In this day of Internet connectivity, working from home is no longer frowned upon but rather socially accepted as the smart alternative to working in the office. Working from home gives you a lot of freedom on how you perform and manage your time. Best of all, you get to decide the look and feel of your own office.
Designing a home office can be a bit tricky. First of all, it is your office, meaning, it is where you create your livelihood. On the one hand it is your place of work and on the other hand, it is situated in your own house, with all the comforts of home.
Therefore some sort of balance must be maintained. A home office must inspire you to work and be productive while allowing you the freedom to manage your own space.
Here are ten tips on creating your perfect home office.
1. Ergonomic
Although it is located in your house, certain rules on ergonomic matters must be followed. Get an ergonomic chair to protect your back. The wrong chair would give you back pains and decrease your productivity.
2. Desk
Using a custom table might b cute but might not fit all your works. Better get a proper desk where you can spread all your papers and have some more extra for other stuff.
3. Light
Take advantage of natural light. Instead of positioning your desk against the wall and mimicking a boring office cubicle, position it instead next or near the window to make use of natural lighting. Taking in the sights from time to time can get you inspired. Of course you still need to install artificial lights in case natural light is insufficient.
4. Storage
Filing cabinets look drab and boring. Get creative when it comes to storage. A colorful cabinet or shelf is more visually appealing yet retaining its primary function as storage.
5. Lounge area
Your desk area where your computer is located is for doing actual work. However, you are not doing actual work all the time. Sometimes you just need a place where you can think. An extra space with a nice couch would do the trick.
6. Painting
Invest in some nice painting or framed print. These inspiring artworks break the monotony of the blank walls.
7. Plants
Plants improve people's moods. Putting some greens in strategic areas not only improve your mood and lower your stress level, they are also very visually appealing.
8. Cables
Hide those pesky cords. If necessary, install some new eletrical sockets so your computer's and printer's cables are not dangling all over the place.
9. Ventilation
Proper air circulation is very important. Nobody likes to work while sweating like a pig. Invest in some fans or exhaust fans to ensure air movement.
10. Family photo
Finally, place some nice family photo on your desk as a constant reminder of for whom all your hardwork is dedicated.