There have never been as many remote workers as there are today. It’s not just us in the UK that are living our own version of the digital nomad lifestyle, it’s an initiative that is sweeping the globe.
With more and more people realising that they can get just as much work done at home (sometimes more) than compared to working at the office, working from home seems to be the new normal.
It’s not all smooth sailing though. Working from home also brings a fair amount of challenges, leading some to have to search desperately for remote work productivity hacks and tips on staying focused at home. This is exactly what we aim to help you with by offering some advice on creating a functional home office that keeps you working at your best potential.
Prioritise Productivity & Comfort
When we are looking to create a home office, we like to consider a few factors, such as making sure the office we create will promote productivity and be comfortable to work in.
To ensure you can work from home successfully, here are some home office productivity tips for remote workers:
- Area of home – if you have multiple options of where to include your home office, choose an area that typically has the least amount of traffic and is relatively quiet.
- Office layout – whether you have a dedicated room or are setting up your office in an existing space, the layout needs to be accommodating to your needs. Think about what you need to get done in this space and build your office around that.
- Available space – you may not have much space to work with, so be sure to make your efficient home office design appropriate to the space you have available and avoid clutter.
Not only do the above points make your home office a more productive space but they also help to make you feel comfortable in your work environment. And comfort is key.
Work-from-home essentials like your desk and chair are important elements, which make selecting the right furniture paramount; when searching for your home office furniture, don’t just look at style, but consider vital elements, such as height, durability, weight limit, and of course comfort.
The Technical Side
Working from home is something that is only made possible with the internet and electronics. That’s why, in your home office setup, you must consider the technical side.
Start by ensuring you have enough available and close-by plug outlets to be able to do your job. For example, if you need a laptop, mobile phone, printer, and desk lamp to do your work, that’s potentially four plugs you need to have access to and ideally have them be close to your desk to power and charge your equipment.
Cable management also ties into this. A mismatch of cables covering your home office floor is an eyesore, as well as dangerous, plus the sight of cables can be very distracting. We suggest setting up your desk or other pieces of furniture to cover cables; you could also look into clever ways of hiding cables.
Of course, we cannot forget about the internet. To support your work, you need WIFI that can keep up. Having a great internet provider and always having access to the internet is the key to attaining that digital nomad lifestyle.
Make It Yours
It’s widely known that the environment we work in affects the work we produce – it’s why companies sometimes invest in commercial renovation.
Making your workspace look nice isn’t just to please the eye, it also encourages better concentration and a happier work life – when we work in a space that we love, our morale and, therefore, productivity are boosted.
This is why making it yours is a vital component of creating a productive workspace. Choose the colours you like, include décor that makes you happy, or you could even give your office a theme, like modern, rustic or traditional.
What to do if You Don’t Have the Room for a Home Office?
If you don’t have the room, you could make the room. When we say this, we don’t mean making room for your home office by rearranging the living room furniture to carve out your own workspace or pulling the kitchen table more to one side to fit in your desk.
What we mean is that you could make the room in your home for an office through home construction.
By renovating, extending or converting your home, you could create an entirely new home space, specifically for your home office setup. Yes, this is one of the biggest remote work solutions and quite a large investment. Though if there is one sure-fire way of creating a productive workspace, it is to create an entire dedicated area of your house for your home office.
Final Thoughts
If you are a remote worker, it’s about time you created a home office to ensure you can stay as productive as possible. If you already have a home office, is it as functional as it could be? Try checking out some workspace organisation ideas, consider if you have created the most efficient home office design, and remember that there are plenty of remote work productivity hacks online that may help you out.
If this blog has helped you to understand what makes a great home office, we’d love to hear what you have in mind for your own home office project, and if we can help, you could be sitting in your very own one-of-a-kind office in no time.