COVID-19 paved the way for more people to discover work from home set-up. Though we already have vaccines and restrictions are lifted in some parts of the globe, the work from home set-up may be adapted for good by some companies and businesses. If this happens, you should have a viable home workspace where you can do your work peacefully and productively. Creating a home workspace from scratch may feel daunting and challenging. But it is definitely doable, given you are resourceful to make do with what you have.
Determine the Kind of Work You Need to Do
The first step in setting up your home workspace is to know the type of work you need. Will you be a virtual assistant who mostly does things online? Or will you need other equipment for sewing or painting customized orders? Whatever job you need to accomplish, make sure that you have the necessary work from home tools.
Recognizing the kind of work your job entails will also make planning and decorating easier. It is safe for me to say that the success of creating a workspace from scratch is founded on the very basic knowledge of the specifics of your job.
Choose Your Area
The location of your home workspace is very crucial for productivity. Choose a place where you can get enough natural light and ventilation if it is called for. Pick an area where noise is less and you can focus on what you are doing. If you have children at home, ensure that you can still work productively by making the kids understand the importance of your “office.” Wall partitions are mostly great since distractions won’t be visible to you. But if you still want to keep an eye on the kids, you can always opt for glass partitions in your home. Either way, the bottom line is to choose a feasible area for productive work to be accomplished easily.
Install Proper Lighting
Lights are not only to see what you are doing, but it also helps with achieving mental health according to Tom Sarode’s Thrive Global article. Get as much natural light as you can. Natural light helps best if you are working in the arts – be it writing, singing, painting, among many others. It stimulates creativity and is very beneficial for artsy people. But even if you do not work in the art field, you still need a great dose of natural light to improve your own productivity regardless of your line of work. If there is not enough light coming through the window, installing proper lighting is a must.
Desk lamps provide great benefits when working. But of course, you also need an overhead light that casts enough glow to illuminate the entire room. Just remember that light placements hold the key to proper lighting. Hence, mount and set up the light where it can properly do its function of giving luminosity to your office.
Take Comfort in Fixtures
Desks and chairs are essential pieces to every workspace. So invest in good ones if you are creating your home office from scratch. Though you may need to spend a little bit, it is still a good investment considering that you have to work for hours on a desk and a chair. It will also help improve your posture while working and prevent unnecessary back pains caused by an improper desk and chair.
Don’t Forget to Organize
One of the many skills to have when starting a home office is organizing. A successful home office requires organizing as much as a business office does. As a matter of fact, organizing for a home workspace may be a bit trickier than company offices. Hello, kids? Hello, pets? Lucky you if you live alone without little tots and pets that will go through your files. But even then, you still need to organize and manage your files and office tools. Hence, convenient cabinet storage is a must.
Another organizing storage used by people who work from home is lidded boxes. Keeping cables and loose cords tucked neatly or hidden also gives the room a neat and clean look. Avoiding clutter increases your productivity since you don’t have to scamper for something when you know where to look for it in the first place.
Have a Great Connection
Work from home often relies on one thing… internet connection. No matter how wonderful your home office is, if it lacks the signal to have a great connection, the place will be useless. Digital jobs are trending right now. If your job entails social media advertising, or drop shipping, or web developer and the like, having a trusted internet connection gives you leverage to accomplish your workload.
Decorate for Productivity
Many things affect a person’s productivity. Less sleep can deter your concentration to finish a job. Another thing that plays a role in productivity is aesthetics. People tend to forego this part when creating the workspace. As long as there is a desk and a chair, it makes up for a home office. But that’s the biggest mistake! Being productive also means working in an environment conducive for work.
Decorate your home workspace with something that inspires you. You can get a wall decal with your favorite motivational slogan, or perhaps hang photo frames of your family and friends. Adding live plants in the room is also a proven method to increase work productivity using natural means. Don’t be afraid to decorate! It will not only add value to your workspace interior, but it will also unleash your creativity and help with producing high-quality work results.
Takeaway
A home workspace has helped a lot of people to transition from office work to working from home set-up. Creating your work area does not need to be overwhelming. If you feel overwhelmed, it will only make you stressed. Your workspace needs to be productive, thus, you need to avoid stress as much as you can. When creating a home workspace from scratch, take it one step at a time. Give a specific time frame without rushing. And take note, this workspace will be your personal home office. Hence, you have to give it that prolific and dynamic flair to encourage you to work better.