5 Ways To Make Your Home Workplace Fun Location is the most important factor to ensure your work time is productive and fun
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Work plays an important part in all our lives, in most cases who we are is defined by what we do.
With work from home becoming more prominent and more importantly more practical given the time we spend getting from home to office , we have 100's of homeowners who come to us to design their homes ask for their private workspace at home, sometimes it's a large room sometimes a cozy corner, but no matter the size of your home workspace, making it functional and more importantly fun is key to getting the most out of your productivity at home.
Here are my 5 tips to make sure you enjoy working from home
1) Location. Location. Location:
Location is the most important factor to ensure your work time is productive and fun, find a space that has plenty of light and access to fresh air, make sure though that you don't face a window, rather it's best if the window is on your sides. This ensures lack of glare as well as the right amount of light to make your workspace bright. Decorate your window with white or light coloured drapes to ensure that the space always looks & feels bright.
Oh, and I also find that not locating the workspace next to known distractions can be very helpful in increasing productivity ( like in my case I ensure that my workspace is as far away from the refrigerator as possible )
2) Get organised baby:
A messy workspace means that you'll not only reduce productivity cleaning or finding something you need but studies show that an untidy workspace makes you want to work less and actually puts you off doing work. So first understand what you need to store depending on how much you plan to work from home ( ex: people who work mainly from home may need more storage space then people who work occasionally )
If you have the space plan for a simple overhead storage unit that can store all your work & reading essentials , do not overdo this storage otherwise it will overpower your space and reduce overall aesthetic of your work area.
Ensure that your work table has at least 2 drawers to organise essentials like paper , and other office supplies.
Keeping the above two points in mind should guarantee a clutter free workspace.
3) Take it personally…it's not just business:
Everyone wants their work area to be personal , even if it is within your home. When we design for a client, we understand their favourite colours and try to bring this element into the design either in table itself or by adding accessories in that colour like a quirky blue pin up board and integrating a photo or a fav quote into that custom made pin up board. You can also add personality by getting funky pen holders, paper weights or something as whimsical as a toy action figure or inspirational like a personal vision board, what ever your fancy or quirk make some room for it on your desk. You'll smile every time you look at it.
4) Go Green
Adding green to any space makes it feel fresh and bright, get hold of hanging plants ( real or artificial ) and hang a couple above your desk or make room for a beautiful planter on your desk.
5) Get the Anthropometrics Right:
Its most important to get a table and chair that suit your build and are comfortable to work or sit on.
For the average Indian , we suggest a table top height of 750mm from the floor to your table top.
We also suggest that the desk be at least 550mm in depth and 1050 mm in width. The Ideal width should be 1200 mm for a home office work table, but you can go as big as you want depending on your need and space availability.
The other most important factor is the chair you sit on, try and get the most comfortable functional chair ( if your office chair is good, just get the same one for your home, your body would already be used to it and will love it) . Get a chair with arms and wheels so it's easy to move around and comfortable to work from.