The home office was once a rare find in the average household, and often a barely-converted box room with the sole purpose of hosting the ‘family computer’ and various important documents. Today, though, the home office has taken on a whole new dimension, as remote working becomes more popular and more common across industries.
Though remote working can typically be done anywhere you can sit with a laptop, there are key productivity concerns that arise from attempting to work from the kitchen table, sofa or even bed. A dedicated working space is nothing short of essential for the proper undertaking of work at home – but how can you create your own comfortable and effective home office?
How to Create the Perfect Home Office to Maximise Business Productivity?
DIY It
Before you make any concrete plans for your new office space, you first need to think about the way in which you will approach transforming. Here, we’ll naturally advocate for a DIY approach. Going DIY enables you to keep crucial costs down; a DeWalt multi tool set can cover all your bases furniture-building at a low upfront cost, and labour costs are circumvented entirely.
Not only does going DIY reduce the cost burden of your new home office, but it also enables you to retain complete control over the finished product. Anything that occurs to you mid-build can be implemented no problem, and the end result will accurately reflect your aesthetic and ergonomic needs in a way that a contractor might not otherwise be able to manage.
Lighting
Lighting is extremely important for the comfort and functionality of your office space. It is affordable home upgrades for your home office setup. While other rooms in your house might be able to rely on natural light, your office will need a number of light sources to enable you to work efficiently.
You will need a desk lamp to highlight the work in front of you, and an ambient lighting solution to create a comfortable mood in your space. Diffuse lighting can also ensure you are visible in video conference calls, and that your space is presentable.
Ergonomics and Comfort
Earlier, there was mention of office ergonomics. Put simply, your office needs to meet your body’s needs from both a safety and comfort perspective. If your computer’s screen is at the wrong height and angle for you, for example, you could be giving yourself unnecessary neck pain and other posture issues.
As such, your comfort should be a paramount concern when building your office. Your desk and monitor risers should be the right height for your neck and back, and your desk chair should provide posture support to lessen the risk of skeletomuscular injury. Ergonomics and comfort can also play into the placement of other items and furniture pieces; everything you use at least once an hour should be within arm’s reach, and everything you use once a day within a step of your desk.