In the last decade, making services accessible from the comfort of one’s home has been on the rise. However, especially the last couple of years saw people being catapulted into an entirely new age.
Many office employees suddenly had to do the job from home, and people worldwide had to adjust to different office environments. This includes ordering food and other items online, completing essential services through an online portal, or even accessing casinos like Casumo to play online slots.
With the sudden change, many struggled initially to adapt, but it has since proven to be a change for the better, with many people now preferring to work from home instead of in an office.
However, working from home can come with many distractions, so it’s important to ensure that you have the right setup. We looked at interior design psychology and various other factors to help you make your home office more productive.
1. Set Aside a Dedicated Office Space
The first and most important step is to set aside a dedicated space for your office. While it’s ideal to have a study or specific room set up as your office, it’s not required. Renovating a quiet corner of your home into office space will work just as well.
Ensure it’s out of the general foot traffic and set up your desk and a comfortable office chair to ensure you have a pleasant time working. Keeping your job and personal life apart is an important aspect of keeping your mind on track. So ensure any people you cohabitate with know not to disturb you and keep background noises to the minimum.
This will assist you with getting into the correct headspace of job vs. home and help keep your day more productive. When you get off work, it also helps with that mind shift in switching back to relaxation.
2. Decorate Your Office Space
Setting aside a corner for yourself isn’t the only thing you must do when creating your office environment. It’s just as important to ensure you enjoy the space you work in and that it stimulates your creativity and mind.
Ensure you paint your space a color you enjoy, which helps stimulate your mind. Red is great if you need a bold and energetic disposition, blue is perfect to create a calming environment, and green encourages creative thinking. There are many color theories to help decorate your office optimally towards your thinking process.
Experiment with various colors to see what suits you best. It’s also good to add other elements to help you enjoy your space. Art is a good way to liven up a space while still ensuring no unnecessary distractions are added. Studies have shown that art invigorates the mind and your well-being, making it an essential factor in your home office.
3. Keep your Space Uncluttered
There’s nothing worse than being on a roll and having to pause to search for something. A clean and uncluttered workspace isn’t only more conducive to productivity but also your mindset. A cluttered space adds stress to your day, with your subconscious mind anxious about finding items, the mess around you, and eventually cleaning the place up.
Ensure you purge your office regularly from any unnecessary items. This means any items from other people in the house, old documents or books, and other random items.
Fight the urge to use the space to store old boxes or random books. Instead, ensure it’s in optimal condition for you to work in. After all, you won’t allow your office cubicle to get in that condition, why should your home office?
Keeping your space organized means it’s easy to keep working without being jarred from your mindset because you can’t find your notepad and pen.
4. Keep Your Distractions Close
While we don’t recommend playing on your phone every five minutes, breaks are important to a productive day. Not only do your eyes need a break from the screen or papers, but your mind also needs a small rest.
This can come in the form of small five-minute breaks, where you check your phone, grab a coffee, or stretch your body. There are many different ways to invigorate your mind, and not everything suits everyone. Some people prefer some physical activity, like pilates or weights. Others prefer checking social media or grabbing something to drink.
Whatever your method, ensure it’s close by to take these small breaks throughout the day and increase your productivity when you get back to work. Just ensure that you keep it to a reasonable amount and keep yourself on track. It helps when you set aside specific times for breaks, especially if it’s slightly longer breaks like taking lunch, etc.
5. Work and Dress with Purpose
While it might seem that one of the benefits of working from home is that you can lounge in your pajamas, it’s not conducive to a productive workday. Ensure your home office is a space that’s separate from your personal space.
This means you need to dress for the job and cut off any contact with people part of your personal life during your job hours. Treat it as if you’re in the office, just in your home. Don’t answer the door and start chatting with the neighbor, don’t lounge on the couch and try to work while watching TV, and don’t work half-dressed.
Dressing for your job each morning helps you transition into the work mindset. This can be further helped by creating a nook in your workspace with your tasks for the day listed. This helps keep you on track, and there’s nothing more satisfying than being able to tick something off the list.
Improve Your Home-Office Space
We understand that as convenient as working from home is, there are some challenges to it. That’s why it’s important to make sure your business environment is the best.
Experiment with lighting in your office, ensure it’s a comfortable space that you enjoy being in and create small ways to keep yourself task-orientated. This can be from a list of things you need to accomplish to an item you can use to take a quick break and rest.
Working from home doesn’t need to be less productive than working at an office with the right home office. It can be more productive, as the space is tailored to your tastes and working mindset. With our five steps towards improving your home office productivity, you can enjoy a comfortable workday that’s more productive than ever!