Last Updated on July 2, 2024
Remote work became popular during the pandemic. This way of working, however, has remained popular. Yet, it should be mentioned that working remotely is not for everybody. Some find working from a remote office distracting. Then again, others might find working in an open office off-putting. But for those wanting to set up a perfect home office, we have you covered. You can optimize your tools, and have all the equipment that you might need. When you have set up an efficient home office, you are halfway to prospering in your work!
How CEOs have adopted remote working
There is one group that has found working remotely especially beneficial, namely, the CEOs of startups and other businesses. Besides the savings on travel, they are able to manage their time better. However, not all have appreciated the concept of remote working. Entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) demanded that all white-collar workers return to the office. That said, younger, and more progressive businesses such as Twitter, Airbnb, Facebook parent Meta Platforms (META), and Yelp, have opted to go the remote-working route. The simple reason is the benefits to the company.
The benefits of remote work from a remote office
Many companies tend to underutilize offices, which is a waste of resources. As the CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, remarked − an office is just a relic of the past. Benefits of working remotely include cutting out time-wasting commutes; but also, and a healthier work-life balance is established, especially for those with children. Other benefits of remote working include greater flexibility and productivity, a boost in motivation, and a reduction in staff turnover. However, to be productive, you need a well-arranged office free from distractions.
Setting up your perfect home office when working from a remote office
Regardless of whether you are an employee wanting to work remotely, a CEO, or a seasoned remote worker such as a virtual assistant, you need a good office to be productive.
Select the space for your home office
Even though you will be working at home, you need to make a clear split between home and work. Ideally, a quiet separate room with good natural lighting would make a suitable home office. However, because of space limits, this is not always possible. As a rule, however, make use of space without distractions, or with distractions, you can control. For instance, you must be able to switch off the television, thus allowing yourself to concentrate better.
Next – time to set up your new office
For a good home office, you need the right equipment. There are some basics that you will need. These items include a desk or table, a good ergonomic chair, a laptop, fast internet, and good lighting for your desk lamp. If you are not paperless, then you will also need stationary, and space to store your files and other documents. Besides that, you can also consider purchasing noise-canceling headphones, especially for your Zoom meeting. Your space can be decorated in calming colors, and be free from clutter. Start with your desk. Once the positioning of your desk has been decided on, all the other items will fall into place. Just keep in mind, for online meetings, make sure that your background is clean and uncluttered, therefore a wall, or bookshelf works well as a neutral background.
Good lighting is necessary
Lighting can influence your productivity. For instance, fluorescent lighting can make you drowsy. It is better to have as much natural light as possible to work by. Also, when you participate in online meetings, you need to ensure that the light is in front of you, and not behind you. This is so that the other person can see you clearly.
Temperature control
An excessively hot home office can make you drowsy. The opposite is also a problem – very cold spaces can distract you and even lead to mistakes such as typing errors. As such, a room temperature of around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (or 25 degrees Celsius) is ideal, if you want to remain productive.
Don’t forget about your health
Do not skip equipment that can support your health. For instance, don’t use a dining room chair. Rather use an ergonomic chair or a table that is the right height; see that your glasses have blue light filters, and your laptop has an anti-glare screen to protect your eyes. All of these aids will prevent back pain, headaches, or nerve disorders.
Get yourself a plant
Adding a plant can help to calm you and will aid in cleaning the air. Just make sure it’s a plant that is low maintenance. Some good choices include a philodendron, peace lily, cast-iron plant, snake plant, pothos, or even air plants.
Pick the right color
Calm and neutral colors normally work the best. These are not distracting colors and will supply a good background when you have online meetings. Or you could go for either green or blue, as such colors will boost your efficiency. If you want more energy, then yellow is a good choice. But stay away from extremely bright colors such as red or orange as they can distract you, and they may be too intense.
Get dressed
This might seem obvious. Working in your pajamas might be your dream; however, this is not going to help you. In fact, it will impede your productivity, and also make you feel less confident. Therefore, dress up, casually naturally, but you will feel more as though you are working; and it will help psychologically to seem to be separating work from home.
Set your hours
It can be tempting to sneak off and watch your favorite series on Disney Plus, but you need to stay focused. So keep your breaks short, just as you would have when working in an onsite office. This takes discipline, and it is the biggest divide between those able to work remotely and those who just can’t. Virtual assistants are an example of a group of people able to work remotely. That said, even though you need to watch your breaks, you should also stop working and close the office door at the end of the day. Don’t fall prey to working late nights. Your boss is not going to pay you overtime, so why waste your energy? Therefore, set your times, and stick to them!
