Having the luxury to work from a home office has many benefits, and you’re likely excited about this new career transition. However, being productive in a home office requires a little more than simply setting up a desk and installing the internet. So, as you start to unpack your belongings after the move, it’s important to dedicate a significant amount of time to set up your home office to ensure it’s a functional and efficient space that results in your best work.
Choose a Well-Lit, Distraction-Free Space
The first step to setting up your new home office is to choose a space in your home that is well-lit and free of any distractions. While it can be tempting to stage your home office right in front of the massive bay window, so you can take in the sights of the great outdoors – doing so could be more distracting than beneficial. As such, it’s important to equally choose an area for your home office that is ideal for productivity but not too distracting that it takes you away from your daily tasks.
Store Documents and Extra Supplies in a Storage Unit
With the prior mentioned, it’s important to limit the items in your office to only the things you need. Sure, a filing cabinet is helpful, as are drawers full of extra supplies, but for the things you simply don’t need, such as your tax information that you only need to access once a year, retire them to storage. It’ll help keep your office space – and mind space – clear and clutter-free.
Make Sure Your Internet Services Are Set Up Ahead of Time
The third step is to make sure your internet services are set up well ahead of time. Although you may not be back to work for a couple of days, you’ll certainly want to have the internet up and running before it’s time to punch in. Call your service provider and start connecting your office to the internet as soon as possible, so any discrepancies or connectivity concerns can be addressed immediately.
If you are setting up a home phone line, this is also the time to do that.
Invest in Bright Light
Hopefully, the electricity is also set up and turned on. Otherwise, setting up your home office in the dark will prove to be a difficult task. However, you may want to consider thinking outside of the bulb.
Sun lamps, also known as happy lamps or light therapy lamps are excellent additions to a home office space, as the white light will keep you inspired and awake. Himalayan salt lamps are also great additions that help neutralize the air from the buzzing technology taking over your office space. But even something as simple as staging a desk lamp is all you need to brighten up your space to encourage better productivity and alertness.
Turn your Home Office into a Creativity Space
The last step is to turn your home office into a creative space that sparks innovation and inspiration. This can be a little difficult, as there’s a fine line between clutter and creativity. So, consider keeping the décor basic and instead, using mood boards, plants and inspirational pictures to decorate the space.
Anyone can set up a home office, but it takes time and effort to turn it into a productive, efficient and functional workspace. As a rule of thumb, always store what you can in a storage unit (like those annoying lose papers and year-old-contracts that you don’t need to see but can’t get rid of) because a clean space is often a productive one. Oh, and keep those blinds open. Natural lighting is a must.
