How to Make Your Home Office the Productive Space You Need
4-Minute Read
The days of white box offices are over. The new age for remote or hybrid working is in full swing.
Over 40% of the British workforce now work part-time or full-time at home, and this will continue to grow. Many have come to love this way of working as it gives them the freedom to spend more time with family and have less time commuting. However, it does come with its struggles. Most people find it hard to create a clear divide between work and home life when creating a home office, especially when the space isn’t optimised for your work productivity, leaving people feeling deflated and unmotivated. So, there has never been a better time to ensure your home office is optimised for you and what you need.
Having a Clean Room Creates a Clear Mind and Space.
Before we even start our day, our workspace should be clean and tidy. This helps us focus on the jobs ahead and not procrastinate thinking about how messy our office is.
A clean workspace leaves a lasting impression. A cluttered background of your video meetings or other objects in view can be perceived as unprofessional. Having a clean space not only helps you but also helps colleagues and potential clients know that you care and respect yourself, your space and, in this case, your work/business.
Implement sleek storage solutions to keep all of your belongings organised and tidy. This will help you keep your space clean and clutter free, whilst enhancing your efficiency and overall workflow.
Having a Space That Works Around You.
Efficiency is a foundation for success when it comes to making your space productive.
Having an ergonomic space will help keep you on track to increased productivity. Each person and business is different, and you must create a planned space that works for how your business or profession is set up. Our best advice for this would be to space plan accordingly and make sure all your essential equipment is within reaching distance.
Try and avoid using your workspace as an overflow for other household items. This can end up with you never fully being able to get away from your work as you have to see constant reminders of your work. Keep it all in one room so you can shut it away at the end of your workday. See how we can help you with your space planning here.
Lighting Can Make or Break, Creating a Productive Environment for Yourself.
Bad lighting can cause eye strain from blue light, headaches from lighting that is too harsh and contributes to your stress levels. However, there are a couple of lighting types you should look for to help combat these and make sure you’re using the right lighting for the job at hand.
Task Lighting | For your office, the main objective for your space is to complete your work. Try to make sure this type of lighting comes from above the task at hand. Bulbs used are usually cooler in tone and brighter than other light sources to ensure your jobs are easier and clearer to see.
Natural Light | Often overlooked, natural light will help create a lighter environment with the benefits of helping your wellness. It is proven that sunlight can help our mood. Natural light can also give you a sense of time. This can help you wind your day down to a close without constantly looking at the clock.
Ambient Lighting | This creates the mood you want to portray in the room. Often done by different lighting sources in the room, like a floor lamp or table lamp, it will emphasise the tone you want to set for the room. This type of light is used to accentuate a rooms appeal and is meant to supplement your other light sources.
If you want some more information on lighting, check out our blog on lighting here.
Use Colour To Your Advantage and Bring Your Room Together.
Colour can subconsciously affect our mood, our energy levels, and even how we perceive space. It is one of the best tools an interior designer can use, so picking the right colour for your room is integral to creating the right environment for your workspace. I’m not just talking about the walls; I'm also talking about furniture, furnishings, and fabrics.
Picking a colour that helps bring productivity, whether that be a colour that stimulates like red or a colour that relaxes like blue, you must make sure it works for you and the environment you want. This colour should be seen throughout the room; it’s a subconscious reminder to keep you stimulated. It doesn’t mean you have to paint all the walls in this colour, but you can accessorise it with pops of colour throughout your space. This can be through paintings, desk lamps, or even a rug.
For those who have a business or who have a brand image, you can use the colour of your room to represent this and the image you want to portray.
Don’t Just Take Care of Business, Consider Your Wellness.
Health and wellness is about finding balance in your life. Work is a big part of everyone’s lives, and it can be a huge factor in our health and happiness. These factors can be the difference between someone enjoying their work or dreading it. Therefore, you should always consider your wellness when working remotely.
Choosing to work from home or having no choice too, means we are likely to spend most of the day in our “home office”. So, think of ways in which you can help your health, whether that be through body and/or mind. Good health leads to being more productive. This could be the installation of an air purifier for a clean space or a bespoke desk that functions for seated and standing work. Be sure to bring things that give you pleasure to the space, too. This could be through images of your loved ones or reminders of why you are doing what you are doing.
Your home office should embody your professionalism and be setup and designed to aid you within your daily responsibilities and success. Creating an environment that you want to spend time in will naturally help with your performance, and create that much needed separation from work and life that is essential in this modern day.
If you require any help with planning and design for your home office, contact us today through the link below.