Improving your productivity in your home office can be tricky. Mixing home and work life is difficult enough without having to add to the stress of whether you will get your list of work done today. With that in mind Squark Design have highlighted 8 areas in which you can create a better space for home working – so you can reduce your stress, work more productively and maybe even make your home a more inspiring place to work.
1. Set up your home office for productivity
Try to find a quiet corner of the house where outdoor noise and family disruptions are at a minimum is the first step to improving productivity in your home office. If possible, make sure your space has a window, unless you enjoy working in dark corners. Put a few plants in your office to improve the air quality and provide something peaceful to look at. Make sure everything you use regularly is close to hand and keep clutter to a minimum – it’s frustrating and wastes time.
2. Inspired space creates inspired minds
Create an atmosphere that inspires you – make it a place in which it’s a pleasure to spend time. An environment like this will help you to work more productively in your home office. If looking at white walls all day isn’t doing anything for your productivity – try creating a feature walls in your space. Consider full walls, wall decals and stickers or even a colour (such as green) that will help you to relax and work more efficiently. Make sure that the you use products and patterns that will inspire you to work – not distract you.
3. Get comfortable at your desk
Invest in a good office chair and make sure you’re sitting in an ergonomically correct position at your desk. If you get really uncomfortable sitting for too long, try a standing desk. I use one and can highly recommend it. An anti-glare screen for your computer can seriously improve your comfort level, allowing to focus on getting that work done.
4. Declutter your home office often
Things have a habit of collecting in home offices, especially if you have kids. Be ruthless and remove all unread books, paper piles, used mugs and whatever else is taking up space for no purpose. Resist the urge to fill that space with storage. You can be more focused with a clean, uncluttered office.
5. Take care of your eyes
Reduce eye strain by following the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, stop looking at your screen. Stare at something 20 yards away and hold it for 20 seconds. This might not sound much, but you’d be surprised how much difference it can make!
6. Dress For Work
It’s easy to get into the routine of wandering down the stairs in your PJs, grabbing a cuppa and heading straight to the computer. You can shower later, right? Don’t do it. Force yourself to get up and get ready for a regular work day, every day. You’re going to get distracted, you’ll lose track of time and be in a panic when you suddenly have to get ready for a video call or to actually go somewhere. Plus, there’s just something about dressing for a day at work that makes you feel more professional and ready to tackle your work in the most productive way possible.
7. Think Temperature
You don’t want to work where the temperature is too hot or too cold. This can reduce concentration and cause fidgeting and reduce productivity. Find a space that is a good, regular temperature and that will allow you to focus. If your space gets too hot at a certain part of the day, try splitting your day into things that need to be done at the desk, and things that don’t.
8. Co-working hubs and spaces
Sometimes home working just isn’t for you, or you live in the smallest of spaces that home working is hear impossible. This is where finding a local ‘Co-Working Hubs’ where you can hire a desk for a day, week or month may be worth your weight in gold. With energy prices looking to sore even further, this could be a cost effective way to get productive and save money at home. There are now over 6,000 sites in the UK, so look online for your nearest.
Here are some co-working companies to get you started:
Finally…
Hopefully these 8 areas will help you work more productively so you can have a better work/life balance.
