It is becoming increasingly common for American employees to work from home, which has been proven to boost productivity and quality of life. Studies have shown that employees can be 12% more efficient working at home than in the office, and experience a 50% increase in job satisfaction. Due to advancements in communications technology, working from home has evolved as a major trend over the past decade. According to Home Business Magazine, the U.S. has around 38 million home-based businesses and 35 million households with active home offices.
There are multiple benefits to working from home—no long commutes, flexible work hours, the comforts of home, more quality family time, etc. However, working from home requires discipline, commitment, and strong organizational and communication skills. Many people find it difficult to be productive at home due to distractions, limited office space, and feeling isolated, to name a few reasons. Follow these practices to help you maintain a level of professionalism and organization in your home office that will allow you to work effectively and efficiently.
1: Create a Designated Work Space
Differentiate your office space from other areas of your house so that you can maintain a healthy work/life balance. Set up a true work environment to help you get in the right mindset as you go through your workday. Don’t let yourself be tempted by distractions that you wouldn’t normally find in a typical office environment, like the television.
2: Decorate Your Home Office
Design your office to create an atmosphere that inspires creativity and positivity for you. If possible, use a room that gets plenty of natural light (and arrange your workstation so that you avoid glare on your computer screen). While you’re at it, open the window to circulate fresh air and fresh ideas. You can even add a few potted plants to get some more oxygen in the room. Repainting any room can positively affect your mood as you work, so find a color that puts you in a relaxed mood and get to painting! Once the paint is dry, hang pictures of your family, artwork, or other inspirational imagery.
3: Invest in an Ergonomic Workstation
Seeing how you spend a lot of time in your home office, it is important to tailor the workstation to your needs and make it as comfortable as possible. Working from home doesn’t mean you should just lounge on your bed or slouch on the couch to do your work. Invest in an ergonomically designed chair with proper support to help you stay attentive and alert. Customize your workstation with accessories like keyboard trays and footrests to enhance your comfort.
4: Acquire the Appropriate Equipment
You’ll still need all the same supplies you’ll find at an employer’s office. Make sure you have a phone headset, multi-functional printer, office supplies, and other tools needed to do your job. As you’ll be working remotely, it is very important to maintain regular communication with your colleagues to keep them posted on the status of your projects. Make sure that you can rely on uninterrupted connectivity to be reachable at any time during the workday through email, video conference, and more. Keep your software programs and operating system up to date so that old equipment doesn’t slow you down.
5: Declutter
Give yourself breathing room by reducing clutter as much as possible. It’s hard to stay organized if you’re working in a mess of Post-its, paperwork, and snack wrappers.
Keep only essentials around your workspace and invest in storage for important documents and supplies. At the end of each day or week, devote some time to clean and organize things that have accumulated to keep your office in organized and functional.
6: Set a Regular Work Schedule
While you don’t have to feel constrained by the traditional workday schedule, you need to allocate an uninterrupted amount of time to get your work done and get into the routine of following your schedule. When you’re working at home, it is easy to get roped into non-work-related activities like errands or housework, so be mindful of having time taken away from your workday. Set parameters and communicate with family and friends so that they can help you stay accountable for your timing. In order to stay focused on your goals, you can use a whiteboard or memo board to write out your to do lists.
7: Change up Your Environment
You’re bound to start feeling too cooped up in your house, so make sure to add in some variety by relocating once in a while! If you’re feeling unmotivated, go to a coffee shop or the library for the afternoon. A change in scenery can give you newfound energy and focus and help you come back to your home office refreshed.
8: Make Your Breaks Count
Breaks are an integral part of maintaining energy and productivity. You should definitely make the most out of your free time! Instead of engaging in random busy work on your breaks, use your free time to detach yourself from any type of work and actually go out for lunch, take a walk, or do something you enjoy. Breaks help you recharge throughout the day and ensure that you don’t burn out. Make the most of the opportunityIf you integrate these suggestions into your work-at-home lifestyle, you can produce quality work and enjoy the benefits of home at the same time. With this opportunity, you have the chance to create a work culture at home that represents you and makes you happy, relaxed, and motivated. Good luck!
Sources:
- “Home office” by jinkazamah is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- Steelcase QiVi office chair is sold at The Backstore
- “Home Office Workstation Office Business Notebook” by Unsplash is licensed
under CC BY 1.0
1: Create a Designated Work Space
Differentiate your office space from other areas of your house so that you can maintain a healthy work/life balance. Set up a true work environment to help you get in the right mindset as you go through your workday. Don’t let yourself be tempted by distractions that you wouldn’t normally find in a typical office environment, like the television.
2: Decorate Your Home Office
Design your office to create an atmosphere that inspires creativity and positivity for you. If possible, use a room that gets plenty of natural light (and arrange your workstation so that you avoid glare on your computer screen). While you’re at it, open the window to circulate fresh air and fresh ideas. You can even add a few potted plants to get some more oxygen in the room. Repainting any room can positively affect your mood as you work, so find a color that puts you in a relaxed mood and get to painting! Once the paint is dry, hang pictures of your family, artwork, or other inspirational imagery.
3: Invest in an Ergonomic Workstation
Seeing how you spend a lot of time in your home office, it is important to tailor the workstation to your needs and make it as comfortable as possible. Working from home doesn’t mean you should just lounge on your bed or slouch on the couch to do your work. Invest in an ergonomically designed chair with proper support to help you stay attentive and alert. Customize your workstation with accessories like keyboard trays and footrests to enhance your comfort.
4: Acquire the Appropriate Equipment
You’ll still need all the same supplies you’ll find at an employer’s office. Make sure you have a phone headset, multi-functional printer, office supplies, and other tools needed to do your job. As you’ll be working remotely, it is very important to maintain regular communication with your colleagues to keep them posted on the status of your projects. Make sure that you can rely on uninterrupted connectivity to be reachable at any time during the workday through email, video conference, and more. Keep your software programs and operating system up to date so that old equipment doesn’t slow you down.
5: Declutter
Give yourself breathing room by reducing clutter as much as possible. It’s hard to stay organized if you’re working in a mess of Post-its, paperwork, and snack wrappers.
Keep only essentials around your workspace and invest in storage for important documents and supplies. At the end of each day or week, devote some time to clean and organize things that have accumulated to keep your office in organized and functional.
6: Set a Regular Work Schedule
While you don’t have to feel constrained by the traditional workday schedule, you need to allocate an uninterrupted amount of time to get your work done and get into the routine of following your schedule. When you’re working at home, it is easy to get roped into non-work-related activities like errands or housework, so be mindful of having time taken away from your workday. Set parameters and communicate with family and friends so that they can help you stay accountable for your timing. In order to stay focused on your goals, you can use a whiteboard or memo board to write out your to do lists.
7: Change up Your Environment
You’re bound to start feeling too cooped up in your house, so make sure to add in some variety by relocating once in a while! If you’re feeling unmotivated, go to a coffee shop or the library for the afternoon. A change in scenery can give you newfound energy and focus and help you come back to your home office refreshed.
8: Make Your Breaks Count
Breaks are an integral part of maintaining energy and productivity. You should definitely make the most out of your free time! Instead of engaging in random busy work on your breaks, use your free time to detach yourself from any type of work and actually go out for lunch, take a walk, or do something you enjoy. Breaks help you recharge throughout the day and ensure that you don’t burn out. Make the most of the opportunityIf you integrate these suggestions into your work-at-home lifestyle, you can produce quality work and enjoy the benefits of home at the same time. With this opportunity, you have the chance to create a work culture at home that represents you and makes you happy, relaxed, and motivated. Good luck!
Sources:
- “Home office” by jinkazamah is licensed under CC BY 2.0
- Steelcase QiVi office chair is sold at The Backstore
- “Home Office Workstation Office Business Notebook” by Unsplash is licensed
under CC BY 1.0