If you want to be productive and earn a lot of money, you should organize a comfortable working space for yourself. In this article, you will find handy recommendations on how to do it at home. But if you work from an office, you can follow these recommendations too — the only difference is that you will need to coordinate all your activities with your colleagues and supervisors. These tips will not make you spend a fortune and it will take you a minimum of time to put them into practice.
Find a Cozy Corner
Small business owners, remote workers, freelancers and self-employed individuals do not need a whole room for themselves. You can organize a working corner in your kitchen, bedroom, living room, basement, terrace or elsewhere. Ideally, it should be disconnected from the surrounding sounds and actions. Use the kitchen only in case no one else will be cooking or eating there while you are working. If you have kids, locate your workspace in that part of the house that is not adjacent to the children’s room.
Start With Decluttering
You should have only those items on your working table that you use every day: a computer, a smartphone, stationery and a couple of other objects. Avoid turning your workplace into a storage corner. Throw away all the unnecessary papers. Hide useful documents inside a cabinet. When you need a certain page or a folder, take them out of the cabinet and put them on the desk. But as soon as you are done with the task that was connected with these documents, get them out of your sight once again. If you follow this recommendation, your productivity will increase and you will be able to achieve more in a shorter time.
Invest in a Comfortable Chair
This piece of furniture serves as an essential prerequisite for your comfort, health and work efficiency. You should not borrow an old chair from the kitchen or buy a random one at an online sale. Cheap seating whose designers did not take into account the peculiarities of the human anatomy might cause spine pain, headaches, muscle stiffness, fatigue and other health issues. To avoid these problems, visit an offline shop and sit on every chair you might consider buying. Move a bit, as if trying to reach a notebook or push a coffee cup to the edge of the table. If you feel comfortable and enjoy full freedom of movement, buy this chair. Those who do not like online shopping or lack time for it can purchase seating in trusted online shops, such as Room Service 360.
Select a Table of an Optimal Height
Height is the most important parameter for this piece of furniture. If you do not have a table that was designed for office usage, most likely you will be able to use a dining one. But please discard the idea of putting your laptop on a coffee table, a serving trolley or on top of a chest of drawers. This would make you stoop and in a week or so your back will start aching. If there are drawers under the table, make sure that they leave enough free space for your legs.
Find Appropriate Lighting
In addition to the ceiling light, you should purchase a desktop lamp. It should not be too dim because this would make you feel sleepy. If the lamp is too bright, it might tire your eyes prematurely. If you are planning to turn on the lamp when working on your computer, opt for the white light and not yellow. The latter should not be combined with the light of the computer screen.
Make Sure You Have Enough Fresh Air
If your table stands by the window, you should be able to open it from time to time. When the window is closed, good air conditioning is essential for productive work. If there is no air conditioner in the premise, put a compact fan on your table — but make sure it does not make too much noise.
Noises Can Be Helpful Sometimes
Some people lose focus when surrounded by absolute silence. To turn on music at minimum volume is not the only way out. You can purchase a desktop fountain and enjoy the relaxing sound of flowing water. Or you can compile a collection of recorded sounds of nature: ocean waves splashing against the beach, the wind rustling in the Autumn leaves, birds chirping in a morning forest. However, you should be careful with the sounds. They indeed help some people to focus — but others, on the contrary, tend to relax and work slower when listening to such records.
Customize the Space
Converting a part of your living area into a working space is not synonymous with making it sterile and faceless. Feel free to place a photo of your family close to your computer. Buy a funny mousepad. Put live, oxygen-generating plants in nice pots on the windowsill: they will cheer you up and make the space more inviting. You might think you can do without these elements of decor in your home office. But in fact, the more emotionless your working corner, the more often you will feel the urge to leave it and enjoy the homely ambiance of your kitchen or living room.
Also, you should think of all those people with whom you will have video calls and conferences. An elegant and personalized background will produce a favorable impression on them.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article came in handy and you can use it as your step-by-step guide when creating an ideal working space. The main idea of this space is to help you disconnect from your home environment and concentrate on your work. When you sit at your desk, you should forget about the fridge, the washing machine and the cat who is having a nap in the next room. To achieve this goal, you should make your working corner as cozy and functional as possible.