Tag: remote working

Home office renovation tips to minimise distractions

Home office renovation tips to minimise distractions

Working from home has become popular due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that about 30% of employees work from home at least once per week, while 1 in 5 employees prefer to work from home full-time. However, staying productive and focused can be challenging when surrounded by pets, family members or household chores. Consider the following home office renovation tips to minimise distractions and create a productive workspace.

Choose a dedicated workspace

The first step to creating a distraction-free home office is to choose a dedicated workspace. Choose a quiet area in your home that’s free from distractions and where you can set up a proper workstation. Avoid setting up your office in high-traffic areas such as the living room, kitchen or hallway. Instead, consider a spare room, a corner in your bedroom or even a nook in your basement. While at it, take the necessary steps to eliminate noise. And one way to achieve this is to invest in sound-absorbing materials like curtains, carpets or rugs. If you have an entire room for your office, consider working with a locksmith to fit new locks on your door. This way, you can focus on work without interference.

Add natural light

Natural light is essential for staying alert and focused. Natural light can help boost productivity, reduce eye strain and regulate your sleep cycle. If your workspace lacks natural light, consider adding more windows, skylights or even a solar tube. If adding more natural light isn’t an option, consider adding artificial lighting to create a bright and welcoming workspace.

Invest in quality office furniture

Using uncomfortable furniture for hours can be distracting and even cause physical and lasting discomfort, such as back pain or neck strain. Therefore, investing in quality office chairs and desks is beneficial. A good quality office chair will ensure proper posture, reduce back pain and increase productivity. Choose a desk that’s the right size for your space and work needs. As a tip, measure your office furniture prior to purchasing. Experts recommend ergonomic furniture to achieve the desired results.

Get the right storage

Storage is a crucial aspect of any home office, as it can help to keep the workspace organised, efficient and functional. When choosing storage solutions, prioritise functionality over aesthetics. While it’s nice to have a stylish office, it’s more important to have an organised and functional space. Look for options that will make it easy for you to access your work items and keep your office tidy.

Add plants

Adding plants to your workspace can improve air quality and reduce stress levels. Plants can also improve productivity and creativity. Choose easy-to-grow plants that don’t require much maintenance such as spider plants, ivy and mother-in-law’s tongue.

In conclusion, creating a distraction-free home office requires careful planning and design. Following these home office renovation tips, you can create a productive and peaceful workspace that will help you stay focused, reduce distractions and boost your productivity. Remember to choose a dedicated workspace, add natural light, invest in quality office furniture, reduce noise and add plants to stay organised and productive.

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How can I make my home office look good?

How can I make my home office look good?

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in the early part of 2020, nobody could predict the impact it would have on our working lives. Nevertheless, it became clear very quickly that the traditional commute for town and city office workers would be put on hold. Thankfully, we have efficient and effective technology that permits many office-based jobs to be performed from home. Digital communication allows for teams to keep in touch in real time, even when miles apart.

Whether your home office was quickly put together thanks to the pandemic or you had such a facility already, you’ll have settled on a design that focuses on practicality. That’s great, as it’s the primary objective that an office is so equipped to get the job done efficiently. Yet there’s no need for an office to be merely practical; they can also be made to look great.

If you’re happy in your surroundings, you’ll achieve greater productivity than if working in a merely dull and miserable environment. Therefore, if you’re asking, “How can I make my home office look good?” we’ll look at steps you can take to make your work space look the part as well as remain practical and comfortable.

Practicality and comfort

The perfect home office design doesn’t exist, as that is influenced by personal taste to a large extent. You need it to be somewhere you can settle in and relax while still performing your role. Perhaps the main focus of any office design is on the desk and the chair. Click that link and you may be amazed at the variety of desk and chair designs that you can buy these days.

We like the minimalist look for a home office as it’s sleek and clean and takes up less space. Think simple yet stylish metal desks with a trendy mesh-backed chair. That sort of look is a great one for a home office, and those two items will form the central focus of your office design. Remember that we’re firmly into the digital age so think about going paperless. That way you won’t need large drawers or filing cabinets in your office, so less space will be needed.

Now that we have the desk and chair sorted – and presumably you already have your computer and telephone equipment in place – we want to look at non-essential items that brighten up the room.

Dress the walls and remove clutter

Do an internet search for office design trends and you’ll find plenty of inspiration. Think about the walls in your office. Is your office an entire room? If so, you could hang pictures that you enjoy for added decoration. Consider pictures that are your taste rather than the typical office ‘inspirational’ posters. Perhaps adorn the walls with family portraits or pictures relevant to a hobby or passion of yours.

Then there’s the matter of clutter. horizontal space attracts clutter, as an empty surface will simply encourage you to place things on it for convenience. We suggest that the only available surface is your desk and – as is the norm in many shared offices – you operate a clear desk policy whereby everything is put away at the close of play.

Think about the colour of the walls, too. You need an office to be a place of few distractions, so a bright colour is perhaps not the best choice. Think neutral colours such as cream or even matte white, and make sure also that you think about lighting. Hopefully, your office will feature a window, but if not, you’ll need to make sure you have enough light with which to work.

Keep it simple, stupid!

Keeping things simple is essential if you want a good-looking, practical and efficient office space. Make sure that everything you need – telephone, computer etc – is close to hand and that there’s nothing superfluous to requirements within your office space. We do recommend having a house plant or two in the office as greenery inspires calm and is good for us, so visit your local garden centre for an easy to maintain plant that will sit nicely in your office. You should have the idea by now – it’s all about simplicity, cleanliness and modern office design – so let’s finish with a few words about how the pandemic has had an influence on our working lives.

The lasting influence of the pandemic

When we think about what the pandemic has taught us it’s clear that for many people remote working is the future. This isn’t just great for those who dread the daily commute, but also for the environment. Fewer vehicles on the roads at the same time means less pollution, which can only be a good thing.

In the case of your home office, we’ve learnt that there’s plenty of scope for designing and equipping a beautiful, practical and stylish space that will a pleasure from which to work.

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10 key design features to consider when revamping your home office

10 key design features to consider when revamping your home officecredit

Does your home office feel outdated? Or maybe you’ve decided to convert the guest room now that you work from home. Either way, you need to know that your interior design choices will deliver a result that you’ll love for many years to come.

For the very best results, you must ensure that a comprehensive design strategy is in place. If you make use of the following ten tips as guidance on revamping your home office, you won’t go far wrong.

1. Comfort for long stints of work

When designing your home office space, your main focus should be on the intended function. You may use your office for several hours at a time, only leaving it to use the bathroom or grab a snack. So, you’ll need to make choices that promote long-term comfort.

First and foremost, you should find an ergonomic chair that’s suited to a person of your height and body shape. Meanwhile, having a luxury rug underfoot can work wonders too. Visit www.cowhiderugslondon.co.uk to find a solution that also matches the aesthetics of the room. This will make long shifts far more enjoyable.

If your home office doesn’t encourage you to stay productive, it simply isn’t the right environment to work from.

Person working on multiple monitor screens

2. Suitable workspace surfaces

Whether you’re working from a desktop, laptop or tablet, it doesn’t matter. You need to know that the room is practically designed to encourage productivity. Selecting the right office desk will be one of the most important purchases you ever make. If working in a compact area, having retractable keyboard draws, for example, can work well.

There’s nothing worse than feeling unable to work properly because your workspace feels too cramped. So, you may wish to consider L-shaped desks too. Desk tidies and other organisational accessories will help. However, the impacts will be limited if the choice of table or desk isn’t right.

One option to consider for maximising productivity and minimising limitations is investing in a versatile folding training table that can easily adapt to different work setups.

If your type of work requires multiple screens and monitors, there must be enough depth to satisfy this need.

3. The mental divide

When using your home as a workspace, finding the right balance between work and leisure can be tough. Having a dedicated space instantly gives you an advantage over working from the bedroom or sofa. However, you can introduce several additional features to further support this aim.

You may find that adding a coffee machine works wonders. Check out www.tassimo.com/ to find cheap, compact solutions. Reducing the frequency of leaving the room can keep you engaged with your work. Another popular choice is to add a lock on the door. Locking the office at night helps you switch off mentally.

On a side note, it prevents the threat of family members entering the office and misplacing items or causing damage to equipment.

Dark office shelving and desk

4. Storage facilities

Whether you are an employee or entrepreneur, you’ll need to store equipment, documents and other work items in your home office space. Adopting paperless technology and data storage can make your life a lot easier. Nonetheless, you’ll still need to invest in some storage facilities for your home office space.

A slimline filing cabinet can work wonders, especially if you have an alcove or another difficult space. If you’ve transformed a guest room that features built-in wardrobes, you could alter the internal configuration. Aside from creating valuable storage space, it’ll preserve the look of the room. Getting the storage right will allow you to manage your personal paperwork, such as home-related financial documents too.

5. Lighting

While most of the above steps have been focused on creating a practical space, you also want to enjoy the room. The control you have is one of the main advantages held over the alternative of working from a commercial space. Utilising the power of light to its full potential is essential.

Electrical lighting can be used to create a range of atmospheres or illuminate a reading space. However, introducing more natural lighting is the key to making the space look and feel bigger than ever. Crucially, this single step can increase your energy levels and make you feel more ready to work.

If you’re concerned about privacy, window films can be used; this stops passers-by from peering in.

Home office with houseplants and shelf with a collection of vintage cameras

6. Personality

For the space to truly feel like a winning environment, interior design choices should leave you smiling. This guide to adding personality and character to the home offers great tips for improving an office space. Photos, plants and wall art are just some of the examples that will bring the charm you crave.

One of the most important issues to consider is the overall style. The choice of traditional or contemporary, for example, can impact colour schemes and material choices. Whichever route you take, establishing a sense of consistency in design will be necessary. Without it, the appearance will annoy you.

When the home office is designed with your personal tastes in mind, it’ll be far longer before you need to make changes again.

7. Utilise the walls

Hanging wall art to add a little personality has already been discussed. However, the walls can be used to add new functions while retaining valuable floor space. For starters, geometric shelving can be used to display key items or store items that are often needed. Showing off awards, for example, can make you far more confident.

Perhaps the most valuable addition, though, is a wall-mounted screen. You can visit https://www.vogels.com/ to find solid brackets. Online tutorials will teach you how to install it. Whether you use the screen for viewing documents or conducting team meetings and making video calls is up to you. Adding those possibilities without making the office feel cramped will serve you well.

Home office with wall art

8. Electrical outlets

If you’ve transformed the room from a guest room to an office, the number of plug sockets you require will probably increase. In fact, even those that are updating an outdated home office will likely find that adding a few new sockets will be adventageous. That’s because our reliance on tech features for daily work has grown at a rapid rate.

Creating a new plug socket outlet is a job usually best left to an electrician. Check out www.ratedpeople.com/ to find one in your area. As well as having ample plug sockets available throughout the home office, you must consider your broadband speeds. Moving the position of your router may be necessary. If this isn’t possible, signal boosters or range extenders can be added to your existing network.

9. Insulation for the winter

Going green at home and at work should be a priority for all. As such, the home office stands out as one of the best places in which to make an improvement. Air conditioning and insulation should be the top items on your agenda. Otherwise, your increased energy consumption will result in bigger bills and a greater carbon footprint.

Draught excluders, an efficient air conditioning unit, rugs or carpets and unobstructed radiators are all ideal. Of course, this is an opportunity to think about greener updates throughout the home, including a new boiler. Boosting the water pressure, adding roof insulation and thicker glazed windows help too.

Additionally, steps like LED lighting can be used to aid the situation further.

Home office with desk and work bar

10. Make it easy to clean

Finally, you must remember that creating a better home office environment is only worthwhile if it can be maintained. Therefore, always try to invest in a layout that’s easy to clean and organise. Otherwise, you will soon find that your work flow is harmed as the clutter will cause distractions.

Keep this in mind when making your design choices while revamping your home office and you’ll be destined for greatness.

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How to make your home office more energy efficient

How to make your home office more energy efficient

There are lots of benefits to working from home. During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people found themselves creating makeshift home offices. Now, many companies are making remote and hybrid working the norm for their employees. If you’re one of these people, then it’s time to level up your home office.

There’s no shortage of information on how to design and decorate your home office; however, you should also think about making it as energy efficient as possible. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time in it and an inefficient space is bad for the environment and your utility bills. You don’t want to be wasting all of that money you’re saving on not commuting.

illustration of a home office with sofa, shelves and picture

Insulation

If your home office isn’t well insulated, then you’re just going to be spending money trying to heat it up or cool it down. So start with a solid foundation and ensure that your windows are draft-free and have no gaps.

Have your walls and ceiling lined with Celotex insulation board to keep precious heat from escaping your home.

illustration of a warm home office

Watch the thermostat

In general, a temperature of between 18-21ºC is optimum for adults. If you have any medical conditions or are one of those people who’s always cold, then it could be tempting to turn up the heating.

While every once and a while won’t make much difference; if you’re working from home every day, the heating costs are soon going to add up.

Rather than immediately reaching for the heating controls, try putting on an extra layer of clothing or something warm on your feet.

illustration of working on a computer at night

Use energy-efficient lighting

If you work late, or throughout the winter months, you’ll have lights on for long periods. Replace your bulbs with more energy-efficient ones to reduce the amount of electricity you’re using – and your bills. Energy-efficient bulbs cost more to buy, but they last a lot longer and are better value for money in the longer term.

Illustration of a home office

Switch everything off

It seems that everything is designed to be left on standby these days. Some items don’t even have an off button. While standby is preferable to leaving everything switched on, it still uses a significant amount of electricity if things are switched on 24/7.

At the end of your workday, switch off all of your electronic devices. To make this easier for yourself, attach them all to smart plugs so that you can control them from your phone or smart speaker. You can even set a timer for all of the plugs to switch off at a particular time, just in case you forget.

Illustration of a home office desk with coding books

Final thoughts

Working from home can bring with it a lot of benefits in terms of the types of jobs you can apply for, work-life balance and saving money. But it does mean that you’ll be using much more energy at home, which could have a huge impact on your energy bills. So it makes sense to make your home office as energy-efficient as possible.

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