With more and more entrepreneurs working from home (and perhaps not even needing office space to complete their daily duties), the importance of a suitable and comfortable home office has never been greater. Transforming a room in your house into a nexus from which you can run your business empire, though – or even building a new one from scratch – isn’t easy.
When it comes to building a great home office, there are lots of different factors to consider, and some of them may even decide whether or not you manage to get things done in a timely and efficient manner. Here’s how to build the perfect home office for an entrepreneur!
Use scents to improve productivity
Get the furniture right
Believe it or not, furniture is actually a key component of any great home office. After all, you can have the world’s most powerful PC and some incredible software, but if you’re not sitting in a chair that makes you feel comfortable, then the tech in which you’ve carefully invested won’t matter.
Getting good home office furniture doesn’t just extend to office equipment, although your desk and chair are extremely important. For instance, why not install a wardrobe in your office with custom wardrobe doors so that you’re dressed and ready for work each morning? Be creative with your furniture solutions and your home office will feel that much more unique.
Eliminate distractions
While taking breaks from work is very important, regular distractions won’t help you get anything done more quickly when you’re operating your business. That’s why you need to make sure you eliminate all distractions you possibly can. External noise is a big one, of course, but there’s plenty that could distract you within your office as well.
Try to keep your decoration sparse and minimalist (we’ll talk about decor in a moment). If your budget allows it, then consider soundproofing your home office as well; this will help you not to hear noise from outside your home or even within it if your family is being a little noisy. The fewer distractions you have, the more efficiently you can work.
Let in natural light
You might be tempted to build your home office in an area that’s out of the way so that you’re free of distractions as we discussed above, but natural light is a very important part of any room, and that’s no different for a home office environment. Without natural light, you may feel less healthy and struggle to sleep, among other health drawbacks.
The most obvious way to let in natural light is to build a window, or to ensure that your home office is based in a room that already has a window. Try not to construct a home office in the basement of your home, for instance, unless it has a window that faces out onto the street.
Keep decor classy, but personal
Part of eliminating distractions, as we discussed earlier, is to make sure that the decor of your home office isn’t too eye-catching. Keep colours neutral and pastel-shaded; don’t paint your office a vibrant green or pink, for instance, as this may take your attention away from the work you’re doing and make it difficult to focus.
With that said, you shouldn’t make the office a dingy and depressing place to work either. Add some photos of your family, or perhaps some artwork that’s close to your heart (although, again, you should make sure it isn’t too provocative). This should help to motivate you to “go to work” each day and make the office feel like a nice and desirable space.
Emphasise ergonomics
The appearance of your home office is all well and good, but at the end of the day, the most important element of this room is ergonomics. It should be easy and straightforward for you to sit down at your desk, begin working, and lose yourself in whatever task you’re currently occupied with.
To that end, you should make sure that you’ve invested in a good-quality office chair with great back and neck support. If you start to feel the ache after a few hours of working, that’s when you know you need an upgrade (and, ideally, to stand up and take a little walk). Your PC monitors should also be at the right height for your head if you’ll be using them regularly.
Keep it clutter-free
Did you know that keeping an office clutter-free is actually a good way to lower your stress and improve your mental health? It’s true, and those are just two of the many benefits of making sure your home office is devoid of clutter and mess. Others include being able to focus more easily and knowing where everything is so that nothing important ever gets lost.
Try to set aside some time each week for a declutter. If you can’t manage it weekly, then try bi-weekly, or perhaps even monthly. Whatever your schedule, regularly tidying up your office can have a tremendously positive effect not only on your personal wellbeing but also on your working efficiency, so it’s an important task!
Bonus tip: keep a regular workday
This isn’t so much a tip for how to build a home office as it is a tip for how to use one, but we feel it’s important. When you’re working from home, it can be easy to lose track of “regular working hours”; you’ll be tempted simply to complete work as and when you can.
Doing so would be a mistake, however. Try to make sure that you get up for work and begin at the same time as you would with a regular office job. This will help you to clearly delineate your work and leisure time and will also hopefully keep relations between you and your family healthy and happy!
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