From a necessity to a desired aspect of many jobs, remote working has gained a tremendous amount of traction in the UK. Many small business owners and self-employed people who predominantly work on the internet already knew the copious benefits of working from home. After 2020, many people wanted to keep working from home.
In 2019, only 4.7 per cent of the employees in the UK were permitted to work from home. By summer 2023, 29 per cent of employees were working from home some of the time. On top of them, 10 per cent were full-time working from home. For many now, working from home is a part of everyday life.
Many remain sceptical of letting workers perform their duties from home, though. So, it’s important for remote workers to set a very good example and demonstrate the benefits. Achieving this begins with the very foundations of your work day. That, as it turns out, is having an optimised home office. If you’re still setting up at the dining table or in the living room, this home office guide is for you.
The importance of a separate work space at home
You can look at the need for a separate home office in two ways. On the one hand, you don’t want where you relax to become a place of work. On the other, you want your time working from home to be as optimised as possible. To the latter, this is to ensure that there isn’t any reason for an employer to take the privilege away from you. After that, you’ll want to step away from the computer and kick back.
You need mental space to flourish. For those who commit to the office, they argue that it’s best to be in that separate space from home. However, with a home office, you can fully customise the room. This way, you could end up being even more productive. Of course, you need the right room to achieve this. For many, the smallest room in the house will do – the kind of room that gets listed as a bedroom when for sale but can be stricken from council tax obligations due to its quaint size.
Just having the space to work from home in an optimised way may even call on you to test the market. This isn’t just for the additional or more ideal space to work in. Many who have found themselves with remote work opportunities opt to move to more scenic and cheaper parts of the country. Still, you don’t want too much disruption. For this, many turn to the house cash buyers who operate quickly. It’s a fast and convenient way to offload a property, it avoids a property chain, and commission isn’t charged.
Optimising Your Home Office
So, what is an “optimised home office?”
Well, it’s reasonable to say that optimal working conditions may vary from person to person. For example, some of us like silence. Some prefer a little noise. Some of us need to face a window while others may be distracted by that.
So you do need to take into account your own personal working preference.
But here are some tips to consider:
- Before you start moving thing in, plan your colour scheme. It’s easier plan on a blank canvas. Pick colours you like so you actually enjoy being in the room
- Key furnishings next – a desk (possibly a standing desk for those who don’t like to sit all day) and your technical kit – laptops, tablets, desktops – whatever it is you use
- Shelving and storage: I don’t know about you but a messy office is an absolute pain for me and if I see clutter, I end up losing half my morning to tidying it. So shelves and storage to keep the place looking neat are vital
- Pick the right chair. Any time you do spend seated will require a chair designed to help minimise any seating related pain. Shop carefully for that one
- Optimal lighting is not artificial lighting. So as cool as the neon lights are, make sure you have a natural light source and primarily use this when it’s daylight outside
- Finally, consider some microbreak activities. Microbreaks greatly help to bolster your efficiency, but you need the right tools to microbreak. It’s best to avoid websites as many are designed to keep you scrolling or watching the next bit of content. Instead, if viable, set up a mini basketball hoop, get a mini dart board, or even set up a Zen garden. They offer quick and satisfying microbreak distractions that you can easily step away from after a minute or two.
Working from home gives you the prime opportunity to optimise how you work. Make the space your own in a few simple steps to become even more productive and even earn the time saved from not needing to commute.
