Your home office matters more than ever before when you’re a remote worker. That space can make or break your productivity; after all, there is the potential for all kinds of distractions when you work from home. You need your office space to enhance your productivity not distract from it. Ironically, having an empty room with a chair and a computer might not motivate you work at all. You’re trying to find a balance between inspiration and production. How can you make your home office HIGHLY productive? We have five tips.
5 Home Office Design Productivity Tips
- Use light to your advantage. Natural light is good for your health. But if it shines on your computer screen, it can mar your visibility. Natural light can help you with eye strain, too, something developers often complain about. At the same time, make sure you’re not messing up how you appear on Zoom. Too much light behind you will turn you into a shadow of yourself. If you don’t have windows, there are also lamps that simulate natural light. They’re a natural mood booster that you may want to consider.
- Is your desk big enough? Good question, right? Clutter is a productivity killer, but you need enough room for a computer (or two) and monitor(s). You might need an old-fashioned table for sketching out a schematic, space for a gummy bear jar, and more. Computer desks can be great but do you need drawers? Where will you store your stuff? Piles of paperwork, books, and more, can make a space that is cluttered and an eyesore. How about a stand-up desk?
- Do you have the right equipment? Unless you’re freelancing, your employer will likely supply the computers, monitors, and keyboards you need. But what about a good desk chair? Maybe an external camera and a good set of headphones? You may even need a 3-D printer or a shredder. The point is—to increase productivity, you must have the right tools for the job.
- Set rules for your office. It may be a no-kid or no-pet zone. Or, maybe you like cats on your Zoom calls. If you have an office door and can close it, great. Maybe you can set up office hours. Maybe there’s a rule that when the office door is open, you’re taking visitors—but only then.
- Try to make your home office reflective of your personality, but remember it’s supposed to be a professional space. Yes, we know developers love their toys and gaming consoles. But if you have a couch in your space, will you want to nap on it? If you have a gaming console, will you feel the need to play it? Will that comfy bean bag chair call to you at 2 pm in the afternoon when you’re feeling tired?
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