Working from home – this phrase is extremely common today. Every other person you meet today is working from home. Keeping all the things that the COVID-19 pandemic ruined for everyone around the world aside, the widespread acceptance of remote working is one thing that we should all be thankful to COVID-19 for.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, only a few organizations could immediately switch to a remote working model because they had been doing it for a very long time. Other organizations who had never considered providing this perk to their employees struggled but eventually managed to pull it off. And now, the world knows the massive benefits that the remote working model offers employees and employers. Now, there's no turning back. You couldn't be sure a few months ago if the remote working model would last, but now you know that this model is here to stay, and it's only wise to set up a home office.
Setting up a home office is crucial for your productivity and efficiency when working from home. If you still don't have a designated office space in your home and you're planning to set up it, consider yourself lucky! This blog post is all about helping you set up a winning home office!
Why Do You Need a Dedicated Home Office?
You may want to know why you need a dedicated home office when you can continue working from your bed or couch. Well, we're sorry to break it to you; working from your couch, bed, or dining table can do you more harm than you can ever imagine.
Let's walk you through the many reasons you need a dedicated office space in your home.
Better Focus
Imagine having your dog's barking sound as a background sound during a very important meeting. Well, that'll be extremely unprofessional. Not only that, when you're working from your living room or bedroom, there will be continuous distractions. Your partner, children, or pets may walk in casually, there will be noises, and there won't be a minute when you can say that you were fully attentive to your work. You can't keep your family locked in a room, can you?
Having a separate space for your home office will ensure minimal distractions and noise, and this will help you focus better on your work. The time you spend working will be spent on work only and not engaging in useless, casual conversations with your partner or children who happen to be just passing by!
Better Productivity
With better focus will come better productivity. A task that you can complete in an hour can take much longer with all the distractions at home. When you're working in peace and quiet where it's just you and your work, all your focus will be on work only, and you'll be able to complete your tasks in less time and with fewer errors.
Higher Comfort
Having to sit on your dining chair or a kitchen stool for several hours every day is bound to make your body hurt. Sitting with your body stiff will only result in body pain, particularly in the shoulders, neck, and back. This will not only slow your pace at work but also result in your focus deviation. When you've got a separate office space at home, you can equip it with the right ergonomic equipment and work in greater comfort.
Setting Up a Winning Home Office
Now that you know setting up a dedicated home office is worth the time, effort, and money that goes into it, you may now want to know how to set up a winning home office. Fret not; we've listed down everything you need to know to set up a home office that meets all the standards of an ideal working environment.
1. Choose the Right Room
The first step to setting up a winning home office is to choose the right room. You wouldn't want to set up your office in a room that's located midway, where everyone keeps passing through. You should choose a room that's separate from the rest of the house. A basement room or den is the ideal choice for a home office. Here, you can rest assured that you'll get absolute privacy and quiet while you work during your office hours.
2. Ensure Adequate Lighting
The next step to setting up a winning home office is to ensure the lighting is perfect. Choosing a room with a large window that allows plenty of natural light in the room is your ideal option. However, if you don't have such a spare room, you'll have to work on the lighting to ensure it's adequate. Your home office should have sufficient lighting. Your home office shouldn't be too dim or too bright as it can cause eye strain.
You should be careful not to install any lights just behind your computer screen because that'll affect your visibility of the screen. If your job requires you to read a lot of documents, make sure you've got a table lamp on your work desk.
3. Equip Your Home Office with Ergonomic Equipment
The secret to setting up a winning home office is equipping it with ergonomic office equipment. Instead of investing in regular furniture, invest in ergonomic furniture like an ergonomic desk and chair. Workplace ergonomics are crucial to ensure your health and safety. Not only this, ergonomics also have a direct impact on your productivity.
An ergonomic desk like the L-shaped Standing Desk ensures that you aren't sitting throughout your shift. Ergonomic standing desks allow you to alternate between sitting and standing so that you aren't in the same posture for long durations. This ensures the risk of work-related injuries and health conditions like musculoskeletal disorders are kept at bay.
You should invest in an ergonomic office chair if you've got a regular work desk. Ergonomic chairs aren't like your regular office chairs. These chairs come with special features that allow you to adjust the chair according to your comfort preferences. You can not only adjust the height of an ergonomic chair to ensure your feet aren’t dangling in the air but also adjust the seat's depth and the backrest's incline. These features ensure that you're sitting in the correct posture and there's no strain on any part of your body.
Other essential ergonomic equipment that you should have in your home office is an adjustable monitor mount to ensure your monitor is at the right distance from you and at the right angle. You should also invest in an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. If you want to go the extra mile to ensure good ergonomics in your home office, you can also invest in an additional keyboard tray that you can attach to the work desk to keep the keyboard closer to your body so that you don't have to sit in awkward postures when you're typing.
4. Keep All Office Essentials Handy
Since you're working from home, you should have all your office essentials handy. You won't have an admin department to cater to your office needs. Everything from the right stationery to the important files should be within your reach so that you don't have to leave your seat every few minutes when you need something.
5. Make Storage Arrangements
Without adequate storage arrangements, your home office will be a mess. Everything will be lying around. You'll have to go through piles of documents to find the one you're looking for, which will only waste your time and frustrate you. One of the most important elements of a winning home office design is adequate, easy-to-reach storage that ensures everything is kept organized and within your access.
6. Make It Functional
If you've got to attend video calls throughout your day, it's a good idea to invest in a good webcam, headphones, and mic to make your video call experience seamless. Apart from this, it would be best if you took all the measures that you think will make your home office more functional. For example, if you've got to scan documents frequently, you should have a scanner in your home office. If your desktop is too crowded, multiple monitor screens will make work less of a hassle. How you make your home office more functional depends entirely on the nature of your work and your preferences.
Closing Word
Setting up the perfect home office might sound overwhelming right now, but once you've got everything in place, you'll be glad you went through the hassle. Not only will you notice an improvement in your productivity, but you'll also feel happier. You won't feel exhausted and frustrated. You'll be happy because you'll get the chance to work in peace and deliver your tasks on time, and your employer will be happy with your performance. It's a win-win situation for both of you!
So, if you're stuck on whether to take the leap or not, we say you most definitely should, without an ounce of doubt and a second of delay!
