The home office has become a far more essential room in the house than ever before. Because of the rise of working remotely, many people have had to create makeshift workspaces out of previously occupied rooms in the house. Even if your dedicated workspace is in its own separate room, there are ways to make your home office set up more efficient for you and your work. You probably have the essentials like a desk and a computer chair, but if you are looking to update that stuff too, look at this list of recommendations from home office experts.
Things to Add to Your Home Office Set Up
Looking for some more unique ways to improve your at-home office? Here’s a few things you might want to add to it, and a few things you might want to throw out.
Wi-Fi Router.
There is nothing as annoying as bad Wi-Fi. It can throw a wrench into your entire day, grinding all your forward momentum to a dead halt. Chances are there are places in your home that have spotty Wi-Fi, and sometimes a Wi-Fi extender won’t even be enough to solve the problem.
A solution you might want to look into is a Wi-Fi router or Nest® system. These helpful work arounds can take your internet from normal to high speed without the need to change your provider. Plus, it can be used to help with several different Wi-Fi struggles in your home. Check out which router will best suit your needs here.
A Desk Calendar
You might not always want to be reminded of what day it is when it comes to work, but keeping your eye on the long-term goals and deadlines is incredibly helpful. Having a desktop calendar is a great way to visualize this, while keeping the space organized and neat.
Many can be placed on the desk itself like a placemat. Throughout the day you can glance down and see the big picture, months at a time. Your daily to do list can be delegated to a different area, and having the long game laid out before you can help you take on your work in portions.
Don’t have room for a full-blown calendar? Try a planner instead. Better yet, you can even go digital with one of these digital calendars apps.
A Phone Stand
Having a phone stand on your desk can have several benefits. Being able to see your phone without lifting it up frees your hands to continue working. It also helps you stay off your phone during work hours, when distractions can derail your entire day.
Having the stand can also help with video calls. Do the actual call on your phone, then if you want to take notes elsewhere, your whole screen is free to do busy work while remaining face to face with the other callers. Plus, repositioning a phone stand to look better is often easier than repositioning an entire computer setup.
Things to Remove from Your Home Office Set Up
Over the years it’s inevitable that you will gain random office supplies: pens, pencils, staplers, notebooks, etc. These are all good things to have on hand, but having too many of them can become cumbersome. You can always find use for a good pen and notepad but having 35 pens and 12 notepads is probably overkill.
It’s important to take a day every year (or even better, every month) and really clean out your work area. Sanitize, declutter, and reduce the amount of “junk” around your desk. Get rid of any excess supplies that you don’t need and find better homes for them. This will prevent mountains of supplies from piling up.
Your computer is also part of the workspace that should be taken care of. Clean your screen regularly and make sure to properly remove dust from the machine. It is important to take inventory of the files on your desktop every few years. It might be time to invest in an external hard drive to transfer files that you never use. This will free up space for new files and clean up your interface while you’re at it.
Get to Work!
Now that you have reenergized your home office, it’s time to get going! Use these tips to keep your area in tip-top shape and the rest of the work will come.
Still having trouble staying productive in your new home office? Check out our blog on how to create time when you don’t have any!
