Working from home can be a blessing, but it can also be a challenge. Your workspace directly affects how you feel and how productive you are during the day. A cramped desk, bad lighting, or constant distractions can make even simple tasks drag on longer than they should.
The good news is that with a few changes you can completely transform your home office into a place you enjoy spending time in. Or take it to the next level with a 20ft shipping container office studio in the backyard.
Here are practical and creative tips to help you level up your space and get the most out of your workday.
Optimize Your Desk Setup
You will spend most of your time at your desk and chair, and therefore, make it count. Begin with selecting a chair to sit on that supports your back. Hours sitting on the wrong chair may make you stiff, sore and distracted. Find one that has a good lumbar support and can be adjusted to a sitting height.
Then drag in your desk in such a manner that you can sit without stooping. Even a monitor riser or an adjustable arm is all that is needed to raise your screen to eye level and spare your neck. Position your keyboard and mouse to make your elbows to be on natural position.
Even such minor details as a footrest or a wrist rest can significantly differ in terms of comfort. When your room is clean and comfortable, you will be able to work longer hours in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Improve Lighting
Lighting determines the atmosphere of your whole workspace. When you are in a dark room, your brain will be slow and uninspired. Your greatest ally is the natural light: it is best that you have your desk placed close to the window as possible. The light does not only ensure your eyes are not strained but it also gives you more energy.
When there is no natural light, have a mix of overhead and task lighting. There is a lamp that can be adjusted to a certain brightness to be used during late nights or cloudy days. Warm light is comfortable, whereas the cooler light makes it sharp and professional.
Consider your lighting as the whole design. A smooth desk lamp or a pendant light can also serve as a decoration as well as enhance your workspace.
Incorporate Smart Storage Solutions
Dominate enters your head even when you are not aware of it. An untidy office complicates the thinking process. The answer to this is to make your office a home. Loose shelves are very suitable to books and supplies and decoration that do not occupy any floor space.
When you are not in need of them, rolling carts can be rolled under desks or into corners. The filing cabinets provide a safe place to store important papers but can also act as the additional surface area to a plant or lamp.
When you are working in a small space, go up and down. Hooks on the walls, peg boards and tall cabinets allow you to keep your desk clutter-free with bare essentials only. Your brain is no different: when you open and organize your office, your brain will mimic the same behavior.
Personalize Your Workspace
Your office does not need to be plain. The most desirable spaces are professional and personal. Insert a bit of creativity in artwork that makes you feel inspired or photos that you smile at. Another simple addition that adds life to the room is that of plants. The space can be freshed even with one potted fern.
Pay attention to color too. Light blues and greens can be used to establish a relaxing atmosphere, and bold colors, such as orange or yellow, can make a person creative. It is aimed to balance both personality and productivity. Excessive distraction will take your mind off, but some personalization can make the office seem like home.
Upgrade Your Tech Tools
The appropriate technology would or would not make your working day. Internet slowness or untrustworthy equipment is irritating and it consumes resources. In the event that there is an opportunity, invest on a high-speed connection and have a backup such as a mobile hotspot.
Another excellent upgrade is noise-canceling headphones, when you work among family or other roommates. They assist you to avoid music in the background so that you can be able to concentrate on tasks.
A laptop will allow you to add an external keyboard and mouse to decrease the strain. The second monitor can also be among the most effective productivity tools you can purchase to have additional space to multitask and not to constantly switch between open windows.
Enhance Sound and Privacy
Distraction is heard so readily. When you can not control what is going on outside your office, then control what is going on inside. A carpet cushions the steps and absorbs the noise. Another use of curtains is to minimize the echoes particularly when you are dealing with hardwood floors.
Acoustic panels are of any shape and design. Others resemble modern art and therefore, you do not necessarily need to compromise on style and functionality. Mobile partitions create isolation in communal areas and therefore it becomes easier to concentrate.
Finally, you can try a phone app or a white noise machine. The constant buzzing will assist in eliminating random noise such as yelling dogs or other people talking nearby.
Create Separation with an Outbuilding Office
Sometimes the best way to level up your home office is to step completely outside your house. If you’re constantly interrupted, sharing a small space, or just craving more privacy, consider creating an outbuilding office in your backyard.
One unique option is to use a shipping container like those at Dry Box. Containers are strong, weather-resistant, and surprisingly affordable compared to traditional construction. With some customization, you can insulate the walls, add windows for natural light, and wire it for electricity. The result is a private workspace just steps away from your home but far enough to give you that mental separation you need.
A container office too may have several uses. It can be your creative studio, your silent reading corner or a miniature gym in the end of the working day. The flexibility ensures that it is more than an office. It is a lifestyle to invest in. You would have ample working space of a shipping container.
The greatest advantage is the feeling of segregation. It is not the same when you are walking into a special office outside the house and sit at the kitchen table. Your brain turns into working mode and when you come out at the end of the day you are able to relax. That physical barrier assists in bringing back work-life balance which is easily lost when you are working at home.
Stay Flexible
Your work patterns can evolve as time goes by so make your office flexible. Modular furniture enables you to re- arrange when you require a different set up. A sit/stand desk allows you the option of stretching during the day. Probably even collapsible tables or folding chairs can help you easily make the necessary changes in your office as new projects appear.
Consider your office a home. It must expand along with you as your job and life changes. Being flexible will keep you constantly relaxed and productive regardless of the changes that may occur.
Keep It Simple
Leveling up your home office doesn’t always mean a big renovation. Sometimes it’s as simple as adjusting your desk height, adding a new lamp, or hanging a few shelves. Other times it’s about making bold choices, like building a separate outbuilding office in your backyard with a converted shipping container. You can buy containers rent to own to keep your cost down if you’re taking this route.
The idea is to make a working environment that gives you energy, maintains your order, and makes you pay attention. Your office ought to be one of those places that you would jump into every morning, not a place where you keep a laptop.
You will turn your work life into a more productive and enjoyable one by personalizing it, upgrading your tools and even by thinking of creative solutions outside your home.
Take one step today, even a small one, to improve your office space. Tomorrow you’ll thank yourself when you sit down to work in an environment that feels like it was designed just for you.
