Tip 1.
Apply layers of lighting. The right lighting is crucial in a home workspace. Lighting affects your mood, your productivity and how you look during meetings. Don’t settle for a single overhead light. You need an array of lighting for specific purposes. Get an adjustable desk lamp for task lighting, so you can point a beam of light exactly where you need it. Add ambient light with a desktop or floor lamp that diffuses light through a shade or bounces it off a wall or ceiling. The goal: To bathe the entire space in soft light. To help you look better on conference calls, consider investing in a ring light. This isn’t just vanity; it’s a matter of professionalism. When so much of our communication happens on a video conference instead of across a conference table, the people we are talking to need to see our faces clearly on screen. If you’re lucky enough to have natural light in your home workspace, great! Not only does natural light help your lighting (just be sure to sit facing a window), but it also can improve your mood and work accuracy and reduces drowsiness, headaches and eyestrain.
Tip 2.
Declutter your desk. This seems obvious, but let’s be honest: When was the last time you cleaned your desk? Yeah, that’s what we thought. Well, now’s the time. Toss anything that needs to be thrown out, put those stray pens in one decorative container and file the piles of paper. Make sure you have all your workday essentials close at hand, and move all non-essentials elsewhere. Clutter can be a distraction, and dirty coffee cups and piles of dog-eared folders won’t look good on either. Cleaning up your workspace is not just about appearances, though. Research has shown that cluttered spaces can negatively affect our stress levels and hinder our ability to focus.
Tip 3.
Get serious about your office furniture. Go for ergonomic office furniture. It used to be that an office manager worried about ergonomics, the science of fitting the equipment to the worker. Now that’s your job. Make sure you have what you need to stay healthy and comfortable while working. Instead of slouching on the sofa hunched over your laptop, choose an office chair that supports your back and a desk that’s the right height for your frame. Try a standing desk, so you’re not sitting all day, and consider getting a monitor stand to elevate your screen for the most comfortable viewing. If you’re looking for a DIY solution, create your own monitor stand by using a few large hardcover books to raise your monitor. Investing in ergonomic furniture can keep you healthy by preventing carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle strains and lower back injury.
Tip 4.
Divide a room for privacy. If you don’t have a separate room to dedicate to a home office, a room divider is an easy way to carve out a bit of privacy for your workspace in a larger room. Use a folding-style divider that you can pack up and stash at the end of the workday or curtains to create privacy. For a more permanent divider, use large, freestanding bookshelves to divide a room while giving you storage for your supplies. Dividers will screen out distractions, block some background noise and even provide a backdrop forcalls. Consider adding a white noise machine or using noise canceling headphones to help block out even more background distractions.
Tip 5.
Personalize your home office space. The best thing about working from home? This is your space. You don’t need to get approval from your boss or facilities to make the place you work reflect your personality. Hang art on the wall that matters to you. Surround yourself with tropical plants. Put your dog’s bed near your desk, so your best friend can snooze at your feet while you work. Set up an aromatherapy diffuser, and paint the walls your favorite color. Create an inspiration board and fill it with things that make you happy, like images of your family, friends and pets or pictures of your dream vacation spot. This is your space. If an object makes you happy, calm and productive, put it in your line of sight.
