Creating the perfect home office might sound simple, but a lot goes into making it a comfortable and productive space. Your own office space also allows you to be more creative with how you modify the layout, which gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. There are no specific rules to designing a home office, but we asked successful entrepreneurs who work from home what they find to be the best ways to make this space both efficient and motivational.
1) Bring in one comforting element
Although you don’t want to make your home office too comfortable, you want it to be inviting. It’s where you will spend most of your days afterall. Jena Joyce the founder and CEO at The Plant Mother says, “Bring in a chair for reading during your breaks, or add in a supportive neck pillow to your desk chair. It’s important to have one comforting thing in your home office as this can help you to be less stressed. I think it’s also important to create an environment that promotes comfort and creativity because you don’t want to dread heading into your home office everyday.
When you take the time to add in some cozy elements, you maximize the chances that you feel excited to enter the office on most days. It’s also a good idea to try and keep it as clean and organized as possible as this adds to the comfort of the space even more.”
2) Invest in a good chair
Ben Bozzay the founder of Techlockdown suggests that you deserve to have a desk chair that is going to support your body and ensure you aren’t leaving your desk everyday feeling sore. “A good desk chair will help to keep your posture upright and provide you with ample neck and back support. After working from home for the first few months using the cheapest chair I could find, I realized how unproductive I was. I would end up working from my couch which sometimes ended up in impromptu naps.
A good chair will encourage you to stay at your desk and be motivated and ready to go. You don’t need much else in a home office setup, but a good chair is worth the extra money so I would advise you focus on doing your research and testing some out to get one you love.”
3) Keep your home office as a designated space, even if it’s multifunctional
“Not everyone has a designated home office in their house, condo or apartment. Sometimes you can only work from your kitchen table, or in the basement where you have an at-home gym. And although this is completely fine, it’s a good idea to try and keep one space in any area of your home, just for your office” Says Edwin Cannon the founder of My Retirement Paycheck.
“A temporary at home office space isn’t the best option because you feel like you don’t have permanence. This can make it tough to feel like you are actually doing your job well, and it can lead to a decline in your efficiency and motivation. Even if you work from a multifunctional space, keep some office elements there. Have a space always cleared for your laptop, have some storage cabinets for your office accessories and files. This makes it easier to set yourself up for success during the workday and you feel more like you have an office even if you don’t.”
4) Look at having an OT assess your setup
If you primarily work from home, having the most functional office possible is a must. You don’t want to end up sore, tired and in pain because of an improper office setup. It can lead to a lot of long term issues simply just from working at a desk all day long. Check in with your workplace to see if they can send an OT over to monitor your daily routine when working from home. They can assess your home office and make adjustments and suggestions to how you can make your space much more ergonomic.
If this isn’t an option, you might want to look into paying for this service yourself or looking into whether it can be covered by insurance. Having an office that is comfortable makes working much easier and you can rest assured that you won’t end up with physical problems from a poorly setup desk.
