Most professionals have moved into their home office from the traditional workplace over the last few years. Working from home offers an abundance of benefits, the most apparent one being that you no longer have to wake up extra early for your commute. But it also comes with setbacks. For example, if you initially didn’t have space in your abode dedicated to working, you probably had to deal with accomplishing your tasks amidst household chaos.
If working in your makeshift desk in your kitchen, bedroom, or living room works for you, then that’s great. Still, there are many ways to better your work situation. Here are some ideas you can start with to get the ball going.
Customize Your Desk
Only you know how much space and what things you need within easy reach on your desk. Design matters when choosing a work table. You don’t want to keep moving away from cables and leaving your seat to get work stuff.
As much as possible, it’s best to have your essentials nearby and your desk clean, so you can get space for writing or perusing documents when you need them. You can design your own desk complete with drawers and grommets for optimum cable management and pass your sketch to a woodwork professional who can bring it to life.
Get Enough Storage for Your Files
Some of your files deserve to be in the drawers of your desk. However, you probably still have documents you no longer need for the time being, but ones that may be helpful for you in the future, eating up valuable space.
You can install inbuilt cabinets in your home office to keep them close at hand without compromising space. Taking advantage of your wall space is an excellent way of maintaining a roomy footprint in your office, giving you a chance to use it for a shelf or even a couch when your clients visit.
Enhance Your Focus With Natural Lighting
Light is essential to any office. Lighting helps you focus better on work, but it may also induce stress and headaches. When work gets too overwhelming, some opt to take a short walk and bask in the sun. Where office light fixtures can be harsh, natural lighting can be soothing and is better at bolstering productivity. You can bring this aspect to your home office by selecting massive windows.
If you’re working on a hot day and the heat gets too much, but you don’t want to resort to using blinds, you can install a window film with UV protection and safeguard yourself from harmful rays. With a huge window, you can save energy by relying on natural lighting during the day and also get good ventilation in your office.
Keep Things Organized
It’s better to get work done with an organized space, and when you can move freely in your office. With the devices you have, including your computer, printer, telephone, and others, you also have wires and cables to deal with, which can lead to accidents when left a mess.
Grommets may keep the wires out of your desk, but then you’d have pools of them on your floor, so for better management, you can use cable ties or place your equipment near power outlets. On the other hand, you can reduce paper clutter by switching to digital mediums and using memos that you can access from your computer and smart gadgets.
Give Yourself the Motivation You Need
Despite having an office designed to cater to your needs, you’ll still have days where mustering the motivation to work is a challenge. However, since your career is your bread and butter, you can’t simply up and leave. Some have paintings gracing their walls, while others have family pictures to encourage them to work hard; you can also unleash your creativity by decorating your home office’s walls.
You can write your favorite quotes and showcase them in a wooden frame with a canvas cloth and paint or even marker pens. Hanging motivational quotes, pictures, or paintings in your office not only serves as encouragement but also gives your office character.
Improve Air Quality With an Indoor Garden
Traditional offices can be claustrophobic. Some have to cram a desk and chair, drawers, and cabinets in such a tiny space, making accomplishing any work a perpetual challenge. Natural lighting can help you maintain focus from a healthy source, and you can add more to that by having a mini indoor garden in your office.
With a tiered metal or wooden shelf, you can house multiple pots and let plants improve the air quality in your workspace. It also gives you time to take breaks for a bit of movement or stretches by requiring a fixed watering schedule, letting you take your eyes off your computer screen for a while.
From building your ergonomic desk to a filing cabinet where you can stow work essentials, there’s plenty you can do that can even help give your work productivity a boost.
