The home office is becoming increasingly popular. Whether work is done on a PC or notebook, it always offers the freedom that office space or coworking spaces do not provide. But to make working in your own home fun and productive, it is important to set up the office. What is important and what should be considered in general? This post presents seven setup tips.
1. Buy ergonomic equipment
Even the most beautiful job becomes torture when your back hurts, your shoulders pull and your fingers go numb. When setting up the home office, it is important to ensure a good and ergonomic workplace. Working from the couch is certainly comfortable from time to time, most of the work should always be done at the desk. The self-employed are even lucky at this point that employees do not have: they can decide for themselves.
a) desk
Most desks have a universal height of almost 65 – 72 centimeters. However, this measure only fits »standard people«, because tall people have difficulties with a table top at this height, as do smaller people. Therefore, it is advisable to buy a height-adjustable desk. Additional tip: Some models have a tiltable table top. It also creates more comfort.
b) desk chair
Especially when you first set up your home office, many people tend to save in the wrong places. Thus, a simple chair is placed at the table and sat on it while working. This is a big mistake, because the back pain is not long in coming. An ergonomic chair is the much better solution. What is important is the adjustable height, the adjustable backrest, but also the seat should be tiltable. Armrests are usually recommended, but not everyone gets along with them.
c) keyboard
Special ergonomic keyboards are useful because they protect the arm and wrists. Anyone who uses a laptop should use an external keyboard anyway, as the arm position on the notebook is always too tight and prevents healthy sitting. An external monitor also helps to improve head posture. If you pay attention to ergonomics here, you can definitely do something good for your own health.
If the work goes hand in hand with sitting for several hours, there are also wobbly chair cushions. As a result, you have to keep your balance, which makes the spine and pelvis move slightly. A standing desk also prevents tension.
2nd order is half life
In the home office, one tends to leave something lying around. After all, no boss comes by and customers are rarely received at home. Chaos may be a ladder, but it also distracts. It is therefore important to keep things in order:
- Desk – only what is needed for work should be available. There are good filing systems for everything else, which in turn can be sorted into priorities.
- Desktop – how many folders and files does the desktop show? Here, too, it is advisable to only move the programs and folders on the desktop that are directly related to the work. Private folders, photos, documents and the like are not on the desktop or in the quick filing.
- General – at home people can quickly eat on the PC, the coffee cup stops or the water bottles collect under the table. Even so, people like to take something with them into the study to later store it elsewhere. The following applies here: The end of the working day means that all cups, bottles, plates and other things in the work area are cleared away.
The last point helps to start motivated in the morning. There is nothing worse than cleaning up the remains of the last day in the morning.
3. Create a pleasant atmosphere
The word home office already carries it in the name. It is at home and it can be quiet and cozy here. Decorations, plants, even pictures or posters on the walls are allowed. Especially those who do not receive customers at home can develop freely here.
- What is popular – the atmosphere is created as you like it. If you like figures or Lego building kits, you can put a few in the study. Others use candles, bowls or photos.
- Color – the wall color also helps to make working in this room or in this place comfortable.
– Plants – they not only create atmosphere, they also help the indoor climate.
4. A good indoor climate is worth its weight in gold
In order to work in a concentrated manner, the climate in the room is important. Everybody knows it. If it is too cold, it appears as if the fingers are freezing on the keyboard, if it is too warm, you are not only stuck to the chair, thinking is also tough. But what is right and what is not? In general, temperatures between 18 and 23 degrees are good, depending on your personal feelings. In summer, air conditioning is therefore partially recommended, especially if it is a house that heats up quickly.
5. Pay attention to the correct lighting conditions
Daylight is extremely important in the home office, but it can also be annoying. If the room faces south, it will probably be very hot in summer, so it is essential to take care of a blind. Otherwise applies:
- No window in the back – the window must not be in the back because the sunlight shines on the screen. Also, the view should never go directly to the nearby window. The sunlight is dazzling.
- Luminaires – in addition to good ceiling lighting or floor lamps for general room lighting , a good desk lamp is important. It must not be dazzling either, but it must illuminate the entire desk. Depending on your taste, a daylight lamp is ideal. Especially in winter it helps to feel more awake.
6. Determine the hardware according to the intended use
Whether laptop or PC – the device should easily withstand the requirements. It is therefore important to choose the computer that suits your own work. Some examples:
a) graphic artist
If you work a lot with graphics, render 3D images or even create videos, you need a powerful PC with large RAM and an excellent graphics card.
b) programmers
Here, too, a lot of performance is required to run the programs in addition to the actual system.
c) Word processing
Good mid-range devices are sufficient for word processing, spreadsheets and editing simple images.
It is important to consider whether it should be a desktop PC or a notebook. More space is required for the computer, at least if a typical tower is chosen.
7. Don’t forget the scanner and printer
Certainly a lot of things work via the Internet today, but a printer is sometimes necessary. A scanner can also be useful if, if necessary, scanning can also be carried out via the smartphone. The following applies here:
- Printers – we can only recommend everyone to buy a laser printer. They are more expensive to buy, but the toners last much longer and do not dry out if they are not used for a long time. For printers with common cartridges, the price of the cartridges should be checked before buying. They are often more expensive than the printer.
- Multifunction – there are good multifunctional printers that also act as copiers and scanners. The laser variant is also recommended here.
It is good if the printer not only offers WLAN, but can also be used with online printing services.
Conclusion – pay attention to the facility
The home office is definitely the second living room, because it spends hours in it. It must be cozy and inviting, but also serve the actual purpose. It is often half the battle if the work area with a desk and chair is equipped according to your own wishes and feelings. The atmosphere, the indoor climate, but also the hardware are the other factors that allow a pleasant and friendly day in the home office.
Images:
Image 1: fotolia.com – bongkarn
Image 2: fotolia.com – torwaiphoto
Image 3: fotolia.com – Photographee.eu
Image 3: fotolia.com – Impact Photography