Working from home can be both a blessing and a curse, with the comfort of your very own home providing a very content place to work, but it can also be the biggest distraction of all, with the TV and your bed right there, and no one to stop you sneaking off. This quick 10 tip guide will make sure you can work happily and productively from home.
1) Separate work and pleasure
Separating work and normal daily life are the first and last lines of defence against homely distractions. The best way to do this is to have your home office in a separate room, this isn’t always possible so choosing a spot in a quiet corner, out of “high traffic” areas is important. Unfortunately this means you can’t work all day in your dressing gown, making an effort to get dressed for the day will put you in the zone.
2) Get the colour temperature right
Colour temperature is very important to maximise efficiency. It is important to note that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for you, you’ll need to experiment to find what works best for you. Generally high colour temperatures work best for concentrating on difficult tasks, whereas warmer temperatures are for relaxing and getting the creative juices flowing, getting the bulb right will work wonders for your productivity.
3) Get the brightness right
How bright the lights are can make a big difference to the quality of the work you produce. Natural light is the Holy Grail, the more the better, up to a point of course. Actually dimming the lights can increase your creativity, but flooding the place with natural light is fantastic to avoid fatigue, however having lights too bright will just give you a headache.
4) Add Greenery
Home plants provide many qualities associated with productive home working. They give your eyes a visual break from the screen, remove pollutants from the air and reduce stress, also helping to keep fatigue low.
5) A little background music
A relatively quiet, around 70 dBs or a normal conversation, level of background music has been proven to be very helpful to maintain productivity throughout the day. Having the TV on in the background could work, if you can trust yourself not to start watching it.
6) Keep nice and warm
A cold home office is an unhappy home office, human cognitive function is much better in warmer environments, and people don’t produce quality work in chilly offices. Keeping the place warm is cheaper than constantly warming it up from cold. Even with the thermostat set high, what you make back from increased performance could more than offset your slightly higher energy bill.
7) A seat that suits you
Make sure the seat you have is comfortable, most adults will experience back pain at some point in their lives and having an office chair that is comfortable and supportive is essential. Make sure your seat is comfortable enough to keep you in that sweet spot, but not so comfy as to have you falling asleep.
8) Clutter can be a friend
You don’t have to tidy ruthlessly every 5 minutes and throw everything away, a little mess has been shown to boost creativity. The University of Minnesota found in 2013 that a little clutter helps inspire good ideas, but don’t take that as an invitation to keep mountains of paper and coffee cups lying around.
9) Let your eyes rest
Your eyes probably become more tired than anything else when staring at a computer screen for 8 hours. Use the 20-20-20 rule, every 20 minutes take your eyes away from the screen and stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. They need the full 20 seconds to relax and prevent eye strain, try walking around and having a drink of water every now and again too.
10) Fresh air
Yes your grandmother was right, fresh air is just what you need every now and then to keep your head in the game. It gives your eyes and brain a rest, oxygenates your cells and may help you overcome that slump you’ve been in the past 2 hours.
You don’t have to be the king of self-discipline to work effectively from home, nor do you have to slump into lazily working in your dressing gown all day and getting nothing done. These simple tips will help you work effectively in your most comfortable place of all, and not succumb to all the distractions.