Setting Up Your Home Office For Success

Thanks to COVID-19 more people are working from home now than ever. Having a home office that is optimised for productivity is essential. Productivity flourishes in an environment that is well laid out, distraction-free and in a healthy environment.

Modern workplaces are usually designed by experts to maximise the efficiency and health of employees. When it comes to working from home, most people aren’t privy to that kind of expertise when setting up their office. But we can begin learning by implementing their strategies in our own homes.

There is a lot to consider when it comes to working from home! It can seem a bit overwhelming if you are starting from scratch. This post is going to break down some top tips for a home office to set you up for success!

Decide on your home office space

It is important to ensure that your home office space is private and dedicated to working.. This will help you keep family distractions at bay by separating your work life and business life. Pets, children, TVs and even the kitchen cupboard can be seriously distracting when you are working from home.

These kinds of distractions are frustrating and hinder your productivity, which may result in you needing to work more hours than necessary to get everything done.

Find the quietest area of your home tucked away from the bustle of everyday life. If you don’t have the space for a dedicated room to work in,  you can pick a corner in your home and purchase dividers or a curtain to create a separate space. Consider using a “Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door or divider to let your family know not to disrupt you.

Set up an ergonomic home office space

Ergonomics, also known as human engineering, is the science of fitting the work environment to the worker. Modern workspaces spend a fortune creating ergonomic offices for their employees, and for good reason. Having an ergonomic office protects your posture, making you healthier and more productive.

When creating an ergonomic home office here are the things that you need to consider:

• Get a chair that fits your spinal cord and is adjusted to your height

• Have a desk that is the right height and width for your body

• Keep frequently used items in arms reach

• Have your monitor at arm’s length and at an angle that eliminates glare

If you set up your office space with these considerations you will be able to work safely and more efficiently for extended periods of time. It helps reduce the risk of sustaining injuries like tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow as well as back and neck pain.

Getting the right desk

You need to make sure your desk is the right height for your body. If it is too low it can cause you to slouch and develop neck problems. If it is too high it can lead to shoulder problems from holding your arms too high.

Sitting for long periods of time every day increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, weight gain and other harmful health conditions so consider investing in a standing desk. You can get desks that can be adjusted from standing to sitting throughout the day.

There are many options available in New Zealand when it comes to purchasing a desk for your home office. Flatpack desks are a great option for affordable yet quality desks. You are required to assemble these kinds of desks yourself, which can be done relatively simply by carefully following all instructions. As an alternative, you can hire a furniture assembly expert to help you put your home office desk together in no time.

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Making sure your chair is right for you

It is essential to have a good chair when working from home. Get a chair that is height and tilt adjustable, has a backrest, armrests and stability. Also, ensure it can comfortably fit under your desk.

You can check the height is correct by making sure you can place your feet flat on the ground.

Consider getting a back pillow

Most office chairs don’t have enough back support. Supporting your whole back is essential for preventing back injuries and promoting a healthy posture. If your chair doesn’t give you the support you need for your lower back, invest in a good back support pillow.

Optimise your computer setup

Your computer setup is arguably the most important element of your home office.

The computer screen should be an arm’s length away and at eye level or slightly below. If you are looking down at your screen you are likely to develop neck problems. If your work requires you to have many screens open at once consider investing in dual monitors to make your life easier.

If you are working from a laptop, purchase a laptop stand to raise the height of your laptop’s screen to eye level.

Invest in an external mouse & keyboard

If you are working from a laptop, it is vital that you invest in an ergonomic external mouse and keyboard (along with your laptop stand). This will stop you from hunching over your laptop to use the mouse pad and type. It will enable you to sit up with a straight spine and will keep the positioning of your arms and hands in check.

This will protect the health of your posture and body immensely by preventing neck pain, back pain and tendonitis in your joints.

Document holders and stationery organisers

Many musculoskeletal injuries occur due to awkward positions and repetitive motions when at your desk.

To reduce this risk, reduce your range of motion. Keep items that you always use within arms reach and in front of you or to the side (not behind or below you). This will prevent your from overreaching and twisting or bending down to reach for items.

There are many types of document holders and stationery organisers you can purchase for your desk to keep everything important within reach (and looking good!)

Design your home office to your style

When you have your own workspace, it’s up to you how you design it! So create a space that suits your style, makes you feel calm yet energised and excited. When designing your office space, here are some key elements for you to consider:

Plants

Plants will bring life to your home office! They remove toxins from the air and are also excellent mood boosters. Adding some living green plants to your workspace is a very worthwhile investment, just make sure you look after them!

Great plants to have in your home office include succulents, cacti, lilies, spider plants, monstera and snake plants to name a few.

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Colours

It is very important to choose the right colour palette for your home office. You may want to choose colours that are inspiring, energising, or calming depending on your mood, personality and the type of work you are doing.

Create a vibe and an ambience with colour to set yourself up for success when working from home. Colours have been proven to have a psychological effect so keep that in mind when deciding on what colour to have in your home office.

You can incorporate colours into your workspace by painting the walls or simply choosing the right accessories like lamps, folders, laptop covers, flowers and plants, stationery and desk organisers to get the right colours popping in your workspace.

Here is a little guide to different colours and the effect that they may have on your:

• Yellow: Optimism & creativity

• Green: Energy, revitalisation, growth & decisiveness

• Brown: Focus & grounding

• While: Organisation & minimalism

• Blue: Calm & concentration

• Red: Strength & stimulation

• Black: Introspection & protection

• Orange: Energy & creativity

• Purple: Imagination & wisdom

• Grey: Peace and tranquillity

• Pink: Nurturing & soothing

Feng Shui your home office

The two basic principles of feng shui are energy and flow.

The purpose of feng shui is to enhance the energy in your environment and allow it to flow in such a way that creates harmony and good vibes.

Some other elements of good feng shui include:

Organisation & minimalism

One of the most important things to do when setting up a home office is to clear your working space from any clutter. Continue to keep your home office free from clutter every day when you are working.

When your space is clear from clutter, your mind is also free from clutter and stress. Too much clutter will create distractions to your senses and decrease concentration and productivity. Minimalism is the way to go!

First, take everything out of your workspace and get rid of any items you don’t need, use or are broken. Go through all your papers and either throw out ones you don’t need anymore. File important documents away somewhere safe.

Clean your space from any dust, spills or marks and neatly place everything back.

Only keep items that you use daily on your desk within reach. For any other items that are required more sporadically, organise them into shelves, drawers or document holders. There are so many storage solutions and organization products for home offices available.

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Positioning

Your home office should be as far away from your bedroom as possible and diagonally facing the door. In Feng Shui, the direction your home office faces, also influences the colours and elements you should include in your workspace. For example:

• North: Water element, blue & green colours

• South: Fire element, red, orange & yellow colours

• East: Wood element, brown & green colours

• West: Metal element, white & grey colours

• Southwest / Northeast: Earth Element, beige & light yellow colours

Scent

Having a nice scent in your workspace can enhance your mood and lift the energy in the room. There are a number of options to make your office smell nice. There is incense, scented candles, room sprays and flowers.

The best option, however, is to get an essential oil diffuser which will silently release your favourite essential oils into the air all day.

Some amazing essential oils to lift the energy in your office include bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, geranium, patchouli and so many more. You can experiment with combining different oils until you find your favourite combination.

Light

Having natural light in your office is important for your productivity and wellbeing. If your workspace is dark or only lit by poor artificial lights you will really struggle to stay inspired and motivated. It is ideal to set your desk up to face a window.

If your office is too dark to see properly, you will strain your eyes and end up with awful headaches. If it isn’t possible to have your office in a room with lots of natural light, buy desk lamps. Make sure they are placed so they shine on your workspace and on your face (for video calls) without shadows. Lamps that have adjustable heads are best suited for this.

If you will be taking multiple Zoom or Skype calls throughout the day, it will be important to have good lighting as well as positioning of the screen at eye level, as discussed above.

According to Feng Shui, you should put lights on either side of the door to your home office.

Air

Make sure the air quality in your office space is healthy. The quality of the air will depend on where you live and the climate you live in. Ensure that the air circulation is good by opening up windows and doors at least once a day. Having windows open throughout the day will help boost your mind and keep your body healthy.

If necessary get a dehumidifier to keep dampness and mould at bay. If you require an air conditioner to keep the temperature in check, it is a worthwhile investment.

You can also purchase an air purifier to help keep the quality of the air in top condition. Using a diffuser as opposed to incense to make your office smell great is also better for the air quality. As mentioned above, having plants in your office will also improve air quality.

Make sure you have good internet service

Having a fast wifi connection and unlimited data is essential when you are working from home in this modern day and age. If you don’t have a good internet connection it will be debilitating and your productivity will suffer immensely.

50 Mbps is the bare minimum speed you would want. If there are multiple people using the internet at the same time you will need even more. Having a fibre optic cable is the best option for high-speed internet. If you require higher bandwidth you will be better off connecting your computer to your router with an ethernet cable.

Make sure you have a modern router and a good Wifi plan to ensure your connectivity is up to speed.

Invest in a quality pair of headphones

A good pair of Bluetooth, noise-cancelling headphones with a microphone will be your number one accessory for working from home. They will enable you to block out any household noises to keep distractions at bay. If you work well with music in the background they can be used for this otherwise just the noise-cancelling can be turned on.

Wireless headphones will also make taking video calls so much easier and more convenient, without disturbing your household.

You can either go for over the ear headphones or if you are after something more discreet the Apple Airpods Pro is a great option.

If you are going to splurge on one item for your home office, this should be it!

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Working from home is amazing, it provides you with more freedom and flexibility in your day. It is important to set your home office up for success so you can continue to perform in your job while keeping your body and mind healthy.

Implement these tips when you are setting up your home office for the first time or if you need to revamp your current set up to create a productive and healthy environment to work in.