With more of us required to work remotely, offices are becoming a crucial component of the modern home. Unfortunately, working from home can hinder productivity with distractions, household chores and family members nearby. If you’re planning on upgrading your space, it’s important to consider how to optimise the area for maximum efficiency. We’ve compiled our best home office renovation tips and tricks to enhance your productivity.
Consider ergonomics
Ergonomics is the science that considers human behaviour to improve efficiency and safety and is imperative to incorporate into your home office renovation. When choosing or customising a desk, assess if you’ll need a built-in footrest, what height will prevent you from slouching and craning your neck, and the width of the desk so your monitor isn’t too close. Select a supportive, adjustable chair and try to create a space in your office for small breaks.
Keep it clean
Having clutter in your workspace can provide distractions and unneeded stress. Avoid this by including plenty of concealed storage, keeping things on your desk minimal and introducing a good cable management system. Consider what you find gets the messiest – are you constantly rifling through boxes of papers? Or perhaps you’re always tripping over tangles of extension cords. Finding solutions to these issues will improve your well-being and productivity while working.
Customise the space for how you work
Everyone operates in different ways and it’s important to cater to your workflow. A simple monitor-desk-set-up doesn’t need to be the blueprint for your home office renovation. Maybe you need some comfy floor space to do stretches throughout the day? Perhaps you require large whiteboards for brainstorming? Or do you need a nice backdrop for zoom meetings and recordings? Optimise your space to facilitate your process.
Home office lighting
Having good natural lighting can reduce eye strain, headaches and drowsiness. If possible, place your desk near a large window and make sure shelving and other furniture aren’t obstructing your access to lighting. If you have limited natural light, try to minimise the harshness of fluorescent overheads and experiment with lamps and LED strip lights to make your home office feel less corporate and artificial.