a desk lamp: A desk lamp can work wonders when burning the midnight oil.

Get a bigger monitor: Enhance the size of your visual field.

Adjust your monitor: Your monitor should sit at eye level when seated at your desk, with large enough fonts that you can see without squinting.

2. You Aren’t Getting Enough Done

Does working from home seem like one distraction after another? If it’s not your kids clamoring for a juice box, it’s your spouse returning for the third time to ask “just one more thing” after you’ve already stated that you need to focus.

While you can’t eliminate every distraction, you can reduce them. Do you have a dedicated home office space? If so, soundproofing the room isn’t as tricky as you might think, and a closed door can serve as a sufficient signal that you prefer quiet.

What if you work in a shared space? If visual distractions pose a problem, learn to turn off cell phone alerts and use a room divider to block your view of the television. Do you homeschool your kids, or does the maintenance team at your condo invariably decide to run the leaf blower during your meetings? A quality noise-canceling headset with a microphone is your best bet for minimizing interruptions.

3. You’re Sitting Too Much

You’ve heard the saying, “Sitting is the new smoking.” While you can’t really compare the health effects to deliberately inhaling known toxins, remaining sedentary too long is a nightmare for your health. However, it’s all too common to glue yourself to your desk when deadlines loom.

How can you address this issue? One possible solution is a variable-height desk. These adjust from seated to standing, letting you shift throughout the day. Proponents claim such models reduce back pain, as conditions like degenerative disk disease worsen when you remain in one position for too long.

Another answer? Combine work and fitness. One option is to occasionally use an inflatable exercise ball as a replacement chair. You’ll strengthen your core and be able to lean back and stretch your lumbar vertebrae anytime you please. Another is to invest in a small stationary cycle under your desk so that you can pedal and burn calories while you type, keeping oxygen-rich blood flowing to your brain.

4. You Started Sharing Your Space

What if it’s time to upgrade your home office because you began sharing space with your partner or homeschooled child? How can you maximize the area for productivity while safeguarding privacy?

In such cases, it pays to consider your preferences and space needs. For example, conflicts can erupt if you’re a tidy desk person, and you can best describe your partner’s style as Cat-5 Hurricane.

It pays to separate such spaces — there’s that handy room divider again. However, you can also get creative. One couple enhanced their shared office space using houseplants to create a barrier. Your ficus does impressive double duty as an air purifier.

You’ll probably find noise-canceling headphones a must, even if you don’t spend much time in meetings. It’s downright rude to subject someone else to your musical tastes, day after day. However, those accustomed to cubicle life might find their partner’s shufflings or overheard children’s school lessons comforting.

5. You Just Can’t Get Comfortable

Your home’s thermostat sits at a balmy 74°, but you’re freezing inside your home office. What gives? If your workspace sits atop your uninsulated garage, the problem could be all that cold air. Insulating the space below will keep your toes from freezing and improve your home’s energy efficiency — it’s far safer and more cost-effective than investing in a space heater.

And hey — there’s nothing wrong with upgrading your home office simply because you dislike the style. After all, if you’re working out of your basement or attic, bare, gray walls or shiny insulation backing lacks aesthetic appeal. Make your space your own, even if it means hanging inexpensive band posters or making a photo collage wall of vacation spots you’d like to visit once all your hard work pays off.