After working from home for months, and with no end in sight, setting up a home office or workspace is critical to long-term productivity and well-being. Having a space that is dedicated to getting work done is one of the best ways to separate work and life, in a time where that can be tricky to navigate.
We’re sharing our top 10 tips on how to set up your home office for success!
- Find a permanent space: Allow yourself to separate from work life and home life with a dedicated spot for working. While not everyone has a separate room they can devote to their office, having a desk, corner of the dining room table, or a place in your living room that’s your daily location for working will help to set the rest of the house apart. Pro tip – definitely don’t set this up in your bedroom! That’s a recipe for disrupting sleep and impacting your well-being.
- Make sure you have the tech you need: When we’re working from an office, all the tech we need is usually supplied to us. However, with the transition to home-based work, it can leave our work station lacking essential components. Talk to your employer or invest in the best tech for yourself. This could include multiple monitors, an elevated keyboard, a special mouse, a printer, and more.
- Dedicate a desk chair: If you’re sitting for 8 hours a day, a dining room chair isn’t going to cut it. Invest in an ergonomic chair or seat pillow to keep you comfortable all day long. This is another great way to separate work from home, putting you in the right mindset to get things done!
- Get organized: Keep all your work documents and supplies together and avoid having them creep across your entire house! Ensure you have a location for all the documents and supplies you may need at your workstation. Make sure you’re stocked up on the things you’d normally have around at a traditional office (pens, paper, notebooks, USB drives, etc.). Reach out to your office and see if these can be supplied, or go for some fun office supplies that match your decor or personality!
- Personalize it: Your home office is a part of your home, and the perfect opportunity to make it feel like ‘you’. Get art, decor, and even furniture that coordinates with the rest of your home to make the space feel comfortable instead of an eyesore – especially for open-concept homes where everything is visible!
- Stay connected: Between Zoom calls, downloading files, watching videos, and sending emails, your Internet connection can make or break your workday! Make sure your work location has a strong internet connection, and purchase a WiFi booster if needed.
- Keep inspiration nearby: When you’re in an office, you’re often surrounded by the company’s vision, big plans, and goals. Incorporate that into your own office by setting up a whiteboard for brainstorming, inspirational quotes on your computer background, or a vision board for your big goals nearby.
- Cut the noise: If you aren’t able to shut the door to your home office, being able to find quiet in the chaos is key. Investing in noise-cancelling headphones, or having a secondary location where you know you won’t be disturbed can help make your day go smoothly.
- Get video ready: Zoom calls are the new conference room meetings, and showing your face is a great way to stay connected with your team and clients. Try to find an area where you have a clutter-free background, and consider investing in a small ring-light to make sure your colleagues can clearly see you on video.
- Little luxuries: Did you always wish you could have a mini-fridge or heated blanket at your desk in your old office? Maybe you wanted a little more desk decor than was allowed? Now is the time to customize and invest in the little luxuries you’d always wanted but couldn’t snag at your old workplace. Especially if you’ll be working from home for the long-haul, it’s worth it!
We hope that these tips will give you practical steps to make your home office feel like your own, and help to create a productive space that allows you to make the most of your work time, and your off-time!
