The creation of a work station begins with comfort and leads to increased productivity.
The social isolation caused by the new coronavirus pandemic has brought many changes to our society. One of them is suddenly transforming a house into a workplace. Very few people were prepared for adapting their home to an office, or even knew where one starts and the other ends in their routines. With that in mind, in order to increase productivity at work without giving up the comforts of home, we have made a list of tips for the adaptation of the space of those who still spend most of their time at home.
In first place, the basic: if possible, do not give up a good work surface and a comfortable seat. Instead of adapting the dining table/chair for this, take our advice that investing in those two items will greatly improve your well-being. However, if you must choose between the desk or the chair for the home office, bet on a resistant and comfortable seat, adapting it to a piece of furniture with a flat surface that you already have in your house.
It may seem superficial, but having good lighting for your work ambience is essential for your health and, also, productivity. If possible, place your workstation near an ambience with natural light, near windows, for instance. In the case of artificial lighting, also known as task lighting, bet on table lamps or floor lamps. Another lighting tip is changing your light bulbs for the cold white ones, especially the LED ones.
For organizing tasks, bet on boards (chalk or magnet), adhesive notepads, or notebooks, always close at hand. Paperweights, a calendar, a clock, pen holders and bookshelves or magazine racks can also supply the demands of the home office, depending on your special field. Work near the router, if you need to use the cable instead of Wi-Fi, and make sure you have a power strip nearby to connect computer and smartphone chargers, for instance.
Last, but not least, decoration is essential for enlivening the work ambience. The tip is simple: follow your instincts. What would make the work ambience more pleasant for you? It could be plants, picture frames with photos of family and friends, your children’s drawings, paintings, posters, or whichever visual resource makes your home office cozier.
Bonus: For those who wish to separate the workplace from the resting place, be more daring. For that, you might paint your workplace a different color from the rooms allocated for “home”, distinguishing them from “office”. You can also use partitions or screens that separate the spaces
