Work From Home Easier In Raleigh With These Home Office Improvements
For many, remote work has become the new normal -- one with some unique challenges.
Whether you’re a home office connoisseur or looking to create a small workspace temporarily, the idea of working within your living space doesn’t have to mean working from your dining room table. The answer to an efficient workspace in your home is finding items that will make life better for day-to-day activity. However, this space should also comforting as you have to sleep here also.
From ergonomic desks to energy-efficient plantation shutters, we’ll offer five easy home improvements that allow you to work from home easier.
Your Home Office Should Be A Defined Space
While cozying up on the sofa and opening the laptop may seem luxurious initially, not separating “home mode” from “work mode” can feel detrimental to your psyche.
If you don’t yet, create a dedicated work center in your home. This room should be yours, putting non-work activities for everywhere else of the house. This should help you steer clear from interruptions. You don’t have to have an oversized oak desk with a dedicated outside entrance, but you should at least try to use a small table and chair that’s only for work.
Have a corner in your living room that would you can use as a work center? Create a hidden office in your room by hanging an easy-to-use, elegant sliding barn door or panel track as a partition.
Find A Surface That Fits With Your Things
As most of the day is spent in a chair, you should consider a workspace that has good support while integrating your desired spatial needs. That means using the perfect work surface.
Now, a word to the wise: don’t go for a “fix for now” desk set-up. A decorative table that disguises as your workspace from 9-5 will only become annoying. You need a piece of furniture that conforms to your work needs. If you primarily use a laptop, a smaller desk or committed table can work. But if you’re stacking books and papers, or prefer a dual-screen computer setup, you need a wider desk.
If you don’t want to buy a traditional desk, build one from alternative materials. An old door or MDF board on top of storage cubbies can easily transform into a adequate work center. When you finally use the correct workspace, the easier work from home can seem in Raleigh.
Direct Sunlight When You Use The Right Window Coverings
Adequate lighting can make or break your daily Zoom call. Not enough backlight and you’re covered in darkness, but try to talk while dealing with sun glare, and you’re flushed out. The amount of outside light can also be the difference between a good work session, and one that finds you making many visits to the soda fridge.
To make work at home easier, you should install a window covering that can direct sun glare. Plantation shutters, as an example, have louvers that can be adjusted so that your desk always has the correct level of outside light without any glare. They will also help block ambient racket, like passing cars or pedestrians. And your chosen interior shutters are made of faux wood, they can also help with energy-efficiency.
Luckily, Polywood shutters are an aesthetically wonderful addition to your space and are a snap to wipe down and operate.
Change Out Your Seat From That Uncomfortable Chair
After some time in your new and improved home office space, you might be realizing that working from that hard folding chair just isn’t working.
Try an an actual office chair to make you more comfortable, or improve your chair with a little extra back support if you need to have it last longer. Of course, you can opt for a standing desk, and then your current chair could suffice.
Don’t Be Afraid To Experiment
One of the advantages of working from home is that you are able to arrange your space outside the traditional office layout. But sometimes figuring out the optimal set-up takes time and some trials. That means thinking from beyond the cube.
Keep asking yourself about what works and what doesn’t. Perhaps you need two monitors instead of a lowly 15-inch screen. Or why not try three? Or maybe you perform best with a wireless keyboard and mouse and a few larger screens hung on the wall. From standing desks to overstuffed recliners -- it’s your choice. And if that doesn't work, just switch it all without submitting an expense report.