If you are planning on setting up a home office, but are not sure how to start, don’t worry. It is actually simpler than you thought. This guide will help you set up the perfect home office for you.
Find the Best Location
The first step of setting up an office is choosing the right spot. For some people, this may be a very easy step. If you live in a big apartment or a house and you have a spare room that you don’t really use, you can simply transform it into your office. However, if you don’t have an extra room for a home office, picking out a spot might be a bit more complicated. Here is what you can do in that case.
Firstly, try to find an area in your home that is the most peaceful and quite. It can be a corner in your bedroom, right next to the window in your living room, or a kitchen table. That depends on your furniture arrangement and who you lie with (in case you don’t live alone). Whatever you choose, make sure that the spot is secluded and that you don’t have any distractions. The spot right in front of the window can often be a good choice because you will be getting a lot of natural light.
Add Privacy
If you plan on setting up a home office in a separate room, then your privacy has already been taken care of. However, if your home office will be located somewhere in the living room or as a part of any other room in your home, then you need to find a way to make it more secluded, private and quiet so that you can concentrate. This is very important for you to do if you want to separate your office from your home.
You can go for the classis privacy divider that is set up on the floor, or you could go for a curtain that hangs from the ceiling. You can choose the one depending on the level of privacy you want to create. You can also pick between something that will nicely blend in with the rest of your home’s interior design or you can create a complete contrast.
Consider Who Else Uses the Space
If you live with your family or friends, think about who else will use this office space. Do your kids need a desk where they can do their homework? Will your partner be using the office desk when they need to work on their laptop? Well, all of these factors matter and you need to choose the furniture according to everyone’s needs. Also, if two people need to be working at the same time, you can consider getting a partner desk setup.
Invest in Yourself
If you will be spending a lot of your time in the office, sitting and working on your laptop or computer, you need to consider the quality of the furniture you purchase. Think of this home office as an investment in yourself. The goal you should aim to achieve is creating a professional environment that will help you stay focused and productive during your work hours.
Prioritize Comfort
This one goes hand in hand with the previous point. Prioritising comfort above anything else is very important for your home office. In most cases, this will mean choosing the high-quality furniture.
If you’re going to be sitting in your chair for hours, you need to make sure it’s comfortable. Look for chairs that can be adjusted to a certain height that you need. The chair should also have a 360-degree swivel base, adjustable armrest, built-in lumbar support, and an adjustable seat depth. Your chair should be able to properly support your back and your neck. In addition to that, to make sure your feet are comfortable and warm; you can also invest in a high-quality mat an online Mat Shop.
Support Your Neck and Eyes
You need to think about your eyes and your neck posture too. This requires your monitor to be in a perfect spot. This spot can differ for every person so you will need to figure out what works for you. These are some of the tips you can follow when adjusting your computer monitor:
- You need to keep your spine in a neutral position.
- The top of the monitor needs to be either at your eye level or slightly below it.
- The monitor should be placed at least 20 inches from your eyes, or even farther away if your monitor is bigger.
Your monitor should be positioned in such a way that your eyes are slightly looking down when looking at the centre of your monitor. This will keep your spine in a proper alignment. To make sure you are slightly looking down to the screen, tilt your monitor back about 10 to 20 degrees. Most computer monitors are adjustable, but you may also want to invest in a screen riser to make sure you got the right adjustment both for your eyes and neck.
Protect Sensitive or Important Documents
When thinking about storing your books, papers, and documents, think about how you can make the most out of the space that you have. This also includes organising and storing materials that are sensitive. Think about where you can store and properly protect documents that shouldn’t just be lying around; the documents you don’t want to risk losing or damaging accidentally. You can go for simple locking cabinets that will provide security and protection to your documents.
Think Up and Down
Home offices can be very tiny, which means you need to be creative about how you organise your space and store the necessary materials you will be using on a daily basis. Try to think vertically as well as horizontally. This will help you maximise your storage capacity. You can use tall bookshelves, floating shelves, or even a hutch and you will instantly create more space for your office supplies.
Tame the Wires
Your home office will be that one place in your home that has tons of wires that keep getting tangled and keep getting in your way. That is why you need to know how to get them out of your way and keep them organised. Not only will these wires get in your way when you are working, but they will also be hard to get around when you try to clean the space.
For that reason, you should definitely invest in some high-quality cord management system. You can go for a simple twist tie, or something a bit more complex. Another important factor you should keep in mind when setting up your office area is the placement of the outlets in your home. Make sure to place your desk near the outlets. That way, your wires won’t have to stretch out through the entire room and make a mess.
Light It Up
Lastly, the lighting in your home office area is a very important factor. Think about it. You will be spending hours at your desk working. You need to have proper lighting. Poor lighting can have so many negative effects on your health. Most than anything else, it can really damage your eyesight.
When setting up a home office, make sure to place your desk in part of your home where you will be able to get a lot of natural light. When the sun goes down, you need to have high-quality lamps that will not damage your eyesight. Most people think that the overhead lighting is good enough, but it will actually cause more damage. This type of lighting will create a glare on your screen and it will make it hard for you to see anything. What you need instead is a task lamp. It will create a solid shade and point the light directly at the desk.
Conclusion
All things considered, making sure you choose the right spot, that you see well enough, choosing the right storing system, and creating a comfortable area are the main factors you need to look out for when setting up your home office.