It’s tough to find something positive about a global tragedy such as the pandemic. However, COVID-19 has been instrumental in transforming the workplace. During the first months of the pandemic, millions of employees worldwide have relocated to work safely from home.
The temporary, improvised home office has evolved gradually. Nowadays, many employers appreciate that remote working arrangements could be a game-changer for businesses; saving money and improving productivity in the process.
For at-home workers, who decide to make this change permanent, it’s time to enhance the home office setup. The home office needs to be a quiet area. It should be a place where you can concentrate without interruptions. It’s fair to say that the kitchen table and/or sofa were good enough spots at the start of the pandemic. However, they are not best suited for long-term use.
It may be time to look for a new property. Ideally, one that has increased square footage so you have more room for a proper work area. Similarly, making your current workspace more welcoming can work wonders. Using proper lighting, colour, and layout can make a huge difference to your day-to-day motivation. However, you may face new challenges which can affect your focus.
Creating a space that is peaceful enough to work – yet lively enough to inspire- can feel like building a jigsaw puzzle. A puzzle, that perhaps has pieces that are not meant to belong together. Here’s how to tackle some of the most common home office mishaps.
Natural Sunlight Changes Every Day
You are able to know exactly how powerful a lightbulb is going to be before you purchase it. Unlike man-made light, sunshine is not the kind of thing you can adjust with a switch. Therefore, selecting a room with plenty of access to natural light can make it tough to remain consistently focused.
Some days, the sun can be blinding, and on others, it may be too dark to work without a lamp. So, if you work by a window, you want to make sure you can manage the light fluctuations. For a start, keeping your windows clean will ensure no grime or dirt can dim the entry of natural light. Additionally, it’s a good idea to position your screen to the side of the window. Facing the sun when you work will lead to headaches and eye strains. To prevent sun glare on your screen, it can be helpful to invest in a screen protector.
Make sure to add blinds to your home office to dim the light when the sun is too strong.
Your Home Office Lets The City Sounds Through
As soothing as it can be to work by a window, it doesn’t always provide a calm atmosphere. If you live in town, the sound of traffic, construction, and people could reach your home office. It may come through the windows and the external wall, despite double glazing. Soundproofing your home office can seem difficult and expensive. However, there are some things you can do to reduce audio distractions.
If you have frequent Zoom calls, a pair of noise-canceling headphones with a microphone is a game-changer for your work. Indeed, gamer sets often present advanced tech solutions that can help remove external sounds. Most of these sets have high-quality microphones that will enhance your video call experience too.
You can also create sound barriers inside your office. Adding houseplants near the window, for instance, can help soundproof the external wall (to some extent) without blocking direct sunlight. Houseplants also effectively absorb indoor sounds. This includes reducing the sound levels coming from the TV in the lounge or the coffee machine in the kitchen.
Wall decorations, such as hanging frames, or wall furniture, will also prove useful in blocking sound passage.
How to Make Home Office Organization Natural
Shelves, filing cabinets, and drawers are essentials in all offices. However, in a home office, they can sometimes feel contrived and awkward. Unless you are self-employed, you are unlikely to keep many documents in your home office. Most documents tend to be stored online within a secure business network. At the same time, the home office should help you stay on top of your tasks and projects.
Rather than focusing on storage space, shift your focus onto solutions that let you track multiple tasks simultaneously. A corkboard with a task planner can be helpful for employees handling more than one project at a time. You can keep track of your to-do list at a glance. A whiteboard or blackboard — you can even use blackboard paint for this — can be just as useful.
The home office reflects your environment. While many companies expect their employees to be more productive at home, there are more factors to this being true. The truth is that the traditional home office needs to be fit for success first. Creating a functional space in order to focus on productivity is key. There’s a lot to get in order before your home office becomes a creative powerhouse! However, don’t get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time, have fun, and you’ll soon be ready to work peacefully and productively.
