Hello World! Welcome Friends! Maybe you’ve been working for 40 years, or perhaps you’ve just gotten out of school and are bright-eyed about joining the workforce. Either way, you may be one of the many workers around the world who are choosing to work from home instead of in a traditional office space.
Working from home brings with it many benefits: You don’t have a long commute, you don’t have the stress of constant supervision from management and you can set your own schedule. And those are just the obvious ones. There are other benefits that you may not even have thought about—You’ll be able to eat a homemade lunch every day, which could lead to a healthier lifestyle if before you were buying your lunch every day. And you can take short walks and stretch breaks whenever you need to, something that will be discussed in more detail further along.
However, there are definitely some setbacks when it comes to working from home. For example, you need to be very self-motivated and disciplined, you can’t let yourself get distracted easily, and you need to stick to staying organized.
But if you’ve considered the reasons to and not to work at home, and you’re ready to take the plunge, then this article will lay out five essential secrets that will help you have a productive home office, especially if it’s your first time setting up a home office.
A Clean Desk
Before going over the importance of desk cleanliness, you need to make sure you have a desk that will promote your productivity in your home office. If you’re feeling crafty, you can make your own desk by using a wooden palette with some cylindrical metal legs attached, or you can sand down an unused dining table and give it a fresh coat of gloss white paint.
Not so crafty? As you probably know, there are tons of home office desks on the market. And despite the wide variety of styles the best home office desks will feature an uncomplicated design that won’t distract you, and thus maximize your productivity.
Already got a desk? If you’re sitting in your home office right now—perhaps procrastinating by reading this article—take a second to look around your desk. Do you see anything that doesn’t need to be there? Is there a wrapper from yesterday’s sandwich, or perhaps a half-empty coffee mug from this morning?
Keeping your workspace neat and organized is essential in keeping you focused throughout the day. The more clutter you have lying around on your desk, the more clutter you’ll have in your mind. To begin, make sure to have all papers stored in a folder, and keep only office supplies that you use every day on your desk. CNN recommends that you should have a maximum of three personal items on your desk, but even that may be pushing it.
The Right Space
There are so many things to consider when choosing the space for your home office, especially if you have a wealth of options. If your home is quite small, you may have to work with the only free space you’ve got. And that may mean even converting a large walk-in closet into a cozy office, or if you’re a bachelor(ette), turning that unused dining room into your workspace.
Otherwise, the first thing you’ll want to do is choose the quietest corner of your house. You shouldn’t be close to barking dogs or playing children, or next to a room with a loud television. So if the neighbor’s dog is barking in their backyard, choose a space in your home near the front yard to make your office.
You’ll also need to consider what kind of business you’re running before you choose a space. For instance, will you be meeting with clients in your home? Then you may want to choose an office that is close to the entryway of your home, so that your clients don’t have to walk through your house and see baskets of laundry on their way to a professional meeting.
On the other hand, if your clients require privacy, you’ll need to choose an office space without huge windows facing the street, and perhaps near a side or back entrance of your home.
Comfort is Key
Comfort in this case is not referring to a plush sofa and a snuggly blanket. No—it’s time to talk ergonomics. When it comes to ergonomics in the home office, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Your desk and chair should be adjusted so that your arms bend at the elbows at 90 degrees when you are typing or writing.
- You shouldn’t have to tilt your head up, nor down when looking at your monitor.
- Your feet should rest flat on the floor, or a footrest if needed.
And then there’s the chair. If you are a lover of all things vintage, you may have the romantic idea of a second-hand little velvet number with roll-top arms and cabriole legs. But you will probably have to sacrifice your vintage esthetic a bit when it comes to the right home office chair. (Unless there’s a super specialty niche market out there for vintage ergonomic office chairs).
In general, the best home office chair will allow you to not only adjust the height of the seat, but also adjust the height of the arms, so you can get that 90 degree angle going. Consider a chair with a mesh back for breathability, and do not even consider buying a chair that doesn’t have proper lumbar support.
These are just a few things you’ll want to keep in mind—OSHA has plenty of helpful tips when it comes to ergonomics in the workplace.
Stick to a Schedule
As mentioned above, being able to work according to your own schedule is one of the great things about working from home. That being said, it is extremely important to have a schedule. You should choose a time to work every day, whether that’s 9:00 to 5:00 or 11:00 to 7:00. Otherwise you’ll find yourself working late nights and developing bad sleeping habits, which then in turn leads to an unhealthy lifestyle.
You should also make sure to take scheduled breaks. Preferably, you’d take a 10-minute break every hour, but if that’s not realistic for you, at least make sure to stand up and stretch every two hours. Set an alarm to remind you if you think you’ll get so engrossed in your work that you won’t remember.
Light the Way
When thinking about lighting, you’ll want to consider using daylight color-balanced CFL bulbs. The daylight color will keep you awake, as it mimics the light from the sun.
Speaking of daylight, if you can, choose an office space that receives plenty of natural light as well. And try to make sure that the light source is coming from the sides of your work station, and definitely not aimed directly at your eyes. You should also purchase a small desk lamp to shine light directly on your workspace.
Choosing to work at home brings with it a lot of benefits, but you also have to make sure you take some steps to ensure continued productivity. Keep in mind that the space you occupy, the chair you sit in, lighting, tidiness and your schedule are absolutely key in having a successful home office. So that being said, you should probably get to back to work!
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