More and more people are opting for working from home. But, if you feel that working from home sounds interesting, there are a couple of things you should be aware of. Namely, one of the most important aspects of your productivity will be your home office. And, unfortunately, not all people are aware of how to make their home office functional. So, in order to make your work from home truly worthwhile, here are 10 tried-and-true secrets for a productive home office.
Secrets for a Productive Home Office
Before we get into our secrets for a productive home office, there is one thing we have to make clear. There is no such thing as a perfect home office. Every person has their own preference and their own way of doing things. This is why, when organizing your home office space, you need to experiment and see what suits you. Don’t expect that you will simply set up some furniture and be done with it for good. As you will soon learn, there are multiple factors that can influence your productivity and mood. So, do yourself a favor and try out new things until you’ve organized a home office that suits you perfectly.
Declutter
The first thing you need to do, especially if you haven’t used the space for a long time, is to declutter. Most people don’t realize how cluttered their home offices are until somebody points it out. And, since most home workers and introverted, this can take a while. So, do yourself a favor and declutter as often as possible. If you use packing supplies in a way that will save you cash, decluttering can even be cost-effective. Therefore, try to make it a ritual to declutter at least once every two weeks.
Minimalism
If you are setting up your new company in your home, minimalism is the best design choice to stick with. The more time you spend in your home office the more you will figure out what you need and what you don’t. But, if you start with an over-cluttered space, doing so can be a bit difficult. So, the best course of action is to declutter, and then start small. Only implement the things you are absolutely sure you need. In time, you will easily add others.
The importance of colors
Colors play a big role in how we perceive a room. Certain shades invoke a feeling of ease and tranquility, while others can make us feel more energetic and up at arms. So, when you set up your home office, try to pick a color the suits you perfectly. Our advice is to start with cold colors like green and blue and only proceed if they don’t suit you.
Having the right light
It stands to reason that with the importance of colors, comes the importance of light. After all, light plays a huge role in how we will see the colors around us, and therefore how we will perceive the room we are in. So, what are you to do? Well, our advice is to have as many natural light sources as possible. Ideally, you want to work as long as you can in natural light as it is the easiest on your eyes.
When it comes to artificial lighting, you only need to have a single blue light near your desk. Every other source of light should be yellow. The yellow light will not tire out your eyes, while blue will help you stay focused on your task.
Picking the right furniture
Once you are done with the walls and the lighting, you will need to pick out your office furniture. And one of the best secrets for a productive home office is again to start small. Office furniture can be expensive, and you can easily get something that you don’t need. So, always value quality over quantity and only get what is really necessary.
Nature elements
A plant or two can do you a world of good, especially if you don’t leave your home much. Spending a lot of hours indoors can be unhealthy, which is why you need to have a plant close to you from the get-go. Even a single plant can make your whole office much more pleasant.
Heat
The temperature of your room is also something that you should take into consideration. According to research, the ideal office temperature is 71.6°F (22°C). So, try to maintain your office as such.
Healthy work conditions
The last couple of secretes were, at least in part, about being healthy when working from home. And trust us, knowing how to stay healthy is one of the most important secrets for being productive in your home office. Remember, most home office workers don’t have sick leave. This means that the sicker you get, the more your work will suffer. So, if for nothing else, keep your health up for productivity.
Removing temptation
Unfortunately, even if you are healthy, you might have trouble concentrating. A large part of transitioning from a standard to a home office is knowing how to make yourself focus on your work. After all, the only way to make your business a success in 2020 is to work hard and stay focused. So, if you want to make this task easier, remove all temptations. This means that no fun or relaxation objects should be present in your home office. If you want to take a break, leave the office.
Make sure to leave your home office, or at least your desk, if you plan on taking a break.
Knowing the time
The final, and the easiest to implement out of all the secrets for a productive home office, is to get a wall clock. Since you are working from home, you should know what time it is, at all times. And, the easiest way of doing so, without checking your phone and risking procrastination, is to have a wall clock.
Author bio: Paul Thompson has been a professional web designer for over 20 years. He now focuses on being a stay at home dad and working from his home office where he writers helpful articles about web design, SEO management, being a dad and working from home.
