More and more people are working from their own homes, in 2018 that number was over 8 million and is expected to rise significantly in the next 10 years. 

From freelancers working for themselves to those exercising their company’s remote working policy, people end up using their own homes to work for many reasons.

There are huge advantages to escaping the drab corporate cubicle.  Your work-life balance and general wellbeing improve, you’ll save money commuting, no office politics to contend with.  

Creating the ultimate home office doesn’t have to be expensive, but you do have to put some thought into it in order to get the best possible environment for productivity.  

Interior designer Lindsay Cook says that “Work can be stressful and serious, so creating your own supportive, empowering office space can relax those responsibilities and make work much more enjoyable”.

Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels

Define your workspace

You may be lucky enough to have a spare room to convert to a home office, or maybe you’ll need to claim a corner of another room as your own.  No matter how much space you’re working with, you’ll be able to create your own little haven of productivity.  

Be clear with your family or roommates that this is your workspace, and that when you are in it, you need to be concentrating on your job. Doing this at the outset will avoid any arguments later. 

Set up your desk ergonomically

Working for long periods at a poorly set up workspace is very bad for your health.  Each year over 100 million workdays are lost to back pain alone. A bad set up can cause a number of problems including:

  • Eyestrain
  • Neck, back and shoulder pain
  • Headaches
  • Repetitive strain injury

To prevent this, make sure the top of your screen is at eye level (or very slightly below). By setting your screen at this height, your eyes will naturally turn down when reading, lubricating your eyes and reducing fatigue, 

As you type your arms should be parallel to the floor and your feet resting on a hard surface.  If you find it difficult to put your feet flat on the floor, buy a footrest. 

Invest in a good chair

You should love the chair you spend most of the day sitting in.  Many chairs that look stylish, often aren’t comfortable and will cause you back pain.  In this case, substance should definitely win over style. 

Spend as much as you can reasonably afford in a purpose-made office chair.  You won’t regret it. 

Get the right equipment

In addition to your great office chair, you’re going to need a lot of other equipment to do your job properly.  

Spend your money on a good desk, chair, and any technical items or business-critical software you need.  Look to make savings on things like decor and storage.

Lighting is important (both natural and artificial)

Some people will put their desks at the furthest point from a window in order to reduce the risk of distraction.  By doing this you’ve cut yourself off from one of the great things about working from home, escaping the cubicle.  

By placing your desk near a window, you’re getting the benefits of natural light and are closer to a supply of fresh air from an open window.  It’s also good to look away from your screen every 20 minutes to prevent eye strain, why not look out of a window instead of at a wall.

You won’t always be able to work by natural light alone.  In the evenings or winter, you’ll need to think about what lamps and other light sources you’ll use.  A few strategically placed task lighting lamps and an led light strip will allow you to keep working. 

Stay on top of your storage needs

It’s very easy for home offices to become cluttered with files, paperwork and other things you need to do your work.  And there’s no one but you to keep things organized. 

Bookcases or wall shelves with storage boxes and magazine racks are a great way to reduce all of the mess cluttering up your space.   Make an effort to sort through these boxes regularly and throw away anything you don’t need. Don’t just keep buying more shelves.  

Get some plants

Having some greenery around is great for general wellbeing.  If you’re not very green-fingered and don’t trust yourself to keep them alive, get some succulents instead.  They are much hardier and don’t need very much looking after. 

Add some personality 

Even though you’re in a home surrounded by your personal things, it’s still good to have some personal items in your home office space. A few photos, a favorite poster, anything that keeps you connected to yourself.  Change or add to these often so that you don’t stop seeing them. 

Get a clock

By hanging a clock on the wall or on your desk, you have a constant reminder of the time.  This will serve to either remind you that you should be working instead of being distracted (was that really 30 minutes you just spent on social media) or that you’ve been working for a long time and should really take a rest and go and do something else.

Make sure you have enough office supplies

Running out of printer ink, paper, envelopes or anything like that is a hassle you don’t need when you are working from home.  You can’t always take time out to go to the store in the middle of an important project.  

If you have enough space, keep a good supply of the things you need most often and check it regularly.