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How to set up your home office

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The culture of working from home is not new, especially in the US, where most people are used to working remotely. But still, some still believe they must wake up each morning to report to their workplace. How do you help such a person to change his or her mentality and start working from home? This is a huge change for many and can be incredibly stressful.

First, you must show them how to create a home office. Now, creating a home office can be quite a struggle, especially if you live in a small house and have a large family. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do it. You will have to be organized and figure out your ‘musts.’ Below are some tips to help you set up a good home office.

Choose a dedicated workspace

The first step to creating the best home office is to find the best location. The choice of your location will depend on factors such as the size of your house and the usability of the space. Ideally, you should have a separate room that can accommodate a desk, chair, and computer equipment.

It will be helpful if the room has a door so that you can separate your personal life from your work life. If you don’t have an extra, you can create one, perhaps in a small corner in your living room, by adding some comfortable bean bags to create space.

If space allows it, having two dedicated workspaces can work wonders. You can have a main office with a complete setup and the ability to shut the door (and the outside world), but you can also have a secondary workplace that is much more relaxed for when you are desperate for a change in scenery. For example, if you have a kitchen worktop that allows you to sit at, this can be a welcome change that helps spark creativity.

Tip: ensure your workspace has enough natural light. Natural light helps boost serotonin and works towards good mental health. Sitting under artificial light is proven to cause depression and anxiety.

Get a good chair

You need to invest in a good chair that is at the correct work height. The chair should encourage an upright posture needed to enable you to work comfortably. Unless you want to develop back problems, you should invest in an adjustable office chair that provides lumbar support for your lower back.

• Armrest

• Lumbar support

• Ergonomic office chair

• Avoiding dining or deck chairs

Add some lighting

Most remote employees always forget about adding some light to their home offices to increase visibility. Poor lighting makes you strain your eyes which could see you experience headaches. Take advantage of the natural light by placing your home office near a window. Alternatively, get a task lamp to provide extra lighting when you need it.

• Place curtains in windows to reduce glare

• Balance your monitor’s light

Tame the wires

Connecting your computer, monitor, keyboards, printer, and other electronic gadgets will require wires or cables. Get a wire management system to tame your wires and at least hold them together. Alternatively, you can invest in wireless gadgets like a wireless mouse, printers, keyboards, among others. Wi-Fi is also a sure bet to taming wires and cords in your home office.

If you will have clients or customers over, poor cable management can not only look unprofessional, it can also be a trip hazard. The last point is also true if you have children who may sneak into your office.

Don’t forget about storage

You should have a place to keep your files, documents, or any office accessories not in use. You don’t want the place to look untidy, with files scattered everywhere. You may even use a small area in an existing shelving unit for storage of your office accessories. You can maximize storage options by thinking vertically.

Good internet service

You’ll need an internet connection to navigate the internet when working. Here you need to consider the speed and stability of the connection – you don’t want to spend an hour waiting for a page to load. You should get in touch with a high-speed internet provider to supply you with a stable internet connection.

Add plants

Plants can not only help make a space more aesthetically pleasing, but they can also help clean indoor air by absorbing toxins, increasing humidity and producing oxygen. They can also help boost creativity, productivity and concentration. While you may not want your office to resemble a jungle or greenhouse, the odd plant here and there can make a world of difference to your workspace and mental health.

Get rid of all distractions

Distractions are all around us; however, you shouldn’t set up your workspace in front of the TV. Doing so can deplete any concentration levels you may have and contribute to poor work performance. Even having the TV turned off in your workplace can be enough of a temptation.

You may also want to log out of all social media if you are working online. While you may think there is nothing wrong with checking your Twitter notifications every now and then, in the long run, all those minute long breaks add up and can break your concentration when working on a project.

Keep it clean

This is where you work, and no one wants to work in a dirty and cluttered workspace. Be sure to remove any dirty mugs or plates once you’ve finished with them and keep only what is essential in the office or on your desk. While it is okay to have some personal belongings on your desk (the odd picture frame of your family or a POP! Figure), you still want to feel as if you can move around your desk easily. Keep cleaning supplies stored in your office (if storage space allows it). You will want to keep on top of dusting your monitors and cleaning your mouse and keyboard as these can become a home for germs. Also, vacuum the office once a week.

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