More than a year has passed since that moment full of uncertainty in which we all left our traditional offices and went to work from our homes, today that’s no longer so uncertain and strange, rather we get used to it and some prefer it to work from an external office.
For this reason, although many places are already resuming their conventional activities and thanks to advances in medicine, they are working in face-to-face spaces, we want to share with you the tips that have helped our freelancers to enjoy the best spaces to develop their productivity.
Previously we have talked about the importance of having good work environments, and healthy spaces to work. With this, we mean both the quality of relationships with your colleagues and the organization of your workspace itself. Harmony has a very important effect on our mind, and even if it goes unnoticed at first, it helps us to unconsciously have a notion of calm and control of the situation that is useful to anyone in the work context.
This time, we will be talking about those things you should do and what not to do to have the best office setup in the comfort of your home. Feel free to read and apply them, and who knows? Maybe tell us on our social media how they have worked for you and if you have any other tips that you would like to add to this list.
Let’s start with the things you shouldn’t do.
Don’t:
Choose The Place Carelessly
Even if it is temporary, even if you think or are sure that you will only occupy the space for a short time, you should choose a place that adapts well to what you are going to need. Either a place where you can place your desk without problems or where there is not too much noise, so you can work with peace of mind.
A place that receives natural light or has good ventilation. These things, small as they seem, make a big difference in the aura of a space and how it can increase your productivity, or cause it to decline.
You must establish a specific workplace, and since this will be a place where you will go to concentrate and get the work done, it should be a place away from distractions such as televisions, and areas of your home where your relatives gather or walk around a lot. Preferably define a place that is clean, quiet, and clear, so that you can work most comfortably.
However, it’s recommended that this place is not in your room, if possible. Or if you have no other choice, try to get a desk and objects that you can use to divide the space so that your mind clearly understands which is the workspace and which is the rest space.
Think Temporarily
This is one of the most basic things to keep in mind. While it is true that most of us started working from home assuming that it would be a quick change and that sooner or later we would be back in our offices, today we know that it was not the case.
For this reason, those who had organized their offices as something that they would use for a short time, or even without organizing an office at all and worked from the dining room table or even the bed, began to see the cons of not having set up an office for the long term.
Buying cheap things just to muddle through and carelessly place them in your office thinking “This will only be for a couple of months” is one of the most common mistakes people make. With that line of thinking, the months will accumulate and accumulate and you will continue without having an adequate workspace.
Ideally, even if you are sure that you will only occupy the space for a short period of time, buy things that you could later reuse or adapt for another purpose. Make smart purchases.
Overlook Technology
This may be a no-brainer to point out, but the truth is that the importance of buying the right tech gadgets cannot be sufficiently stated. Of course, it’s not about spending all your money on having the latest in modern technology, but it’s about looking carefully at everything the market has to offer and comparing it with your own needs to make the right purchases.
Equipment that anyone could need in their office is, obviously, a computer, a printer, all the wiring in order so that all the devices work well, etc. It would be good for you to review what things you may be needing in your home to turn that space into a real office, make a list, and thus know what to buy as soon as you can.
Choosing technology wisely can save you from tons of problems in the long run. It’s no secret to anyone that today, the quality of our work depends largely on the equipment we have.
Forget The Aesthetics
Sometimes we tend to forget that human beings attach great importance to the visual character of everything that surrounds us, that is, if something looks wrong, or is boring in some way, our mind will undoubtedly be less stimulated at the time to perform a task on that place. Therefore, for workspaces at home, it’s advisable to pay attention to the aesthetic character, taking care of these details could help you as you cannot imagine.
The colors are very important, as well as how you reflect your personality in this space through different elements. Have fun choosing how you will decorate this space since you will spend hours in which you may not be too motivated by the task you have to do, and feeling comfortable and happy in the place could give you a little extra boost.
Adding colored furniture, some paintings or decorations for the walls, and rugs to section the space could make a big difference in the atmosphere of the place.
Now that we have reviewed some of the things that you should not do when creating an office in the comfort of your home, let’s move on to see some of the things you should do to get the most potential out of this space. Go ahead.
Do:
Visualize What You Want
Before you start buying and organizing your space, you must have in mind an idea of what you want to achieve, a goal that marks the path you are going to travel, so to speak.
On the Internet, you can find lots of inspiration, just by browsing Pinterest or Tumblr, and there you can collect ideas of the things that best suit you or are more accessible to start decorating or redecorating your space.
It’s very important that, beyond a space being visually pleasing, you take into account its comfort and functionality for what you need it for. For example, beyond choosing the most beautiful desk and chair, choose the ones that seem most comfortable and work best for you. Be ergonomic. You can’t sacrifice practicality for beauty when it comes to working.
Embrace Green
And by this, I don’t mean just the color, although if it applies to you, go ahead. I am referring to the natural green, the one that living beings bring. Surely you have come across a post over there that points out the incredible benefits of plants both to detoxify the air we breathe, to absorb noise, and to have a calming effect on our mind, so you know where I’m going with this.
Include healthy plants in your workspace. Domestic plants such as kalanchoes and some species of cacti are perfect to decorate your spaces and keep you company. Not only do they make any place look a little more welcoming, but they also help your physical and mental health.
Show Your Style
Since this will be a space where you will spend many hours, and in some cases, you will not even want to be there in the first place, you better adapt it so that it is comfortable for you. As we already mentioned, the aesthetic factor is very important, but it’s also important that this specific aesthetic suits you.
Don’t be afraid to add some personal touches, it’s as if you are decorating your desk at work, but this time you have all the space at your disposal to do whatever you want. This space is all yours and you can do what you want with it, print your personality on it.
You can decorate it by adding things related to whatever your interests are: music, fashion, literature, art, comics, or whatever. Unleash your creativity.
Keep The Space Organized
A place that is full of papers, scattered cables, and other garbage elements causes restlessness and stress, they give you the impression that you are also mentally messy. Even if it’s known that the most creative people don’t usually have all the time available to organize, we also know that cluttered spaces don’t help productivity, but rather they do the opposite.
This, in my opinion, and of course, based on my personal experience, is the most accurate and important recommendation of all, since you will not achieve anything having followed all the previous tips, but losing the order and cleanliness of your space at the end. It will be like having done nothing.
Therefore, it’s recommended that from time to time you check among the things that are accumulating on your desk and discard what you no longer need, as well as get rid of dust and dirt on the surfaces and rearrange your objects to lighten the aura of your home office.
With this we come to the end of today’s article, we hope that you can use these recommendations to your benefit and that sooner or later, you will enjoy a perfect space to exploit all your talent and potential from the comfort of your home!
