Of the many businesses started every month, approximately 50% of them are home-based. The number skyrocketed thanks to the need for people to practice social distancing as they continued to work from home because of COVID-19. The virus forced employees worldwide to pack up their office desks and bring them home. Not so many businesses could efficiently function with their employees working remotely, but the need to adapt caused more and more businesses to change their strategies and find ways to make remote working viably. Even after social distancing was uplifted, more and more businesses have encouraged their employees to keep working from home for several reasons.
It is often difficult to work from home, but this can be made easier with the right tools, discipline, and space, leading to more productivity for you and your team. Staying home all day wearing pajamas and relaxing on your couch feels like a perfect work day, right? Unfortunately, working from a home office is not as easy as it looks and can take some time to adjust, primarily if you are used to working in a company office. Although learning to work from home can take adjusting time, having the correct tools and setup can simplify your new work style. If you are preparing to work from home and are already working from home but still find it difficult or tiresome, you should follow the following checklist that can help you avoid common pitfalls and make your work easier.
Work from home checklist
1. Equipment needs for your home office
The first step in your working from home checklist should be setting up a workspace or home office that you are comfortable in, and you can focus on productively completing your work. A different room can be ideal, but a dedicated corner in your garage, living room, or attic can do fine if you have less space. You should identify the equipment you need and whether you should purchase anything to make your work easier. To ensure you work comfortably, you may need the following equipment:
Ergonomic chair
Because you work from home, you will probably be at your computer or desk for long hours, which could lead to discomfort. An uncomfortable chair, like a standard traditional chair, can cause severe back and neck injury due to poor posture; hence should be avoided. The best option in this scenario is getting yourself any Flexispot ergonomic office chair, depending on your need and budget. These ergonomic office chairs contain 3D adjustable armrests that can help you avoid arm and neck injuries. Most of them are adjustable seats, meaning they can adjust to weight and height, giving you additional support. A good recommendation is the Ergonomic Office Chair BS7G.
Laptop/computer
If your laptop suddenly shuts down, lags, or is too slow, you may need to consider getting yourself a new one. It is because your computer is the backbone of your home office. You should not work with a computer that has issues because it will feel like a burden, making your work-from-home routine difficult and unproductive. If you are used to working with two monitors, you can try borrowing one from your office and combining it with your home computer or laptop. If this is the case, you can get monitor mounts from Flexispot, which will help you manage up to two monitors and make your work easier.
Adjustable desk
Working from your dining table, kitchen island, or dresser can only give you up to a certain amount of comfort, which after you will experience a series of discomfort. It is up to you to figure out which desk arrangement works for you. If you have chronic back pains, ensure you use a desk that will not encourage you to slouch, and your dining or kitchen table is not that table! You should remember that you must constantly shift between standing and sitting for health and productivity. Working from home means you might spend long hours seated at your desk and forget to take breaks. If your work won't allow you to take breaks, a standing desk is the best because you can shift positions almost equivalent to breaks.
There are several Flexispot standing desks with features such as height adjustments that vary. The height adjustments allow you to fix the height of your desk however you want for comfort. Other features include LCD key panels with functionalities like USB charging ports to allow you to charge your devices and child-lock buttons for safety, and an embedded cable tray to hide your cables, among other features. A good recommendation is the Flexispot Pro plus E7 standing desk.
Wireless mouse and keyboard
If you haven’t already considered this, a wireless mouse and keyboard can save you days of wrist strains and back injuries as you can place them anywhere and use them however you wish, depending on your comfort.
Noise-canceling headphones
These are essential because they will help you mute surrounding distractions and make you stay in the zone. It doesn't matter where you work from; noise is an essential factor to consider while working because you need to focus on being productive. Also, headphones with microphones can be necessary for your home meetings.
Webcam
Now that you are working from home, there is a huge possibility you will have to conduct several meetings with your workmates to catch up on so many things related to work. You need a webcam for this; luckily, most laptops have cameras. You can also use your phone or, if possible, find a decent webcam if you want to be more presentable.
2. Workspace
After having the necessary equipment, you should consider creating a working environment that encourages productivity. You should designate a space as your best option for remote working. It can get dull or repetitive to work from home, so your office space is among the most important things you can consider focusing on if you don't want to get bored, and some of the ways you can focus on your space is by keeping it tidy. To expound further, here is what you should look into while establishing your home workspace:
Quiet space- as stated earlier, noise can distract you, so to stay focused, pick a room that isn't frequently visited by other family members and make it your home office.
Door-you don’t necessarily need a space that is closed off, but if you are taking regular meetings, it is vital to have an isolated area for yourself. You can pick a room with a door as your home office or visit a separate room to keep your meetings away from distractions.
Natural light- natural light is beneficial not only for your health when you are in your company office but also when you are working from home. For this reason, your home office should have enough natural light by opening windows or by picking a room that lets in enough light in your house.
3. Set a working schedule and stick to it.
Some of you may think working from home means working for a few hours or at random times during the day, but this is incorrect. If you want to implement a healthy work-life balance, you should create a routine of when you start and finish working, which will help you avoid procrastination when you get tempted and overworking. So, in case you are a morning person, and you get that energy early, set your working hours then, or if you are a night owl that can get the work done after everyone else is asleep, you should set your schedule accordingly.
4. Bring the outdoors in
You should take the time while working from home to refine your green thumb. Plants in workspaces have been shown to boost productivity by up to 15% and have helped boost mood, leading to better work. It also helps that green has a calming effect which is believed to relieve stress; hence, you should consider placing plants in your home offices, such as spider plants and peace lilies.
5. Decluttered space
You need to keep your room decluttered all the time. Cleanliness and tidiness are linked to increased productivity and mood, while the opposite is linked to hindered work and stress. You must put away items you don't need anymore and clean up all the clutter that might have accumulated throughout the day. If your workspaces are very crowded, you should consider investing in a more oversized desk or even a more efficient organization system for your property. You should check out adjustable desks from the Flexispot website since they have enough storage to help you if you are having problems with clutter or are suffering from a lack of enough space.
Since you know what to check off from this article, settling for less isn’t an option. However, you need to remember that this list is just a guide, so please feel free to further research the checklist and, most notably, the products you will need to set up your comfortable home office. Remember that you will achieve productivity and good health working from home when you use Flexispot products.
