Top Tips for Working from Home

Debbie Robinson is the Managing Director at House to Home. In this article, she offers some tips on setting up your work-from-home space.

While trying to separate work from leisure time, which is now more difficult than ever, seeing that a lot of us both work and live at home – the lines are very blurred. The ideal scenario is to have a separate home office space so you can close the door, but if that's not possible, how can you create/divide space to make the distinction between work and play? 

For many of us, working from home is the new normal, rather than the way that it’s always been. And when that’s the case, taking a space that’s previously been used for other purposes and switching it over to your full-time home office can understandably be quite the transition. By this point, however, it’s been more than a year of working from home, and with little sign that we’re heading back to the traditional office (at least on a full-time basis) anytime soon, now is the time to find your best work from home setup if you haven’t already.

Over the last year we’ve all approached this differently. Dining tables have become desks, and sheds have become ‘offices with a short-commute’. How you divide work and home while at home pretty much depends on how big your house is, and how many people live in it. I have seen spectacular understairs offices, and I’ve set up garden pods that, quite frankly, I could have set up home in. A little corner hub in a kitchen and living room works for most people, but I would say try to avoid setting up an office in your bedroom (this is one place that should be sacred, and totally work-free).

Whether you’re freelancing or full-timing it, working solo or spending your days fielding video meetings, let me share some of my useful must-haves for your ultimate home office setup that will help you be at your best day in and out – even if you’re wearing your PJs while you do it!

1.      Desk

Call me Captain Obvious, but if you’re working from home, you really do need a desk. Don’t roll your eyes at me – I’ve tried to work remotely whilst staying away from home and trust me: makeshift desks just aren’t the same. If you’ve got an unused corner of your home, you’ve got space for a desk which will be hugely beneficial in terms of helping you switch in and out of productivity mode.

2.      Ergonomic office chair

Unless you’re opting for a standing desk, in which case you’re a brave soul and I salute you, you’ll also need a chair. There’s no point searching far and wide for a desk that supports your posture, only to do all your work on a bar stool.

Instead, choose a chair that gives you the support you need and deserve. The perfect office chair will vary between people, but look for a slightly reclined position, dynamic back movement, and back support.

3.      Light

I hope you work in a south-facing house with twelve hours of sunlight a day, and that your office room has huge glass windows. But, if like me it’s not, or if you prefer to work at night, this is where having the right light comes in. And even beyond that, the light that you choose for your home workspace can have a big impact on how you feel while you’re working, with a lack of light leading not just to squinty eyes and headaches but to the potential for poor mental health.

You can choose between a table lamp and a floor lamp, depending on how much space you have and which you like the look of. I prefer a floor lamp with a light above my head level as I feel it’s better for my eyes. Just my preference.

Whichever you choose, evidence suggests using 500 lumens per square meter (this is as technical as I get!), and opting for white light is best to increase productivity.

4. Communication

When I say communication, I’m not talking about office gossip that so many of us miss. But if your home job involves working with clients, you need the right equipment. One of the biggest issues that work from homers have is that it can be hard to focus with kids, significant others and/or pets around. A good workaround is to have a pair of headphones that can hep you tune out the background noise and get into a work frame of mind, regardless of whether you opt for music, a podcast or some good old-fashioned silence.

Decide if you want to go wire-free or not with your headphones, as well as if you’re looking for a noise cancelling option or just a set that will tamper down the volume of whatever is going on around you.

Personally, I’d recommend investing in a Bluetooth headset with an attachable microphone – it makes such a big difference for sound quality during conferences or calls. You could also consider a voice over IP for cheap (and sometimes free) phone calls without a phone, and a phone dock to charge your phone cable-free.

5.   Desktop organiser

Don’t you just hate having a load of papers and random stuff lying around on your desk? I know I do; that’s why I use a desktop organiser. Although technically you still have a load of random stuff lying around, it just looks so much better once it’s placed in an organiser. It all comes back to that mental well-being for me!

6. High-speed internet access

Wherever you set up your workspace, make sure your Wi-Fi isn’t going to let you down. When I move clients from A to B, I am often asked to check the Wi-Fi and make improvements if necessary. Make the most of whatever you have by upgrading to a great package and splashing out on a quality router. Once you make the switch, you’ll wonder how you survived before!

And finally, there’s a reason every desk you see on Pinterest has plants and other greenery. Yes, flowers look pretty, but they’re also great for our mental health. Go to your local garden centre and pick up a few plants that catch your eye, then pop them into some aesthetically pleasing pots. And if you’re bored at staring at the same four walls, splurge on some new wall art. It’s amazing what a difference a new view can make!