Working from home can be fantastic. You can save costs, as well as time, by cutting out your commute completely. You also have complete control over your work environment. Of course, there are some downsides to this arrangement as well.
Working from home can also give a lot of distractions. If you have a family, you might find that you always put your work second over other responsibilities, leaving you to have to rush deadlines, while also working in a cluttered environment.
The trick is to create a great work environment so you can focus on your work and reap the benefits of working from home, without the downsides.
A Separate Home Office Space
If the biggest downside to working from home is the potential for being distracted, then the best way to eliminate that problem is to make sure your workspace is away from the rest of your home. Working from the comfort of your bed or your living room sofa might sound nice, but it’s hard to get in a working frame of mind when you’re too comfortable. You’re more likely to switch on the television or even take a nap when you should be working.
Even being in the same room as your bed, your living space, or your kitchen can make it difficult to concentrate. Ideally, you should ensure that your home office has a dedicated room. A spare room can be converted into an office space, and you’ll find it much easier to concentrate.
Another option is to build a garden room in your backyard and use that as an office. Garden rooms are heated and have electricity, so it’s comfortable and nicely separated from the rest of your home and its distractions.
If you don’t have the space for a whole office room, then find a quiet corner of another room. Consider using a room divider or setting your desk up so you aren’t looking at the rest of the room.
Furnishing Your Home Office
Another way to help you focus is to invest in the right furniture for your office space so that it’s attractive and functional. A desk and a proper desk chair are the best places to start. This is much better than working from your sofa or even your kitchen table.
This is especially important if you’re going to be working for hours at a time. Working from a sofa might be comfortable for a short time, but it can cause back and neck strain because you’re sitting in a poor posture for an extended period.
An ergonomic desk and chair setup should allow you to sit comfortably while still being alert at work. Your monitor should be at eye level, so you don’t end up with neck or eye strain.
You should also consider getting peripherals like a proper monitor, mouse, and keyboard. This can improve your workflow and productivity.
Home Office Decor Ideas
If you’re setting up a cubicle in the corner of a room, you don’t have a lot of decor options. The most important thing is to make sure your workspace is uncluttered and clean so you can focus on your work.
But if you do have a bit more space to play around with decorations, there’s nothing wrong with making your office space an attractive place to work from.
While you should absolutely just decorate your office space with things you love so you can be comfortable, there are a few design conventions to keep in mind if you want the perfect office space. Cool, calming colors are ideal as they won’t be too distracting and can help you focus.
You should also consider adding some indoor plants to your office. Potted plants improve the air quality inside and have even been linked to better cognitive ability. True, a plant isn’t going to turn you into the most productive worker in the world, but it can be a nice way to make your office space more conducive to work.
Making Your Workspace More Secure
Another thing to consider when setting up your office for work is your digital workspace. When you’re working from home, you’re already more secure than in a public place like a café. But you should consider more options to make your work more secure and private.
For example, a VPN CyberShield privacy guide can help you set up a truly secure and private online workspace. VPNs are useful because they hide your IP address from outside parties, so it’s harder to track what you’re doing or access your system.
It’s unfortunate that we have to think about how to keep our devices secure, but most firewalls and VPNs work very well for helping people to reduce the risk of cybercrime. You should also beware of scams and suspicious emails that are looking for information or want you to click on links.
Creating a Work-Life Schedule
One of the best ways that you can improve your productivity when working from home is to create a schedule. If you work for yourself, you can afford to be more flexible with your schedule. Of course, this comes with the caveat that it can be hard to switch off from work and set boundaries for yourself.
A schedule allows you to better control when and how you work. You can change it if things crop up, so if you need to work evenings or at strange times, you can do so.
You should also make sure to schedule breaks and times when you might want to stop working. This allows you to walk away from work and focus on other things in your life. Organizational apps can even add timers, so if you’re the sort who will forget to look at the time while you’re working, you can make sure you don’t miss things like picking the kids up from school or other responsibilities.
Simply put, a schedule can help you keep your work/life balance in check.
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