Working from home is slowly becoming a normal thing for most people.4.7 million people were already working remotely from home before the COVID-19 pandemic. 88% of the organizations, worldwide, made it mandatory or encouraged their employees to work from home after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
As some people find it easy to embrace the change, others take time to adjust for various reasons. If you’re planning to work from home, you need to create a comfortable environment to help you achieve your goals and stay productive. You can do this even on a limited budget. Here are things you should consider when setting up your home office.
Identify a Comfortable Work Space
Choosing your work area is a critical consideration if you want to have a successful home office. While you may have bigger spaces in your home, you need to choose a place that you will be comfortable working from.
It should be far away from distractions, especially when you are a family person with other household members available. You can decide to work from a small closet, spare room, empty corners, or the stair landing area.
Understand the Floor Plan
Before you start purchasing furniture for your office, you should understand the floor plan. This will help you know the size of furniture to buy. In this case, you will avoid wasting money on furniture that may not fit your work area. Consider measuring your proposed work area and create a floor plan even if the area appears small.
Measure the furniture before you purchase them, and you can be sure that your space will appear comfortable and the furniture will fit with ease. This will also help you buy a fitting rug for your office. Understanding the floor plan can give you peace of mind when working since you will have the right tools and equipment at your office.
Identify DIY Tasks before Calling a Professional
Since you are working on a tight budget, you’d want to determine what you can do alone instead of seeking professional help. You want to ensure that you minimize your spending as much as possible.
For instance, if your office needs painting, you can do it alone instead of hiring a professional painter. This is an easy task that you don’t have to pay someone to do it. Doing it alone will save you a good sum of money.
Don’t Overspend on Furniture and Decor Items
A home office equipped with affordable furniture pieces is as much functional as that filled with expensive ones. Figure out where you should spend more and where you can save some bucks.
Instead of buying an office desk (which is mostly quite expensive), get a simple rectangular kitchen table and repurpose it into your workstation. You can add low-cost filing cabinets or storage drawers to compensate for the missing desk storage. The office chair is one thing where you shouldn’t compromise. Make sure it has an ergonomic design because you will have to sit in it for hours on end.
Wait for sales if you want to purchase new things. You don’t have to get everything brand new. You can easily find second-hand furniture in good condition at garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores, and even online at Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
There is no need to spend anything on the accessories. Repurpose the items already available in your home and place them in your work area to make it more visually pleasing.
Choose the Appropriate Colors
Colors evoke certain emotions that can influence your work either positively or negatively. That is why you need to be careful when choosing decor and colors if you plan to work from home. While you may have personal color preferences, they may not be suitable for a workspace.
Whether you want to buy new rugs, paint the walls, change tiles, buy new curtains or furniture, you need to choose colors that will stimulate your imagination while working. Such colors include purple or cherry yellow.
You should avoid colors that will make the room peaceful because they can easily trigger you to relax, and you may not be able to complete your tasks. If you’re not sure of the best colors, you can use neutral color shades such as cream and gray since they do not cause distraction.
Find Natural Daylight
When determining the best room to work from, you need to choose one that is bright enough. This can improve your mood and make you happier while working, increasing productivity.
Even if you plan to work from a container, you can install large windows to allow more light. You can then place your seat and chair close to the window to avoid struggling to see when working.
The Bottom Line
The above tips can help you successfully set up your office at home, leading to increased productivity and business growth. All you need is a place that you’ll stay focused with fewer distractions.
Author Bio: Hamna is a home organization enthusiast and blogger with features/mentions in Brit+ Co, Best Company, G2, and others. When she isn’t getting nagged by her husband or 2 kids, she spends time writing about or trying a new DIY project at her home. Twitter: @HamnaAmjad