Working from home has become the new normal for a lot of people over the past year. Although you don’t have the hassle of the daily commute getting your day off to a miserable start, it does come with its challenges. When you’re working from home and are expected to focus in the same sanctuary that you relax in, it can be difficult to get the cogs turning and have a productive day. Your house is full of distractions, and the only way to defeat distraction is to create yourself a dedicated space to focus on. Your office should be a haven for getting in a productive day at work.
Separate Work and Home
If you’re guilty of just setting your laptop up and hitting the sofa for work, you’ve likely found you don’t get much work done. The perk of heading off to a traditional office is that you’re not working and relaxing in the same space, and you need to emulate that in your home. Wherever you decide to put your office, the most important thing is that it’s a separate part of your home where you can knuckle down and focus.
Let The Light In
Natural light has an enormous range of benefits. The sun’s Vitamin D is proven to increase mood and reduce stress in all areas of life. If you situate your office in a place that gets the most natural light, you’re already winning as your productivity will soar. If you’ve got a garden, make the most of the space. Rather than just setting a desk in the open air, look into Shedstore’s garden office buildings. They offer a wide range of options, so that you can find one that will suit your specific needs. Creating a garden office outhouse will simulate the feeling of leaving for work.
Use Your Space
Not everyone has the luxury of a dedicated office room, so find a corner or wall in the house that you can clear out and create your home office. Space needs to cater to your needs and offer peace; setting your office up in a busy living room wouldn’t work. Once you’ve found your soon-to-be office, you need to make room for your desk, chair, and sufficient storage.
Storage Space
On the topic of sufficient storage, you should try and make sure all of your essential work tools are close by and easily accessible. If you’ve got a free wall, you could make the most of it by creating built-in shelves with your desk as part of it.
Colour Consideration
Colour can hold huge benefits for concentration levels. Different colours can alter our emotions in the same way that music, art, and food can stir up emotional responses. For your office, you could consider purple or light tones of yellow, both of which are known to improve creativity and spark the imagination. If you’d rather keep your office neutral, you should opt for shades of grey and cream as they won’t divert attention.
Colours to avoid are blues and lilacs, which are usually known to help people relax. Furthermore, you should try not to make your office overly vibrant because that can create a world of distraction.
Stick to a Budget
You don’t have to create an office that costs a fortune. You can save costs by searching second-hand marketplaces for suitable desks and office chairs. If you have a laptop, consider purchasing a new mouse and keyboard rather than an entire PC. Using an ergonomic mouse and keyboard can be hugely beneficial to maintaining a healthy posture. There’s nothing to stop you from upgrading your home office down the line, but the most important thing is that you have a separate working environment.
Be Creative with Space
You don’t need to let the size of your home put you off creating an office space. For example, even if you live in a tiny flat or small caravan, you can make use of the space by investing in a fold-away desk. Before you start work, as long as you can leave your bed in the morning and ideally work in a different room, you can still create a productive office space. To keep productivity up, if you have to pack away your office at the end of the day, you should invest in suitable storage space – that way you can easily organise your documents and pick up where you left off.
Garage Conversion
If you’ve got a garage and don’t need to store your car in it, why not turn it into an office? You don’t need to worry about planning permission if you’ve already got the room connected to the home’s electricity. You can spend as much or as little converting your garage. If you want to have a show-stopping office, you can consider replacing your office door with a wall of windows to let plenty of light in – just make sure you keep the space clean so passers-by can’t judge you!
Up in the Attic
Another fantastic room to convert into an office is the attic. A lot of people don’t use the space unless it was renovated when they moved in. However, if you can spare the cash, it’s worth considering taking on the project. You will be far enough away from the rest of the house and you can install a skylight to truly bask in the sun whilst you work. Not only that, you’ll be adding extra value to your home.
In summary, remote working is a fantastic way to have an improved work-life balance, but it can be a challenge to stay on task. The first thing you need to do when you start working from home is create an office space. The most important part of designing your new office is ensuring you can separate your working life and home life. Letting as much natural light in as you can and choosing the right colours will be a huge asset to your productivity level. Remember, you don’t need to spend a fortune to create your office – the vital part is having one.
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