WHY IT’S TIME TO TACKLE THE HOME OFFICE SET UP
In early 2020, when working from home became an overnight necessity, many of us skipped right past creating an official home office set up plan, opting for quick stopgap measures instead. In the long run, though, making do is no substitute for making it right. Now’s the time to take a long hard look at your home workspace and start putting together the home office setup that works for you.
Even without doing a total overhaul, there are easy, inexpensive tweaks that can transform your existing home office setup into an environment that’s more workable – and more enjoyable to work in.
To begin, ask yourself three broad questions about your current home office setup. Be brutally honest in your answers and use your imagination to envision potential improvements:
1. Is your home office setup practical?
It’s hard to be productive when you’re using any available flat surface for a desk, you’ve coopted a dining room chair for office seating, and you’re surrounded by a web of cords and cables stretched from here to there and back again. Your immediate goal is a home office setup that offers maximum productivity and functionality. Define the physical requirements for each of your tasks. How can you change your home office setup to make accessing and executing each of those tasks faster and easier?
2. Is your home office set up to be comfortable?
Spending hours working in makeshift office arrangement can wreak havoc on your posture and performance, from back pain to text neck to eyestrain. That’s why it’s so important for your home office set up to suit your space, your body and your working positions. Is your desk at the proper height? Are screens positioned at eye level and other electronics within easy reach? Is your workspace well lit? What ergonomic adjustments can you make in your home office setup to prevent stress and strain? Paying attention to your own comfort pays off now and later.
3. Is your home office setup inspirational?
No one is eager to start the workday when faced with a cluttered, messy office; and, over time, being immersed in an unattractive workspace saps motivation, stifles creativity and breeds depression and burnout. One of the easiest ways to make your home office setup more inviting and inspiring is to organize your essentials. Finding discreet ways to confine office supplies, reference materials, business papers and other accumulations keeps your work area neat and tidy. Small bowls and accent trays are a great way to confine desk-mess without giving up access. Drawers, shelves (standalone, built-in, above your desk are all good options), stacking storage boxes in coordinated finishes or textures, colorful notebooks and ring binders, and decorative baskets are just a few unexpected but attractive ways to give everything its place and brighten up your workspace.
Refreshing your home office setup periodically can boost your enthusiasm as well as give you fresh insights into your work habits. Even small changes in your home office setup can make a big difference in your mental, physical and professional well-being.
