5 Tips For Creating Your New Home Office
If working from home is your new normal and you haven’t quite got your head around setting up an efficient and productive workspace yet, here’s five tips to help you set up a space that will keep you comfortable, calm and healthy in your new home office environment!
1 // CLAIM YOUR SPACE
Okay, where are you going to set up? Ideally you want to make it as permanent as possible so you’re not clearing things away at the end of the day and setting up again the next morning.
Do you have a spare room?
Can that be rejigged to become a home office?
Is there a corner in the house where a neat and tidy desk can fit in?
It looks like we’re going to be in this situation for a while, so it might be worth considering offsite storage solutions for furniture and items that need to make way for the new home office set up.
2 // ERGONOMICS
It’s sooooo important to make sure you’re not perched on a couch, at the end of a dining table or sitting on an unsuitable chair that is going to cause you back and neck problems.
Here’s some ergonomic guidelines to follow when you’re setting up a workspace.
- Adjust the chair height so elbows are at desktop level
- Make sure your chair provides good lower back support. Buy a lumber roll if the back of the chair doesn’t support your back, or use a rolled up towel or blanket.
- Your feet should comfortably reach the floor. Use a footrest if they don’t.
- Position your mouse as close as possible to the keyboard so both elbows are directly under the shoulders while working.
- The computer monitor should be at eye level – nothing a pile of books can’t sort out!
- If you have a laptop, consider getting a second monitor (or a second keyboard) so you don’t end up with a sore neck.
3 // DECLUTTER
Researchers have found a neat and tidy workspace positively impacts your creativity and the way your brain operates when you’re working. So create a home office area that is free of clutter.
Channel your inner Marie Kondo and clear out anything that is not needed for you to do your work and does not bring you joy – pop anything you don’t need into storage.
You can even incorporate some Feng Shui into your home office. Don’t set your desk up so you have your back to the door (I swear it’s like the kids morph out of the floor sometimes!). And include some greenery in your space to invite in feelings of calm and increase creativity.
4 // LIGHT IT UP
You’ll be less inclined to take that sneaky afternoon nap if your home office has plenty of natural light.
Can you find a room or space in the house that is near a window letting in lots of lovely sunshine?
A desk lamp is also a good idea to light up your active work area – where your computer, books and notes are.
5 // MOVE IT OR LOSE IT
Sitting is the new smoking, apparently. Sitting for too long can impact weight, your risk of getting a chronic disease – yikes!! – back problems, varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis and more.
So, how do you combat that if you’re sitting at your desk for most of the day? Three ways!
- Order a standing desk and work towards standing for at least four hours a day. A standing desk can be a little exey, so another alternative is a tabletop standing desk you can place on your existing desk.
- Move every 30 minutes. Set an alarm if you get focused on your work and time slips away. Simply getting up for a quick wander around the house or yard will help counteract those nasty issues from sitting too long.
- Get a big exercise session in at some point throughout the day. You need 60-75 minutes per day of moderate-intensity activity to combat the dangers of excessive sitting, apparently. So once the day is done or before it’s even started, head out for a big walk or solo cycle. Or set up your own circuit in the garage!
You know that saying we’re here for a good time not a long time? Well, it looks like we’re here – working from home – for a while yet, so we may as well have a good time while we’re doing it!
