ad collaborative post // To say that we’re in the era of the home office would be a gross understatement. Events over the past couple of years have transformed our ways of working and mean that many of us do so from the comfort of our own four walls.
Once upon a time, a home office was a temporary deal, with many having the luxury of being perched on the end of the kitchen table and other similar places.
Now, things have changed, and through today’s article we’ll go through some of the best ideas to set up your perfect home office space:
Create a dedicated workspace
Granted, this first point won’t be open to everyone, but if you have the space try and create a dedicated workspace. In other words, make your area as permanent as can be. This can be done in a number of ways:
- If you’re lucky enough to have a separate room that you can use as an office, then great, go for it.
- Another option is to use a corner of a room as your office space. This can be done by putting up a shelf or a screen to section off the area.
- A final option, which is perhaps the most popular, is to use a desk in your bedroom. Of course, this isn’t the ideal situation, but it can be made to work (as many Zoom meetings have testified over recent years!)
Invest in the right furniture
One of the most important aspects of setting up your office is to make sure you have the right furniture. This doesn’t mean that you have to go out and spend a fortune, but it’s important to have pieces that are comfortable and fit the space you have.
If you’re going to be spending a lot of time at your desk, then it’s worth investing in a good quality chair. This doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should offer good back support.
As for the desk itself, again it doesn’t have to be expensive, but make sure it’s big enough for your needs. You don’t want to be cramped up, so it’s worth measuring the space you have before making a purchase. The very worst thing you can have, especially if you’re creating a permanent solution, is a desk where you’re constantly banging your knees because it’s too low!
Consider the lighting
Lighting is often overlooked when setting up a home office, but it’s actually very important. If you’re going to be spending long hours at your desk, then you need to make sure the area is well lit.
The best option is to have a mix of natural and artificial light. If you can position your desk near a window, then make the most of the natural light on offer.
In terms of artificial light, it’s worth investing in a good quality desk lamp. This doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should offer a good level of light for those evenings where you’re burning the midnight oil.
Invest in some storage
The final point to make is that it’s important to keep your office organized. This means having a place for everything and making sure that everything is in its place.
One of the challenges of working from home is that it’s very easy for your office to become cluttered.
Whether it’s the classic filing cabinet, or modern storage boxes, or even external storage solutions at facilities such as Safestore – anything goes. It’s all about making the most of the space you have, which is what the perfect home office really comes down to.
I definitely joined the working from home gang January 2021. It is just unfortunate that myself and my partner are living with my parents whilst we find our home so this means I don’t get a separate space and have to make do with the bedroom. However, I agree with the points you raise about the lighting and having a chair and desk. My desk is by the window so I get the light but also a nice view outside of the garden etc. Also I think people will benefit from this post a lot more nowadays x
Great post! I think it’s quite incredible the number of people that are now working from home and you’ve presented many of the essentials for doing so. Thanks for sharing.