3 Top Tips to Improve Your Home Office

Work from home is here to stay. You’ve probably been doing it for over two years now, but is your space up to snuff? Carving out a comfortable workspace in a busy home isn’t always an easy task. There are lots of things that can get in the way of your productivity. But we’ve got three great tips to improve your home office and get your space feeling like you never left!

1. Get Ergonomic!

When we started working from home, a lot of us did what we always did when we needed to do some work while we were at home: we opened up our laptops and started grinding away on our sofas or at our kitchen tables. But at our “real offices,” we had work-specific furniture and things like large monitors, and wireless mice and keyboards to make working easier on our bodies.

Good ergonomics in your workspace are important for your musculoskeletal health and comfort while working. Reducing discomfort while working increases your productivity and overall sense of well-being.  OSHA – the governing body protecting U.S. workers – offers a robust checklist of items to consider when setting up an ergonomic computer workstation.

Now that you’ve made the switch to work from home permanently, it’s time to invest in a proper ergonomic setup. Here are the basics:

• A proper desk chair
• An external monitor (or two – depending on your job!)
• Wireless mouse appropriately sized for your hand
• Wireless ergonomic keyboard to keep your wrists in the correct alignment

All of the above will help to put your hunched-over-your-laptop-days in the rearview and improve your home office comfort.

Beyond these essentials, there are a host of other tools or furniture that can help you maintain a healthy posture while working:

• Standing desks. These can be whole desks that move up and down– either manually or motorized – or smaller platforms you can use on an existing desk. You can sit for a bit and then when you feel yourself start to slouch, just raise the desk and stand for a while!
• Footrests or anti-fatigue mats. These are great for giving your legs a break while you’re sitting or your feet while standing.
• Lumbar support pillow. These little pillows are placed in the small of the back to support proper posture while sitting at a desk.

2. Organize Your Space

Most of us try to be as paperless as possible these days, but it can be hard to get rid of all paper. We still all have printers in our offices for a reason! Because your home office is in your home, it’s that much more important to separate work files from home files and keep things organized. Cleaning and filing is a great way to improve your home office!

A traditional file cabinet is a great choice, but if you don’t have one available, there are portable filing systems that can help you without a big investment. A filing box like the one above can help you keep your work papers contained and the bonus is it can be carried right back to the office when (and if!) it’s time to go back. Want more organizing ideas? Check out these great tips from How Stuff Works.

3. Optimize Your Lighting

One of the major factors that can affect your work environment is lighting. Lighting that is too warm or dark can make use sleepy, light that is too bright can lead to headaches, and glare on screens can lead to eye strain according to the Mayo Clinic. To optimize your productivity and comfort it’s critical to consider proper lighting for your space.

Experts agree that natural light is the best for our work well-being. It is the number one “perk” employees want according to Harvard Business Review.  If you are lucky enough to have windows in your workspace, you know the benefits of having outdoor views, sunlight and fresh air already. But, sometimes because of where our desk or computer is placed, the sun becomes a problem and causes glare.

Rather than closing the curtains or pulling down the blinds, and taking away the benefits of natural light, install window film! A good quality window film like ComforTech™ Ceramic Series from Concord Window Film can reduce glare caused by your windows by up to 92% depending on the shade you choose. Plus, you get the added benefit of blocking >99% of harmful UV rays at the same time.

So, if you are ready to experience how window film can help you improve your home office, visit www.windowfilm.com today.