The Covid pandemic forced millions of us to suddenly start working from home. This new challenge brought with it its own set of struggles, from not having enough space to create a dedicated workspace or having to share the little space you did have for multiple other purposes. But, with many still working from home now, almost 2 years since the pandemic started, a lot of people have finally managed to create their own home office.
But, home offices often lack colour, vibrancy and warmness, which can make them feel cold and unwelcoming - a space that is hard to concentrate and work in. Making your home office as comfortable and productive as possible can only have benefits on your health, mental wellbeing and motivation levels, so with this in mind, here are 5 simple ways you can make your home office more comfortable.
During the early work-from-home stages, many people found themselves curled up on the sofa, enjoying the newfound peace and calm that came with WFH. After a few weeks, however, many sofa workers were on the hunt for a proper desk and chair to work from. Why? Because poor posture can have huge impacts on your overall health, mood and productivity levels.
It’s important that, if you’re working from home for the foreseeable future, you have an ergonomic chair that supports your posture and a desk that is at the correct height. Not only will this have a huge impact on your productivity levels, but will make you feel more comfortable and less achy.
Making your home office smell and feel more relaxing is something that a lot of people struggle with. Our sense of smell is connected to our moods and, if you work somewhere that smells nice, you’re more likely to concentrate and get more work done. By using an essential oil diffuser, you can make the room you work in the smell a whole lot nicer and, even better, you can tailor the scent to your mood.
If you have a stressful day ahead, then lavender is a great choice as it can calm your senses. If you want to emulate the feeling of being outdoors, then pine, cedar, rosemary and sea salt are wonderful options. For something a bit more motivating, lemon or peppermint can make you feel more alert.
Adding some plants and greenery to your home office can bring a much-needed splash of colour and plants and flowers can even help to boost your mood. If you find that you don’t get out much in the day whilst you work, plants can help to emulate the feeling of being outdoors and have some great benefits.
Plants are wonderful things. They help to purify the air, add splashes of colour and texture to a living space and some can even help improve your overall workspace with the different smells. If you have the space, leafy and easy to care for plants are a must to help add some nature to your work area.
If you’re condensed your workspace down considerably, then succulents and easy to care for evergreen plants can help to make the space feel a little more spacious. Lavender, eucalyptus and aloe vera plants can all purify the air and make it smell nice too! Add some splashes of colour with fun pots and planters and your workspace will feel instantly transformed.
It’s important to remember to add splashes of your own personality when creating your home office. You now work in your home, so you need to ensure that the space in your home flows well so that you don’t feel disconnected or disengaged from both your home or your work. Either create a fun workspace that reflects your personality with colourful walls or patterned wallpaper or add some fun and quirky knick-knacks that represent you. Photos with friends, 3D portraits of family, candles and wall art prints can all make your home office space your own.
It’s important to remember, however, when adding splashes of your personality to your home office space, that you don’t make your desk or workspace feel cluttered or untidy. Studies have shown that untidy workspaces can have negative effects on your motivation and can actually make you feel less productive.
Working in a room that is either too warm or too cold can impact your productivity levels and be quite uncomfortable. It’s important to regulate the temperature in your home office to ensure that it is the right temperature for you to concentrate and work comfortably.
You can either do this with a thermostat in the room, or you can make small changes to the layout of your room instead. If you like to work in a room with natural light and a breeze, try and move your desk to be near a window, if there is one. If you prefer to be warmer, then set your desk up so that you can benefit from the warmth of a radiator. When working from home, there are few rules as to what you can wear, so you can adapt your clothing accordingly! If you’re feeling the chill, a few warm layers can make you feel more snug and comfortable, whereas if you’re quite warm, wearing shorts at home isn’t frowned upon!
