There are countless ideas for putting together the best home office setup. But, the primary elements to consider are the right tools and an ergonomic setup. The right tools will ensure you can fully undertake the duties required. An ergonomic setup will prevent you from experiencing repetitive strain injuries brought about by an incorrect home office setup.
Here, we guide you through planning and creating an ideal home office setup. Combine these guidelines with your personal preferences to build up your desired home office setup that will optimize your productivity.
The Ideal Home Office Setup
To work productively at home, you need a typical office setup that will separate your home life from your home office. Such a setup will provide a comfortable and pleasing work environment to improve your work-life balance. To achieve this, you need specific basic things to function at your best in your home office. The ultimate list of items is as follows.
Identify a Dedicated Space
Assess your home environment to find a dedicated room that can be used as your home office. A whole room as your home office is usually preferred to minimize disruptions. Otherwise, find a separate space to set up the home office. The area selected should have low traffic and have a quiet environment to allow you to focus on your work while at the home office.
If your home office setup has limited room or small rooms, you can create a multi-purpose home office. In this case, you can make the available space and home furniture multi-purpose. For example, your kitchen table could be your desk during work periods.
Remember that a home office does not require a large space to be efficient.
Office Desk
Your choice of a home office desk is key in minimizing clutter and ensuring a healthy work setup. You can select a desk depending on your wants, lifestyle, and the size of your room. However, it is advisable always to consider your health while making any choice.
There are many types of home office desks in the marketplace, such as a big and bulky desk, a simple desk, an adjustable standing desk, or even an electric standing desk, to name a few. Standing desks have been linked to improved physical and mental health. If you can afford it, purchase an adjustable standing desk.
Consider using a fold-out home office desk or a floating office desk when your home office has a small space. You can select from a variety of space-saving desk types.
Office Chair
It would be best if you had a comfortable chair that you spend hours sitting on it. Though leather or fabric back material for your seat may seem comfortable, a mesh-like structure is better to enhance airflow.
Your chair should be a perfect match for your desk. It should support your lower back to ensure an upright posture and prevent back and neck pains. To enhance comfort and avoid injury over prolonged use, a desk chair with adjustable height, depth, width, reclining, headrest, rolling, and arms rest.
Investing in a good chair is worthwhile in the long run. But, if it is expensive for you, use support cushions to keep you comfortable and improve your home office setup.
Laptop/PC
A laptop or desktop computer is a must-have in the current world where an office is not complete without either. Purchasing a laptop or desktop computer is a huge investment hence ensure you scrutinize the features before buying. The computer you purchase needs to be user-friendly and appropriate for your work.
Many people prefer a laptop to a personal computer due to its flexibility of moving around. A MacBook Pro is recommended. Where you place either your laptop or personal computer is critical for ensuring the right posture.
You should place your laptop or personal computer screen straight ahead at eye level to ensure a healthy home office setup. Therefore, a laptop stand or desk is necessary when using a laptop.
In the market for a new laptop? Check out our post on the best laptops for remote work.
Monitor
If you spend long periods looking at the screen, adding a second screen to your laptop would be helpful. Adopting an ultrawide monitor with a good screen resolution can drastically progress your experience by running several programs concurrently. Hence, improving your workflow, time control, efficiency, and ergonomics. Note that you can connect two monitors or more running simultaneously.
Like your laptop screen, your monitor(s) should be placed straight ahead at eye level to create a healthy office setup. You can use monitor mounts, monitor arm, or adjustable desk to raise your screen and avoid straining your neck and shoulders.
Keyboards and Mice
Keyboards and mice are necessary when using a laptop or personal computer. Many of these devices are not healthy for your wrists’ well-being. That’s why you need to invest in good quality brands such as Logitech. Logitech offers Logitech MX Keys and Logitech MX Master. If you are on a tight budget, consider purchasing Logitech MK270, a cheaper wireless alternate with great battery life.
A wireless keyboard and wireless mouse are flexible compared to the corded ones. Wireless devices make your desk setup cleaner by reducing cable management. While working, the positioning of your wrists is vital to lessen the pressure on your hands. You should ensure your wrists are either below or in line with your hands.
Webcams and Microphones
To advance your professionalism at your home office setup, you require a good quality webcam and microphone. These will enable you to create quality content and communicate effectively using your computer. You can stay connected to friends and family or conduct video calls like zoom meetings with improved video quality instead of the laptop cams.
USB/Adapter
Power outlets are indispensable when creating home office setups. You should ensure your home office setup is safe and has enough power outlets. Your office space should be safe from power spikes and surges by purchasing components with an inbuilt surge protector. Installing a power strip that encompasses adapters and USB ports protects your office equipment and helps them operate smoothly.
Desk Accessories
The room on your desk and your preferences determine the desk setup you will create. Desk accessories can spice up your desk setups, such as a desk lamp, desk pad, cell phone holder, and others. You can enhance your office setup by adding accessories that portray your personal touch. But, be careful not to clutter your desk space.
A Few Final Tips
Good Internet Service
If you require a reliable internet connection to be productive at your home office, then ensure you subscribe to a high-speed service like 50Mbps minimum speed.
Good Lighting
Studies have indicated that natural light in a room improves your efficiency. Also, it reduces the health effects of prolonged use of computers, such as blurred vision, headaches, and eye strain. If you can set up a home office space that allows natural light, you will enjoy the benefits of it.
A home office room that does not have access to natural light should be installed with appropriate additional light to brighten your office space.
Tidy Office Space
A disorganized home office promotes disruptions and stalling during worktime. Using a filing cabinet, paper trays, and folders to keep your documentation can enhance your home office setup and organize things in your room. You can maximize your vertical space by adding shelves on the walls to add storage space. Using floating shelves can help you arrange books stylishly and effectively in your room.
Additionally, tiding your office space is not only physical. You need to ensure your virtual environment is tidy too. It includes your folders and files on your computer. You will need to have enough built-in storage on your computer or use external storage devices. Alternatively, you may decide to store your files in cloud storage like Google Drive or DropBox.
Remember being tidy is not a one-day activity; you should be spending some time tidying up both your physical and virtual spaces every day.
Add a Personal Touch
Adding a theme to your desk setup can make your home office enjoyable and inspiring. Surround your office with items that encourage you to execute. Add things that increase your focus and attract you to your home office every day.
Connect speakers with great sound to listen to soft music while working if you like music. Feel free to add any personal device to your office room, such as a framed inspirational quote.
The Bottom Line
There are various ways to set up your home office. But what’s most important is creating the office space you desire. The more tips you apply, the more you can improve your home office setup.
