HOW TO: Create the Perfect Workspace at Home

In the current socio-economic environment and the global pandemic we are facing with COVID-19, more and more businesses and companies are recommending and enforcing all employees work from home. Now, for someone who is used to an office or specific workplace surrounding every day, this might be challenging.

Last year I took the plunge and started working from home while doing what I love and building my career. I will admit that in the beginning I was lost, unsettled and slightly distorted on how to get this right. Your work space and work environment is key to productivity.

While having a strong Wi-Fi connection and self discipline is important, you need to consider ways in which you can make your work place comfortable and convenient.

As a person who has had to experience this firsthand, the tips listed below have certainly worked for me and if you follow along, or are a fellow 'house colleague' do let me know in the comments section below what has worked for you.

Here are my top five tips / questions to utilise and ask yourself as you begin your 'work from home' journey:

1. What are your work needs?

The first step in setting up a suitable and effective work station at home is knowing what your needs are. You need to ask yourself what you need in your workspace in order for you to carry out your tasks effectively. Do you require only a laptop for emails and a telephone/mobile for work calls, maybe you are an architect and need space for drawings and 3D bits, or perhaps you're a designer and need to sketch designs and a railing for fabrics, or you're a YouTuber and need a room with good lighting? Whatever you do for a living, the idea is that you need to first asses your requirements in order for you to implement the next step.

2. Choose a suitable spot

The idea behind this tip is to ensure you don't jump from spot to spot in your home, all your work things are in one place, and by process of elimination you are able to figure out what distracts you and choose a place that does not have those distractions.

Consider what works for you and what kind of environment you operate best in. Once you able to decide this you are one step closer to success. Some questions to ask yourself: Do you get distracted easily? Consider home responsibilities, noise and maybe kids. Do you need to be in a quiet area in order to focus, do you need soft background noise to ensure you aren't going mad, or maybe you need easy access to food, snacks and coffee. Answering these questions will better equip you in finding the perfect spot.

3. Be creative

If you don't have a space in your house to setup a work station, consider investing in a makeshift desk on wheels, these are easily found at home stores and grocery stores and usually are foldable. They are easy to open and setup, and when you are done, pack everything away leaving your home neat and tidy and as it was.

It's important to work with what you have and create a space that works for you. With cheap and easy solutions like this, you can setup a work station in your bedroom corner, in your living room, spare room or even patio.

4. Practice organisation

Moving your work space can leave you feeling disjointed and unorganised. In this case, it is even more important to keep organised and make a concerted effort to know where everything is. Working from home isn't easy at first, because essentially there is no separation, work and home life gets intertwined and it's very easy for papers, notes, documents, etc. to go missing or get misplaced, especially if there are kids in the house.

Create a system that works for you and ensure everything is packed away and in it's place at the end of the day. I find what works best for me is whatever I take out, move and review is put right back in its place after I am done. I don't wait for the end of the day to pack things away.

Another tip is to limit your work space to only essentials needed for work. Don't allow your desk to be cluttered, put all your electrical cables in a box under your work desk to avoid falling and tripping over them and perhaps use a wall pocket to keep all miscellaneous items that you plan to get to later, to avoid it lying around in the area.

5. Stick to times

Run your 'work from home' schedule as you would at work. Start work the same you normally would, and finish when you normally would. Allow for a lunch break but ensure you are working when you need to be.

Working from home can filter into your personal lives so be mindful of when work should end and refrain from keeping your work going into your personal time. This is something I had to be strict with myself about, because you don't have to pack up and go home, or fetch the kids, or get home and cook, these tasks are probably already done, so you tend to carry on working which could be dangerous.

It's as simply as that. If you have any other tips that have worked for you, please comment down below and share, I would love to try it out myself.

That's all from me, keep safe and sanitised and be considerate of others.

Peace&Love

Prelene

xo