Are you among the many professional Australians who have ditched the traditional office setting for a long-term work from home (WFH) option? If you are, you will need an office setup that’s not only comfortable but keeps you productive.
Setting up your WFH office includes getting the right furniture, technology and may even mean investing in the commercial flooring Melbourne residents use for durability. Looking for a few tips to create a long-term workspace? Keep reading!
Working from Home Should be Easy
When set up correctly, a home office will enable you to be both productive and comfortable. Our WFH experts have shared some easy tips that will help you create and settle into your new home office.
1. Find a Dedicated Space
Moving between available spaces isn’t an effective way to work. Not only is this distracting, but it also wastes time. So, the first order of business is to create a dedicated workspace.
Here you can consider a spare bedroom that’s very seldom used. You may even choose to use a sunroom or the corner of your dining room. Ideally, you want to stay out of high-traffic areas and spaces where you will often be disturbed.
Where possible, opt for a room that has a door that you can close to shut out household noise.
2. Add the Right Furniture
Once you have decided which space you’re going to use, it’s time to select the right furniture. What you need depends largely on the type of job you’re doing, but here are a few general guidelines:
- Table and chair: A comfortable table, big enough to hold what you use on an average day is a must. Remember to include space for your printer, as you can’t use the head office equipment anymore. An ergonomic chair to ensure that you don’t put unnecessary strain on your back and neck is recommended by all our experts.
- Floor covering: Opt for a floor surface that’s easy to clean—many people are opting for the carpet tiles Melbourne companies also use. These are easy to clean and will minimise the time needed to tidy the office.
- Storage space if necessary: If you work with printed documents, you may need a filing cabinet of sorts.
- Power points: Working via any device will require power outlets and possibly extensions to make charging quick and easy.
3. Creating a Work-Life Balance Focus
Many people have opted to work-from-home to enhance their work-life balance. That means the time you spend working should be in balance with the time you spend with your family or other interests.
To accomplish this aspect, consider the following:
- Establish home-office hours: Many companies have a very flexible work-home schedule, which makes it easy for you to set the hours during which you’ll get work done. To avoid getting distracted by too much flexibility, create office hours to keep you focused. It’s also an excellent way to prevent you from dipping into family time to finish projects.
- Have a separate phone number: Where possible, use a separate phone number for your work-related calls. This is especially important when dealing with customers. As much as we love them, customers have no boundaries when it comes to time! Set up a voicemail service that allows customers with queries at odd hours to leave messages.
- Add a clock to your office: While this may seem unnecessary since the time usually reflects in the bottom right corner of your laptop or PC, a hanging clock is an essential tool to monitor time. This will help you maintain that balance you’re craving.
4. Create as Much Natural Lighting as Possible
The type of lighting you have in your office will impact your mood and also determine how productive you are. So, where possible, create as much natural lighting as possible.
Avoid too much synthetic lighting and rather opt for light from a window. You should also have your table positioned in such a way as to avoid glare off your computer monitor. This will ensure that you don’t spend the day squinting and will also reduce the likelihood of bothersome headaches.
5. Add a Few Personal Items
It’s important to add some personal objects to your space to make it more inviting. After all, you will be spending a considerable amount of time in this space!
This can be anything from your favourite picture of your kids or pets to a trinket that inspires you to be creative.
Be sure not to over-clutter the space, as this isn’t conducive to productivity. Instead of feeling inspired or creative, you’ll be drawn to thoughts of cleaning your space!
Final Thoughts
Working from home isn’t for everyone. It can be distracting, and many people struggle to get work done in their personal space. However, if you’ve decided that working from home is something you want to do full-time, it’s a good idea to start off by designing the perfect space!
It will go a long way toward creating that ever-elusive work-life balance!
