How to Set-Up a Home Office for Maximum Productivity

So, you have to work from home. At first, it may have felt like quite the novelty. But now that it seems like remote work could continue on indefinitely, working at the dining room table everyday no longer sounds like that much fun.

It’s time to go all-in and create an actual home office, a space designed for productivity and concentration. The following can help you find and design the space you need to help you focus on your work and excel at it. 

Pick a Dedicated Space

If you have an entire room you can turn into a home office, that’s great. Otherwise, you can choose a corner of a bedroom, the living room, or dining room, and make that your dedicated home office space.

By doing so, you have the same place where you can go everyday and work. You won’t have to fight for space to do your work, nor will you have to spend time repeatedly readying the equipment and supplies you need to get things done. 

Choose a Comfortable Chair

After you have a space chosen, and know how much room you actually have to work with, then you should choose furniture dedicated to productivity and ergonomics. You may think that a desk should be the first piece you choose. But really, a good work chair with adjustable height and back support should be your initial home office furniture purchase. 

Your office chair is what most ensures comfortable support throughout a long day of work. Without lumbar pain to distract you, you will be able to stay more focused on the work at hand. And once you sit down, a good work chair can immediately put you into professional mode.

Use a Functional Work Surface and Storage Pieces

Again, the size and style of work surface and complementary storage pieces you choose depend on the space you have available, as well as the kind of work you do. Choose a work surface that will adequately accommodate the number of computer monitors and other accompanying accessories you may have, with just enough room left over to comfortably write notes and stash office supplies.

File cabinets, printer stands, and other complementary office furniture pieces should serve their basic purpose well, and they should be arranged in a way that’s most convenient to you—within easy reach—and how you work. Additionally, if your home office is part of another larger room, these furniture pieces can help to visually define the boundaries of your space.

Set a Fixed Schedule

With your space and furnishings all set, then all you have left to do is use them. To do so effectively, you need to set yourself a firm work schedule. It can be easy to become distracted by chores around the house you want to do, a TV show you want to watch, etc. You can certainly work those things in, but not when you’re supposed to be working. 

To help establish a disciplined work pattern, at least at first, you can set timers for yourself to define work hours and break times.

Create a Productive Atmosphere

You’re otherwise comfortable in your well-furnished and dedicated home office space. But you may need more to really feel inspired to do your best work. Do you need absolute quiet in order to concentrate on your work? Or do you need some ambient music playing to make you feel more focused and productive? Either way, noise-cancelling ear phones can help you set the right auditory ambience. 

Add some personality to your workspace, and give yourself some visual stimulation, with a cork board adorned with inspirational photos and mottos. Put that picture of Hawaii front and center. That way, every time you look at it, you can imagine that vacation you want to take and remind yourself exactly why you work so hard.