Ways to Make Working from Home Work for You
You have probably been working from home long before everybody was required to during the pandemic. Or, you’ve come to like the work-from-home setup. Ever since the pandemic, you’ve wanted to pursue your freelancing career. Either way, you see this arrangement better than working at an office. You won’t have to wake up earlier than you do now and endure traffic. Indeed, working remotely or working from home has its perks.
But it had its challenges too. Working in this setup, in the long run, requires discipline and focus. Although these are things you have to prepare yourself for mentally, you have to prepare the physical space. Your home is a place of rest and leisure, and sometimes the line between that and work tends to blur.
Having a designated workspace in your home helps with that. It helps you to condition yourself and your mind that this space is for work and work only. But even then, there are days you feel overwhelmed by the spillover. If you were working in an office outside of your home, maybe things would be different.
Your workspace is fine, but you can make it better. The goal is to improve it for optimum productivity and comfort. If you’re planning to keep doing freelance work, you have to invest in your workspace to keep up the work. Here are some tips you could use.
Make Your Space Ergonomic
Just because you work from home does not mean you should get too comfortable. Sitting properly while on your work desk prevents back pain, neck pain, and most importantly, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. It helps you stay focused and efficiently working on your task.
Other than your posture, your furniture should be in check too. There’s a reason why certain furniture is made for office spaces. Considering that employees in an office sit down for a prolonged period, they have to have ergonomic chairs and desks to avoid body pains and sores. The same principle applies to you. If you don’t have one already, an ergonomic space might be what you’ve been looking for. The ergonomic elements to apply when setting up your workstation at home are elbow measurement, thigh measurement, calf measurement, lower-back support, eye level, and armrest.
Add Some Greenery
People have a tendency to purchase products that improve their quality of life, which is natural because who wouldn’t want the best for themselves? This consumer behavior extends to different domains in a person’s life. Be it social, mental, spiritual, and more. Don’t be afraid to spend on your space, especially if you’re spending money on plants. One study showed that having indoor plants in the office increased employee productivity by 15%.
This suggests that investing in workspaces pays off by increasing quality of life and productivity. Going further, indoor plants possess the ability to reduce stress levels and possess therapeutic benefits. No wonder why more companies are giving attention to their workspaces.
Bring out your inner plant parent. Plants will serve their dual purpose of improving your workspace and improving the interior of your office, whether it is a potted plant or a vertical mini garden.
Have Functioning Tools
It’s time to let go of your printer that takes at least 30 minutes to print a five-page document. And then, there’s your unreliable router, unlicensed software, faulty hard drive, to name a few. These are the necessary tools to help you get the job done. But if they’re no longer working like they used to, they’ve lost their ability to help you work efficiently and effectively. In the worst-case scenario, one of these tools breaks down and you have a deadline due the next day.
If you think keeping your ancient printer is the best way to save money, think again. Buying new ones won’t just save your time; it saves on (unnecessary) costs too. So buy that printer or finally invest in software. Your future self will thank you for it.
Final Thoughts
Although your home is your haven, it’s sometimes hard to find the boundary between work and rest, and vice versa. This is one of the struggles as a freelancer or remote worker. To make working from home more feasible in the long run, you have to have the mental discipline to differentiate between work and rest. While you do that, you should also fix up your workspace so it can serve you better. Don’t just work at home; make your place work for you.
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