If you’ve recently landed yourself in a remote work position, or you’re unhappy with the home office you’ve already got, it’s time to make a change. Your home office is going to be where you’re spending a large portion of your day, most days of the week, so it’s only natural that you’d want it to be just right. Not only will it feel more comfortable after you’ve worked on it, but you might find that you feel more productive while working. Creating the perfect office environment is a must if you’re going to make it through the workday without distractions and other issues, so why not get to it?
Start from scratch
Sometimes the best way to create an office environment and have it feel separate from your home is to start it from scratch. Building an extension on your home might sound like a lot, but remote work is becoming quite viable, and you could be using it for a long time. Not only that, but extensions can add value to your home if done right. Your office could be in a conservatory, which comes with a number of benefits, as well as possibly paying off when it comes time to move out of your home.
Conservatories can be made using a number of different materials but if you’re looking for durable and modern, you might consider going through an aluminum contractor.
Letting in natural light
There are many people working from home who report feeling isolated from others when they have to spend all day at home, and while there are benefits like not having to commute, or spend your day in an environment that you don’t love – you should think about ways to make your home office more positive. One of the most important factors in this is having natural light come in. If your home office is gloomy, or you have to keep it lit with lighting fixtures, you have to consider the effects it’s going to have on your mental health.
Mental health aside, if you’re not getting out as much because you’re working from home, your vitamin D levels might decline – which can also have an impact on your mental health.
Pick somewhere quiet
Ideally, you want to feel separated from the rest of your home if you’re going to be productive throughout the day. You need to pick somewhere in your home where you’re not going to be disturbed or distracted by anything else going on. There’s no issue if you’re living alone, but roommates, or having family members at home during the day can make it difficult to stay focused on your work.
Feeling separated from the rest of your home isn’t just about distractions, however, it’s about making it easy to keep your work life separate from your home life. You don’t want to stay in the work mindset after you’ve left your home office, so ideally you can create an environment that’s completely separate.
Think about your health
When you work in an office, it’s up to the employers to make sure the office equipment that has been provided is for the benefit of the employee’s health. They have to take ergonomics into consideration, and if you’re working from home – that’s completely up to you. You might not be aware of it, but if you’re sitting wrong all day, then you’re going to run into issues down the line. Things like joint and wrist pains won’t show up immediately, but they can cause complications if the equipment that you use for work isn’t ergonomic.
You have to think about things like the chair you’re using, the height of your desk, and how much you have to bend your neck and wrists while you’re working. Something you’ll notice is that ergonomic chairs can be expensive, but this isn’t the time you should be looking to cut your savings – your chair is likely the most important part of your office setup, and your comfort should come first if you’re going to be using it every day.
Remember to make it enjoyable
Just because you don’t want to have it feel the same as your home, doesn’t mean that your office shouldn’t be a nice place to be. If you’re going to decorate your office, you should ensure it has things that you enjoy being around, think houseplants, nice colors, and other decorations that aren’t going to distract you – but have a positive presence. A positive atmosphere will make it more enjoyable to work, and help you to stay motivated.