Remaining happy and productive while working from home is a key part of getting the job done and feeling fulfilled. If you can create a home workspace that supports productivity you will feel more in control and energised whilst working in your home environment.

While lifestyle choices will impact the way that you feel mentally and physically, when working from home the environment that you choose to work in will also impact the way that you feel.

Mental Health Week in May (18 to 23) had a theme of kindness and perhaps now more than ever people need to remember to be kind to themselves.

By making sure that you have the right environment to work in you are doing yourself a much-needed kindness.

Sitting slumped on the sofa or squeezing in at the end of the kitchen worktop will very possibly lead to constant interruptions and a bad back!

Instead make sure you have a space to work where you can shut out the background noise and constant lure of household tasks to allow you to concentrate and cut stress.

It might not be easy depending on the space you have, but try wherever possible to carve a little piece of the home out for you to work at in an environment that will make you feel good about getting down to work.

Creating your ideal home office

Focusing on a few key factors will help you to create a home workspace that sets you up mentally for the task ahead. These include:

Light

One of the essential elements to creating a positive working environment is maximising natural light. Sunlight is a natural mood booster that can improve wellbeing and focus. Exposure to natural light will help to keep your body in check by encouraging you to get a good night’s sleep through helping to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm.

When setting up your home working space make the most of any natural light and try to face the window to make the most of the daylight – and give yourself a nice view to rest your eyes when taking a screen break.

Beyond the benefits of natural light though make sure the artificial lighting suits your needs. Harsh electric light could give you a headache, while working in shadow may strain your eyes. Invest in a good lamp for task lighting and upgrade your lighting to better illuminate the room or invest in a couple of lamps.

Fresh air and temperature

Make sure to open the window as often as possible to let air flow through the room and keep stuffiness at bay. This will help to blow the cobwebs away and let you feel good about getting stuck into the working day.

It is also important to regulate temperature as being too hot or too cold can make it difficult to work. If you are freezing cold it can be impossible to concentrate, and if the room is too hot you may become sleepy and unable to concentrate. Turn the heating on if needed and put on some layers if it is cold indoors – or open the window and invest in a fan if heat is a problem. No-one performs at their best when they feel uncomfortable.

Bring nature indoors with office plants

It’s not just the great outdoors that can benefit our mental wellbeing, plants have been shown to improve air quality and mood. Add a few strategic plants to your working space to make it look fantastic and promote an atmosphere of calm.

Good choices of office plants cover a range of low maintenance wonders that can survive with little light or water, such as spider plants, Jade (or money) plants, cactus, aloe vera and peace lilies.

Aesthetics

An office that looks and feels the part will make you feel better and want to get to work – rather than avoid sitting down to work. There are basic design principles that you can embrace to make the most of your home office, such as feng shui.

Following the rules of feng shui is purported to help bring you luck, good fortune, success and happiness among other benefits. Golden rules for the office include not facing a wall (if you cannot avoid this use artwork to soften the appearance), adding plants, facing the door and having a good source of light.

An emphasis on keeping the room – and desk – clear of clutter to avoid negative energy definitely makes sense to help keep a clear mind. While making sure you have a clear divide between work and home life by closing the door and locating your office as far away from the bedroom as possible is vital to your wellbeing – and your family’s – by allowing you to properly disconnect. 

Taking the time to create a calm, clear area that allows you to focus can go a long way to supporting your mental wellbeing while working from home, so take time to create a home office that makes you feel good.

Develop a home workspace that supports productivity

For support in running a business from home, New Dawn PA has more than 10 years’ experience in working virtually and can help to put new systems in place as well as manage admin tasks.

To find out how New Dawn PA can help you to create a home workspace that supports productivity, please get in touch.