Throughout the last couple of months, the majority of office workers have had to adapt to a home working routine. But sitting on the couch with your laptop open isn’t going to the best environment to work, which is where creating a suitable home working space to keep you more focused comes in handy.
It might seem like a lot of fun to work from home at first, but you’ll come to a point where you’ll need to sit down and crack on, so here’s a look at 6 ideas to help you create your perfect home workspace with comfort, visuals and space all factored in:
Picking the Right Desk
The most important part of your home office (minus the computer). More often than not people pick a desk that isn’t suitable for their workload, which leads to a messy unorganised workspace. So think about what you normally have on your office desk whether it’s work documents, a second screen or a lamp, and accommodate for everything that makes you feel comfortable and productive. Speaking of comfort, the main reason for buying a new desk is to make you feel as comfortable as possible while working. Remember, you are spending around 8 hours a day sat here, so it’s likely to be your most essential purchase.
The couch might be a good temporary fix, but you’ll soon find that sitting here for 8 hours a day to work, and then even longer when you want to relax with the TV or a book, you might get a little tired of sitting in the same space.
Create the Right Lighting
If your regular office has standard fluorescent strip lighting, then the transition to your home workspace will be beneficial. Fluorescent lighting isn’t ideal and is used because it’s reliable. It’s commonly known for causing headaches, eye strain and affect your focus. So this is one of the positive transition of working from home.
Before you set up your work area, try and find a space near a window as natural light offers the best setting to work in. If that’s not possible, buying a lamp with a nice design can also help your workspace, with low-level ambient lighting, this will put less strain on your eyes whilst you focus on your work. Try to avoid using the harsh ceiling lights if it’s fairly bright. You’ll find adding a lamp you love to the desk will give you more affection to your home office too.
Colour is Key
Matching the energy you want for work with colours help you to both focus and love your workspace. If you looking for a project whilst being stuck at home, consider repainting the room to a neutral colour, the calmer your surroundings are, the calmer you’ll feel.
If you do decide to repaint, finding some office accessories that add a splash of colour will also help to show your personality in the space. Lamps, pen pots and plants are all great ways to add a splash of colour!
Plants
Scientifically proven to benefit offices, plants are an essential part of your home working space for so many reasons. Known for reducing stress, sickness, adding colour and improve productivity, having a few plants dotted around the room will make a big difference. You don’t even need to go overboard if you don’t have space, find some small potted plants in a supermarket and add them to your desk either bunched together or spread around. Natural materials can add this breath of fresh air too, for example bamboo panels can create a gorgeous effect in office spaces.
Different plants perfect for your desk:
- Cacti – Low maintenance for those looking for space-saving plants.
- Ficus Benjamina – Looks great alone or as part of an assortment
- Zamioculcas Zamiifolia – Another low maintenance plant that gives you a vibrant approach.
- Bromeliads – Lots of different colours and leaves will give you desk a bit more variety
- Philodendron – For a desk that needs filling, Philodendron has big dark green leaves that will hang over the plant pot.
- Dracaena – a unique focal point to any home office, the Dracaena is known for eliminating pollutants in the air.
Add Your Personality to the Space
Your workspace needs to be loved and like the bedroom and living room, and decorating the space is key to doing this. If you have the room, adding furniture such as a bookcase, storage or even an armchair to read can add warmth and a homely feel to your work area. Adding comforts such as a cushion cover for your seat, a pad for your wrists while typing and even a diffuser with a calming scent and keep you feeling comfy all day.
Some framed photographs or home decor will also help add your personality to the bare walls. Think about adding some unique shelves, hanging plants and ornaments for a variety of style.
Keep It Clutter Free!
It’s easy to keep on adding clutter to your workspace, but in the long run, it’s just going to make your work area messy and you’ll slowly start to despise sitting going to it. Every evening before you finish for the day, take your used mugs out, clear up any papers you have and straighten up your desk, the next morning you’ll find that having a clean ‘ready to work’ space will keep you feeling fresh and motivated.
Remember to have all your essentials in your home office, procrastination kicks in easily if when you keep getting up to find a pen, scissors or getting a glass of water. While it’s healthy to take a break from your computer screen too much stopping and starting won’t keep you focused throughout the day.
Conclusion
Just make sure you love the space you work in and don’t make it into a means to an end. Being comfortable and happy while you work is essential to getting the best out of your home workspace. It’s more than likely that working from home is going to continue for the foreseeable, so stop yourself from begrudging your workspace and make the changes to keep you positive at work!