While working from home, have you deeply considered the link between your workspace, your wellbeing and your productivity? Two years in to the remote working phenomenon, many of us would benefit from a home office (or, perhaps more accurately, makeshift office) refresh.
We are not talking about a full-scale renovation project here - rather, small considered changes which can boost your mood, wellbeing and productivity, and even improve your health and reduce your stress levels.
Although working from home has proven to be an unwanted challenge for some, we should consider some of the benefits it can offer – one of which is the possibility of personalising your workspace to meet your specific needs, to inspire, stimulate, and enhance your mood.
Here are four tips for freshening up both your home office and your working-from-home mindset:
#1 Personalisation
How many times have we glared at the fluorescent office lighting in headache-riddled disgust? Or banged our knee repeatedly on a desk that is not the right height? Felt the dreary-drain caused by corporate-bland décor?
Working from home gives you the opportunity to custom design your workspace. And this is – and should be – different for everyone. Whether you work at the kitchen table, in a cupboard under the stairs, or in a spare room-turned-storage facility, there is always space for carefully considered office design. Prioritise what matters most to you, while considering your space.
If soft lighting is important to you, get a lamp - or two!
If plain walls cause you gloom, add some colour (but not too much! A colour explosion will not create a focused atmosphere).
If feeling the softness of a rug under your toes as you work calms your mind, invest in some soft furnishings to increase your comfort.
Why is this important?
- Bringing a little of your personality into your home office can boost your mood, and therefore your productivity.
- Improving the ambience, lighting, décor and comfort of your office can spark creativity and increase motivation.
- However, it is important to avoid cluttering your workspace! Space is an important element of effective interior design.
#2 Support your body – it supports you
How your home office supports you is as important as how it looks. Balancing your desire for office furniture eye-candy with a consideration for what your body needs is vital.
While freshening up our home offices doesn’t have to cost the earth, prioritising where to spend is key. Ergonomic furniture which supports your body while you work is something worth investing in.
FlexiSpot’s Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk Wooden Top
Standing desks offer eye-catching modern design while also supporting your body by disrupting our sedentary work style. (To find out more about the benefits of standing desks, click here.) Equally, desk converters work well in smaller office spaces.
And it’s not all about desks! As our bodies are unique, it fits that the same chair just won’t do for all of us. Ergonomic seating can reduce pain, correct poor posture and therefore improve our mood and productivity. Active seating is another option to keep our bodies engaged while sat for long periods of time.
Why is this important?
- Comfort increases your wellbeing and therefore your productivity.
- Ergonomic furniture can help reduce pain and correct poor posture.
- Working from home means that we are sat in one place for longer – having a setup which is designed for and supports your body is more important than ever.
#3 Creating a healthy work environment
For many of us, working from home has meant flexible working. But how many of us have used this opportunity to build a healthier lifestyle too? Our remote working setups can actually help us to lead healthier lives.
Creating space for midday exercise – a box of workout-at-home essentials, a yoga mat leaning against your desk leg, or even a desk bike - encourages a healthier working lifestyle.
FlexiSpot’s Cycle Desk Bike V9 Pro
Equally, investing in a few plants for our office can boost our mood, reduce stress levels, provide inspiration, and improve air-quality. Indoor gardening can become a therapeutic break from work and help build routine.
Why is this important?
- Health and wellbeing are central to not only work productivity levels, but more importantly to our quality of life.
- Small adjustments to your workspace can encourage a healthier lifestyle, especially in combating our sedentary work style.
#4 An organised office is an organised mind
After reading tip #1 and bulk ordering soft furnishings and lamps, you may want to think about items and design which can help you to organise your work life.
Creating a simple organisational system can reduce stress levels, boost your mood and increase your productivity. This could be as simple as creating a filing system or having a prioritised to-do-list, which focuses on balancing workload and meeting deadlines.
Clearing away your work things at the end of the day can also provide a sense of organisation and importantly help to separate your work life from your home life. Investing in a filing cabinet means you can shut away your work – out of sight, out of mind!
Why is this important?
- Effective organisation increases productivity and reduces stress.
- Keeping a prioritised to-do-list (or a similar organisational system) ensures you won’t miss deadlines and that you prioritise important and timely tasks.
- Physically clearing away your work things at the end of the day helps to maintain work-life balance.
