Designing Your Own Space: Home Office Considerations
Whether you work at a location away from the home, or you work directly from your living space, having a functional home office can help you get a lot accomplished. However, how productive you are working within this space may sometimes be affected by a variety of factors, including those based in design.
When setting up a new home office or tweaking your current one, there are a few questions you’ll want to answer:
Is it distraction-free? If done the wrong way, working from home can mess with your concentration. You’ll want to find a room in the home that’s as far away from other highly utilized areas as possible. For example: Will someone else be watching the TV in the living room while you’re working? Will someone be cooking in the kitchen while you’re working? Locating your home office in a room away from these areas will help you stay focused on the task at large.
Does it help me stay organized? This is where layout comes into play. An organized room is a functional room, meaning that everything you need is within reasonable reach. How you organize typically depends on the type of work you’re looking to get done. Consider spacious office drawers that easily slide open – especially if you’re going to be opening and closing them quite a bit. Meanwhile, having a rolling chair can make accessing the things you need that much easier.
Does it help me stay comfortable? Everyone wants to be comfortable on the job and working from home is a great excuse to dress leisurely. Nonetheless, you’ll want to find a desk chair that’s adjustable and helps you stay comfortable. Not only that, you’ll also want to think about factors related to temperature – Does the space have a ceiling fan? Maybe it’s worth installing one. Will the space be warm enough during the winter? Perhaps a radiator should be added.
Another factor – how important is having a window to you? Working from a home office can sometimes make you feel cooped up. Adding or locating your office in a room with a window will make you feel that much more connected to the outside world.
Are clients going to visit the space? If you’re running a home business, perhaps you can expect to entertain clients from time to time. A high frequency of visits may make you want to consider adding an additional door that connects the exterior of your home directly to your office space – not requiring them to walk through your personal living space that may be untidy sometimes. Additionally, this brings up other furniture considerations outside of simply having a chair and desk. Two comfortable chairs separated by a side table might work, or if you have enough space, perhaps even consider adding a loveseat with a coffee table.
By considering the above, you’ll be able to maximize productivity within your home office space.