Renovating your home office can significantly improve your productivity and make working from home a more enjoyable experience. Alternatively, having a drab work environment can certainly limit productivity and decrease motivation. There are so many simple things you can do to bring a renewed excitement to working from home. It’s amazing how small things can make such a huge difference over time.
Here are some amazing ways to renovate your home office to be more productive:
- Choose the right location: Select a location for your home office that is quiet and away from distractions. If possible, choose a room with plenty of natural light, good ventilation, and a comfortable temperature. Even if you’re selecting a shared room, such as a bedroom that serves as an office during the day and the bedroom at night, this can be a great solution. So many people don’t have the luxury of having a separate office space that made these criteria. Look around your house and get creative.
- Invest in a good chair and desk: A comfortable and ergonomic chair and desk can make a huge difference in your productivity. Choose a desk and chair that are the right size and height for you and that provide adequate support for your back, arms, and wrists. Another thing to look for is desk options that can add multiple elements to your environment. Think about things like standing desks, that will allow you to adjust your comfort level throughout the day instead of sitting all day. I think about desks that have a smooth surface and may be a desk pad to help your mouse and keyboard function easier.
- Add some plants: Adding plants to your home office can improve air quality and help reduce stress. Choose plants that are easy to care for and that thrive in indoor environments, such as snake plants, spider plants, and peace lilies. Obviously you will need to select the correct plant depending on the amount of natural light your office has, but even in extreme situations, adding a silk plant can improve your mood as well. In this day and age with technology, it’s nice to have some natural elements to your daily work environment.
- Improve lighting: Good lighting is important for reducing eye strain and improving productivity. Install task lighting that is bright enough to illuminate your work area, but not so bright that it causes glare or eye strain. We have recently invested in light bars for our monitors here in our office, and they’ve made a world of difference in our productivity. This is not an endorsement, but we love the BenQ light bars! I do understand they can be a bit on the expensive side, so there are also some alternative clip lights that can make a world of difference as well. We’re not gonna go into it in detail in this article, but in this day and age with zoom calls, good lighting, is essential in getting your message across to clients.
- Get organized: A cluttered workspace can be distracting and reduce productivity. Invest in storage solutions that help keep your workspace organized and clutter-free. Consider adding shelves, filing cabinets, and desk organizers to help keep everything in its place. The more minimalist, you can keep your desk, the more focus you can place on the work at hand. Clutter has a way of making us feel weighed down and uncreative, which is the opposite of what we want in our work environment.
- Consider your color scheme: The colors you choose for your home office can have a big impact on your mood and productivity. Choose colors that promote focus and concentration, such as blue or green, and avoid colors that are too bright or distracting. If you have the ability to paint your walls in your office setting to make it look really cool and inviting then go for it. But most people who have their office set up in a bedroom or something like that don’t have that ability or option. In these instances sticking with a neutral base color is always your best bet. As mentioned earlier, consider a color scheme that shows up well on camera since more than likely you will be delivering zoom calls from your office.
- Personalize your space: Adding personal touches to your home office can make it feel more inviting and comfortable. Hang up some artwork, add a rug, or display some family photos to make your workspace feel more like home. We all need motivation and reminders of things we love around us. Not only do they bring comfort when things get really stressful at work, but they had a sense of joy and fill the emptiness with the reason we’re working in the first place.
By following these tips, you can create a home office that is both comfortable and productive. Please feel free to share any tips and tricks. You’ve discovered along the way, and we would be happy to update a revised version of this article at a future date.
