Best Tips for Setting up a Proper Home Office

Setting up a comfortable and functional home office is super important. After all, the characteristics of the environment and the furniture can affect the productivity and efficiency of yours. If you set things up the right way you will be able to increase your performance significantly.

1. Choose a place to set up your home office

Picking the right location within your house can be a challenge. Of course, the ideal is to have a room just for the office, but if this is not possible you can find a place in the living room or bedroom.

The important thing is that the environment allows you to focus, cutting the noise and limiting any distractions. Therefore, avoid being near the kitchen, TV or stereo system.

2. Get the essential equipment

The necessary items depend a lot on the job you are doing, but there’s some basic equipment to set up a home office from scratch. These are the items you’re going to need for sure:

• Your own desk/table.
• A chair.
• A PC/laptop.
• A reliable headset with a microphone.

You can also happen to need some classical office elements such as folders and file boxes, an office supplies kit (pens, paper clips, post-its, etc.), even a printer. Yet, whatever your exact set of needed things is going to be, remember: before purchasing any equipment, always consider where each item will be placed and if the electrical grid of your residence can support them all.

3. Opt for ergonomic furniture and accessories

Keep in mind that you will spend a large part of the day in the environment you create. So, try to bet on ergonomic furniture and accessories. The chair, for example, has to be comfortable and put your arms, hips and knees in a position that won’t bother you at all. In addition, it needs to fit under the desk.

But ergonomics is not a demand limited to the chair: the laptop/computer should be somewhere between your eye level and 30° below it. In this sense, it may be a good idea to also invest in a laptop stand. 

4. Ensure good lighting

Ambient lighting can interfere with your productivity. If the workplace is too dark, for example, you may feel more sleepy, experience eye fatigue and lack of concentration when working.

In this sense, it is necessary to make adjustments and ensure adequate lighting. For office environments, the ideal is to bet on the ‘cold light’ (around 3500-4500K), since it makes the brain more ‘alert’, increasing your productivity. 

So, if you want to adjust the lighting, bet on blue or blue-enriched white light. Also consider natural lighting, after all, in addition to providing a generally optimistic feeling, sunlight keeps the body awake and is comfortable for your vision.

5. Personalize the environment with decorative items

How about setting up a home office that really has a part of your soul? Customize the room with decorative items that you like. This will help bring more inspiration into your activities. Among some interesting decorative items that you can use are:

• family pictures;
• screenshots from TV-series and movies or film posters;
• shelves with books, comics and records;
• decorative lights;
• flowers and plants;
• cushions and colorful boxes;
• a fancy memo board;
• lamps.

Another interesting tip for decorating the home office is to choose a cool wallpaper or even paint the room in a special color. Rugs and curtains also make for a great tool that can add beauty and cozyness into your space.

6. Get a wall for notes

In addition to organizing the home office space, you also need to remember which activities are at the top of your to-do list for the day. Many people like to record tasks on digital platforms, but there are also those who prefer to make handwritten notes to visualize better.

If you belong to the second group, it is worth installing a board on the wall to make notes by hand. You can use a piece of cork, styrofoam or even a roll of paper. Examples of such boards can be found on the Internet – evaluate the prices and see what fits best into your environment.

7. Ensure safety in your home office

Whether you work for a company or for yourself, it is essential to think about your safety in the home office. That goes from preventing fires to avoiding overworking. In this sense, it is important to take some precautions. The tips are:

• Do not plug too many appliances into the same socket.
• Ensure adequate lighting that does not impair vision.
• Keep the place clean and organized.
• Check the electrical wiring periodically to assess possible wear and tear.
• Do not leave heaters near furniture, curtains, or other things made of combustible materials.
• Ensure easy access to your phone in case you need to make an emergency call.
• Do not work all day long.

Conclusion

Setting up a home office does not have to be a headache. The secret is simply knowing what you need in terms of equipment and environment. Conveniently, the tips listed above can help you set up a home office from scratch – from the basic structure to some ergonomic accessories.

Use the knowledge you have gained! It’ll make your home office more comfortable, while the work itself will feel easier due to an increase in your productivity. And, of course, keep your PC/laptop in good condition. With due maintenance it will serve you reliably in return. And if your device is malfunctioning, call the professionals. Some localities are renowned for having truly great technicians. For example, it’s hard to overestimate the role of the experts from Repairs Bay in the Brooklyn computer repair industry.