How To Set Up A Home Office

An ever-increasing number of businesses are moving to a more virtual way of life, and many employees have said they prefer working remotely. This has led to many companies adopting a hybrid approach, where employees have more flexibility concerning their working arrangements. Whether you are working from home all the time, or are popping into the office a couple of days a week, it is important to have a good home office set up. Let’s have a look at the key things you need in your home office.

How To Set Up A Home Office

The first thing you need to do is work out where your work area is going to be. In an ideal world a spare room would be perfect, but if you don’t have that luxury then a corner of the kitchen or living room will work just as well. The perfect place for a home office if you are going to be using it long-term is somewhere that allows you to separate your work life from your home life.

Wherever you choose for your home working space, make sure the natural lighting is good. To avoid glare on your computer screen overhead lighting is best, but you may want to add a desk lamp so you can read your paper notes clearly. Another thing to bear in mind is the location of your internet router. The closer you can be to this the better in order to ensure reliable, fast connectivity.

Working From Home Shopping List

To ensure your working hours are both constructive and comfortable, there are a few essentials that you will need to purchase for your home office.

1. A sturdy desk

Your home office desk should have plenty of space to fit everything on it you need. If you are someone who likes to take handwritten notes, make sure there is enough room for that as well as your laptop or computer. If you work with two monitors, you will need something a little bigger so you don’t end up sitting on top of the screens.

The height of your desk also needs to be taken into consideration. Whether you opt for a sitting or standing desk you need to make sure that it is at the right height without compromising your posture. There is no set guideline as the desk height all depends on how tall you are, so do some research and try some desks out if you can.

2. An ergonomic chair

Remember that you will be sitting at this desk for 8 hours at a time, so you really do need to invest in an office chair that supports your back correctly. An ergonomic chair may be a bit more expensive than a bog-standard chair, but you will reap the benefits. If your work area doubles up as an area for socialising then you might want to look at a more stylish model.

3. A laptop stand

This will ensure that your computer is sitting at the right height, reducing the risk of you getting both neck and eye strain. The top of your screen should be roughly at eye level, and if you have an additional monitor (which is always best if you have a small laptop), that should be around arm’s length away.

4. File storage

If you have lots of work documents and files then it is always best to keep these secure in filing cabinets. It also means that there is less risk of spilling drinks over them, and your desk will look a lot tidier without paper sprawled all over it.

Added Extras To Consider

We have already touched on Wi-Fi connection, but this really is an important thing to think about. There is nothing worse than being halfway through a video call and your internet suddenly drops out. Also, if you do have lots of video calls you may want to invest in a good pair of headphones and a microphone. This will significantly improve the sound quality.

In order to reduce the risk of wrist strain, a wireless mouse and keyboard are always a good idea. This will also mean fewer wires on your desk so you will be able to keep it a lot tidier! You can pick these up for fairly reasonable prices these days too, you don’t need to spend a fortune.

Finally, even though most of your work will probably be online you may well need a printer/copier/scanner. Take your time to research what model will be best for you, as bigger ones are more powerful, but smaller ones will fit more neatly under your desk. At the end of the day it really comes down to the volume of printing you will be carrying out on a regular basis.

We hope this blog has helped to give you some inspiration for your home office, but remember if you get bored of working from home virtual offices are always a good alternative.