Working from home is wholly different from working in an office as you can create a more personalized workspace, have no commuting problems, and have more control over your schedule. According to a study by Stanford of over 16,000 workers, performance can increase up to 13% when working from home.

The best way to ensure that you’re providing the best quality of work from home is to set up a home office to increase your productivity, work without interruptions, and have boundaries between your work and personal time.

A home office needs to be designed in a way that increases your productivity and work performance yet still retains the comforts of your home. So how do you turn a spare space or room into a productive home office? Here are the top ten tips that will help you turn any room into an effective home office.

Why Do You Need Dedicated Work?

Now the question arises, do I need a home office? When working from home, why can’t I just work from my bed instead of setting up a whole room for work?

The answer is YES! No matter if you’re a student or a professional, you need a designated space to work,  improve focus, and increase your productivity. Working from your bedroom or dining room will negatively affect your work due to the constant distractions surrounding you at all times. According to medical research, working from bed can wreak havoc on your posture, cause back pains, disrupt your sleep schedule and make you less productive. The bedroom is meant to be a relaxing environment that promotes sleep. If you start working from your bed regularly, your brain will start associating bed with work, which will have a negative impact on your sleep when you’re trying to unwind for the night.

Having a dedicated workspace or corner where you can work will result in multiple benefits. A dedicated space enables you to focus, gets you into work mode mentally, minimizes distractions, and helps create a work/life balance when working from home.

10 Tips To Help You Set Up A Productive Home Office

Here is a list of top ten tips that will help you set up a productive and ergonomic home office.

1. Quiet Space

The location of your home office is a crucial factor when working from home. Our houses are filled with numerous distractions, such as food, kids, and the TV. Try to set up your home office in a secluded room or a small and quiet corner anywhere. A secluded room as a home office will help increase concentration and productivity in your work.

2. Office Furniture

Depending on your office space, you can utilize the wall space by putting up some shelves, placing a filing cabinet near your desk, and even set up a single or double drawer system. One of the most crucial home office essentials is a comfortable chair. If you can get a comfortable chair with excellent back support, then do so, as an unsuitable and rigid chair can cause severe back pain. Another vital home office essential is a suitable desk. It will be best to buy a decent-sized desk as you will need space for your printers, computer, paperwork, and more.

3. Technical Equipment

You cannot perform any job without the proper equipment. for your productivity to increase, you will need to have all the office equipment permanently located in your home office. It’s crucial to have a desk computer, an ergonomic mouse, noise-canceling headphones, a microphone, and any other tool required for your job in your home office. After you have bought all the required equipment, make sure to keep them well maintained.

4. Set Boundaries With The Family

It can be a bit challenging to separate your work and home life when working from home. To ensure your privacy, close your office door when working and hang a sign outside your door to inform your family members not to disturb you. Another great tip would be to attend to the requirements of your family members and pets before starting your work so that you can complete your work without any disturbance.

5. Tidy Workspace

A place that is not neat will offer many distractions resulting in a decrease in productivity. Keeping your workspace neat and tidy will be your responsibility and help you become more organized. You can set up a 15-20 minute daily routine to clean up your office at the end of each workday. If you put everything away once you are done for the day, you’ll be able to hit the ground running the following day, and you won’t be wasting time hunting for different things if everything is kept at its designated spot.

6. Office Lighting

Lighting can have a significant effect on mood and productivity. Think about what kind of lighting would be suitable for you. Do you have enough natural light coming through during the day, or are you more inclined to work during the evening? Having multiple ceiling lights as well as desk and floor lamps will keep your home office well-lit and help increase your productivity.

7. Personalize Your Space

A bland office is not a fun place to be in, instead, a personalized office can improve concentration, motivation, and inspiration. According to recent research, a personalized office results in employees’ satisfaction with the job and increases productivity. You can make your home office feel more inviting by adding things that showcase your personality. You can paint the office walls a bright color, add cute knick-knacks on the shelves, hang photos or wall art behind the desk, or add motivational prints or notepads. Personalizing your home office will make the room more lively and fun, which will definitely result in a productivity boost.

8. Add A Couple Of Plants

Work can be demanding, challenging, and even stressful at times. According to a recent study, adding plants to your home or office can actually reduce stress levels! So having a couple of plants added to your home office can do wonders for your stress and anxiety level. Not only do plants reduce stress levels, but they also add color to your office and remove indoor toxins from the space. You can place bamboo, bonsai, or peace lilies to create a calm and soothing environment in your home office.

9. Set Up A Schedule

Working from home can also result in people being lax by not staying on schedule and missing their meetings and deadlines. An easy tip to keep yourself accountable and stay on schedule while working from home is to use a calendar, daily planner, and planner apps. This practice makes it easier to stay on top of deadlines, meetings, and tasks when working from home. Also, have a set time to turn off your work mode. Don’t let your working hours bleed into your personal time.

10. Take Regular Breaks

Working continuously without any break in between can be tiring and result in decreased productivity and a lack of interest in your job. It is essential to take a regular 15-minute break every two hours when working from home. You should take analog breaks, breaks where you get up and move around the house, and should also take 20-30 minute power naps to recharge your mind. Taking breaks will relax your mind and enable you to focus on your work with a fresh outlook.

Think About The Next Steps

According to statistics, 77% of remote workers are more productive when working from home. Information technology is one of the industries where working remotely is a rapidly increasing trend as about 16% of the companies are entirely remote all over the world.

Setting up a home office is a step forward into your future and is an investment in your career. As the tech industry is a leading industry with better pay and has more remote work opportunities, it can prove to be the perfect field for you as it will enable you to work from home with great pay. To get a job in the tech industry, you can join boot camps and learn IT skills in just a few months, which will enable you to get a full-time remote job in the IT field where you can work comfortably from your home office.

Conclusion

These are the top ten tips for setting up a productive home office that will enable you to work remotely. You can learn considerable IT skills by going to a university or getting a college degree or fast-track this move by joining a boot camp. ConsulNet Corporation offers a variety of programs, and you can look here to see which ones interest you.

I hope you enjoyed this article and it was helpful for you. Feel free to contact us if you have any queries.