Home Office Setup Tips To Make Your Job More Productive

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Do you want to be more productive when working from home? Or enjoy doing your job more? And do you want to know how you can take care of your health while working in front of a screen, spending your day sitting in a chair? I have some home office setup tips that can help you accomplish just that.

Working from home can be difficult for some people. Sure, at first it may seem convenient. You don’t have to waste time on the road to get to work. It’s a more friendly and laid-back environment, you don’t need an office suit and the list can go on. But after a while, your home office setup and routine can affect both your job and your personal life.

Some of the difficulties people working from home encounter are

• procrastination and distraction
• hard to separate work from personal life
• troubles sleeping
• the quality of your work decreases
• lack of motivation or losing interest in doing your job well
• feeling blue
• health problems

The way you set up your home office influences a lot of the work you do.

Think of it like this: setting up a home office is an important and serious task. Just as you want to feel comfortable where you sleep, you also want to feel comfortable and productive where you work. So take the time to plan your home office setup accordingly.

Below you’ll find my tips and tricks on how to create a healthy, enjoyable, and productive home office setup and be ready to work each day.

READ UNTIL THE END SO YOU DON’T MISS ALL THE USEFUL HEALTH TIPS.

15 Home Office Setup Tips For A Healthy Workspace

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

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#1 Don’t work in bed

What I mean is don’t make a HABIT out of working in bed.

In order to be productive, you need to teach your body and brain when it’s time to work. For this reason, it’s important to have a proper ambiance and a working mindset.

If you’re spending your working hours lying in bed, laptop on your legs, and surrounded by that cozy, sleeping atmosphere, you’re sending your brain all the wrong signals.

In time, your body won’t be able to differentiate between work and rest. This can even lead to sleep problems, like insomnia.

You’ll also find it more difficult to cross the line between job and personal life.

In short, working in bed is the startup of an unhealthy working routine.

#2 You need a desk

Not your bed and preferably not your dining or coffee tables.

You don’t have to get a large, expensive desk. A small and cheap one will do just fine. Just make sure it has enough space for your laptop and other documents and accessories you keep on it.

Place it in a quiet room where there aren’t many distractions.

Something else that’s equally important. Keep the things you use the most close to the desk so you don’t have to get up each time you need to use them.

I’m talking about bigger objects like printers, photo cameras, fax machines, and so on.

Below are some desks I personally love. They are simple, but spacious while also leaving room for your legs. They look good with any room decor and are easy to assemble. Suitable for small rooms!

Click on the images to learn more.

If you can’t afford something expensive and have to limit yourself with the home office setup, there are options as well.

Though it’s not what I recommend as a home office setup, it’s useful if you don’t have the budget to set up a more complex home office. Or even the other way around. If you already have a home office AND have the financial resources to treat yourself with something for the lazy days.

#3 Get a comfortable chair

You’ll be spending quite some time sitting in it, so the last thing you want is to get back pain.

Equally important is comfort. How are you supposed to be productive and enjoy your work if you can’t even sit straight for two minutes?

So how should you choose your desk chair? Make sure you pick something that

• allows you to adjust the height
• has armrests (preferably also adjustable)
• has swivel and casters.

Click on the image above to learn more about KERDOM Ergonomic Desk Chair.

#4 Keep your desk clean and organized

This one is obvious and self-explanatory.

Do you know that a messy desk can reflect on your work? Or even on your mood. It can make you irritable and chaotic.

There are a lot of things you can use to organize your desk. Paper clips, document holders, file folders, pencil holders, additional shelves, and the list can go on.

#5 Lighting

Why is light important for your home office setup?

Because it helps you be more productive, it reduces eyestrain, increases your mood, puts you in a working state of mind, and can reduce the possibility of headaches.

For this reason, make sure you set up your office next to a window so there’s enough natural light coming in. Natural light in particular is good for your eyes, brain, energy, and mood.

If that’s not possible for you, then you should add additional sources of light. Because most probably, your home’s ambient lighting isn’t enough.

Think of it like this. There are four types of lighting:

• ambient lighting
• task lighting
• accent lighting
• decorative lighting

Ambient lighting isn’t designed to be used for home office setups. What you can do is add a task lighting source, such as a desk lamp with cool blue or white light.

Desk lamps are great for practical task lighting because they help you focus on a specific area by lighting it up. For example, they help you see better when reading, writing, or typing.

And don’t neglect accent and decorative lighting. You can use accent lighting to highlight a specific area or object in your home office.

#6 Dress up

No, not necessarily in a suit. In something that you like and feel comfortable in. Something that would be considered appropriate for the outside as well. Not your pajamas, okay?

This is a way of telling your brain that sleep and rest time is over. It’s time to work and be active.

#7 Put some office jazz music on

This is part of setting up the right ambiance for working.

I don’t know if you tried this before, but you should. Jazz music is really calming and can help clear your head and focus better.

Make sure you choose the right music though, like morning jazz or office jazz music, or study jazz. Set the volume as you prefer so it doesn’t hinder your attention.

Try one of my favorite office jazz music video below.

#8 Use a separate laptop or device for work or…

The point here is to not be connected on social media from the same device you’re working at.

Now, of course, some of us can’t afford to have two laptops unless we work for a company that provides us with one.

But if your company doesn’t offer this or you’re a freelancer or business owner running things from your home and can’t afford a separate laptop, make sure to SIGN OUT OF ALL YOUR PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS. Or at least turn off the notifications.

Remember: DISTRACTIONS ARE YOUR WORST ENEMY when you’re working. So try to keep them to a minimum.

#9 Have a pen and notebook

Here’s why

This may sound old fashion, but it can make a difference. Trust me!

Use them to write down a to-do list or as a planner. You can also write work-related ideas that come to your mind, passwords, and so on. I use it to write and plan some of my blogging content. And it actually helps me figure out what I want to write and put my ideas into words better.

So especially if you’re a content creator and need to write or draw/design something, I highly recommend this.

But why do I say this is useful?

Because it can better connect you with the work you have to do and it grounds you. Why?

First, there aren’t as many distractions as on a laptop or smartphone. It’s just you, the pen and the blank paper in front of you. No colors, no apps, no light coming from the screen…

Second, there’s something about this old-school habit that gives you a sense of usefulness about yourself and what you’re doing.

Also, working from home means you’ll probably be spending a lot of time in front of a laptop/screen. This can be extremely tiring for the eyes and brain. Writing down in a notebook can be a much-needed reprieve for your eyes.

I like to use the Flame Tree Notebooks or spiral ones. Click below to learn more.

#10 Include books in your home office setup

Find a few books and put them on the shelves in your home office to complete the look.

It doesn’t have to be many. If you have self-care, motivational, business, finance books, or something else in the field you’re working, that is awesome.

Plus it has a practical purpose too. Not just aesthetic. If you need instructions from one of your books, it’s so much easier and time-saving to just grab it from the shelf.

If you need extra shelves, see below and click to learn more.

#11 Create a plan for the day

Now would be a good time to use that pen and paper I was talking about.

Write down what you want to get done that day or even the entire week.

Keep the schedule you created on your desk and mark the ones you accomplish with a check or X or something until you’re all done and satisfied. I personally find it really satisfying to cross something off my list.

#12 Get the right mouse and keyboard

Get a cute, wireless mouse that you will love using.

Just last week I bought a new mouse because the other one was borrowed and I had to give it back. So I got myself this cute, pink little mouse that perfectly mismatches my black laptop. But I love it. And it wasn’t even expensive.

It’s light, the click noises are pleasant, it’s pink and cute and I love to use it. In fact, I can’t wait to use it when I’m not using it. As crazy as it may sound, it makes me want to work more just so I have something to do with it. I’m like a kid who can’t wait to play with a new toy.

So my point is to get yourself nice home office accessories that you love to use. Like this LED mouse below. It’s fun because you can change the light from the switcher on the bottom.

The same goes for keyboards.

Also, you might be interested in an ergonomic mouse and keyboard. Click on the images below to learn the features they offer.

#14 Get yourself a pair of blue light blocking glasses

DID YOU KNOW?

The blue light of a screen can be dangerous for your health. Did you know that long-term exposure to blue light can cause damage to your retinal cells which can lead to vision problems?

What’s more, it can cause cataracts and eye cancer.

But blue light doesn’t affect just your eyes. It can disrupt sleep patterns when exposed to it before going to bed. It can also cause headaches. Learn more about blue light and its effects here.

There are things you can do to protect yourself from the blue light of a screen. Things like taking small but frequent breaks (here’s a way you can take a break from it but still be productive), wearing blue-light-blocking glasses, using blue light filters for your laptop, tablet, smartphone, and computer screen, or using yellow-tinted lenses.

I got my blue-light-blocking glasses from Amazon. There are tons of options at reasonable prices. Click below to check out some options. I personally prefer the glasses to the screen filters.

#15 Other accessories

Use other products that can make your home office more comfortable, productive, and healthy, such as the items below.

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Start doing these things NOW and see what happens! Do you see any improvements?

Leave a comment with your thoughts!