Your home office is a place where you should feel comfortable, productive and inspired. A work space can be what you want it to be. Your bed, your desk or a spare room in the house. It is important to feel comfortable in your space which will enable you to make the most out of your working day. Everyone will have different tastes, however here are five ideas to get you started.
1. Find a comfortable place
Where do you feel most comfortable to work? By making sure you have a good environment to work in is important. A spare room in a quiet area of the house could really help with your focus. On the other hand, maybe a comfy sofa in the living room could be your workspace of choice when others are out during the day. Or perhaps converting or building a garden shed to turn into your home office could be a good way to create a comfortable workspace.
Here is a free resource on a step-by-step guide on how to turn your shed into an office: https://www.waltons.co.uk/blogs/blog/how-to-turn-shed-into-office
2. Clear the space
Minimising any visual clutter on your desk can help with productivity. By removing unnecessary items in your work space, your mind can focus more on the work in front of you and less on your surroundings. Clutter can easily build up, especially when you are busy with daily tasks and work. Having a clear out is good every now and again to keep on top of your living and working spaces. If you find it hard to concentrate then maybe tidying your room or desk can help to kickstart your productivity when working at home.
3. Find furniture that suits you
Having the right desk can also help with your posture and productivity. Perhaps finding the right chair and desk height will be great for your home office and to minimise back pain. An ergonomic design can reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury (RSI) and ensure you the best comfort during your days spent working. According to RSI Awareness, in 1 year 5.4 million working days were lost in sick leave due to repetitive strain injuries. Therefore, finding comfortable chairs or an adjustable screen / desk could be better in the long run.
4. Design your office aesthetics
Design your office aesthetics Figure out what style you prefer, whether that is contemporary or retro feel. Look at some designs that could inspire you to recreate your own ideal home working space. Perhaps find a piece of furniture online that could be a great addition to your home office. Also, placing plants can be a brilliant way to decorate and add a bit of visually pleasing décor to your room. Plants can also purify the air and promote good wellbeing. Since you will spend a lot of time within your workspace, it is important to ensure it suits your tastes and makes you feel good when you work from home.
5. Think outside the box
Your home office does not necessarily have to be in your house. Convert an old garage or build a home office at the bottom of your garden if you have the space and funds to do so. Why not have a separate space outside of your house where you could design your home office yourself. Here is an article on how to build your own home office garden for some tips and tricks to get you started. https://www.self-build.co.uk/create-home-office-garden/.
On the other hand, for those who rent or shares a flat and converting a space into your home office is not possible, then why not find the perfect café as your working space. Finding a place to do your work does not even have to be at home.
In summary, your working space should be a place where you find peaceful enough that you feel relaxed, productive and ready to work. Hopefully these five ideas to design your home office have given you some inspiration on what your working space could look like. Keep adjusting your place and space until it feels right!