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If you’ve recently transitioned to remote work or you’re looking to enhance your home office experience, understanding how to work remotely is essential. At the foundation of your remote work experience is creating a workspace that supports productivity and well-being.
Your home office space should reflect efficiency, comfort, and a dash of personality. After all, you’ll be spending a third of your life in your remote office if you work remotely as your full time job.
How to Set Up Your Remote Work Environment
Creating the ideal remote work environment can be challenging, but there are quite a few steps you can take to streamline the process.
1. Create A Dedicated Remote Workspace
Define a space within your home and designate it solely for work activities. It could be a spare room, a corner of the living area, or a quiet alcove where your thoughts can thrive. By trying to work in the same place consistently, you remove one extra variable that could lead to lapses in focus.
This will mark the beginning of your remote work-minded routine and provide the psychological separation that is critical for maintaining work-life balance.
Desk Types: Choosing the Right Desk for You
Your work surface is the hub of productivity. A desk is not just a piece of furniture; it sets the stage for focus and workflow. Consider the following options:
- Traditional Desk: Classic and versatile, an L-shaped or corner desk can cater to paperwork and dual usage.
- Standing Desk: Embrace the health benefits of standing while working. Its adjustable nature aids both posture and movement throughout your day.
An ergonomically designed desk reduces strain, fatigue, and the risk of long-term injuries – invest in a desk that promotes this healthy work environment. You should also check with your employer to see if they offer any form of remote work stipend to be used on office equipment or furniture.
2. Purchase Essential Home Office Equipment
In our experience, there are a few purchases that can make your remote experience significantly better.
- Dual monitors can significantly boost productivity and ease multitasking for tasks that demand multiple windows open at once. Less time switching tabs means more time focused on the task at hand.
- In the visual world of remote meetings, a high-quality webcam is the window to your professionalism. It enhances your digital presence and boosts the clarity of your virtual conversations.
- A well-lit workspace improves concentration and reduces eye strain. A task light that you can adjust for brightness and color temperature will provide the best working conditions, day or night.
- An ergonomic chair with lumbar support is also essential for comfort and posture. Consider investing in a comfortable chair that will support your body during long working hours.
While some of these purchases can be expensive, think of them as investments into your work. With dual monitors, work can be completed more efficiently. With a high-quality webcam, remote meetings will appear more professional and engaging. With a task light, your eyes will be less strained and you can work for longer periods without fatigue. And with an ergonomic chair, your body will thank you for providing it with proper support.
On top of these purchases, it should go without being said that having a reliable high-speed internet connection is crucial. Since all of your communication, both asynchronous and synchronous, will be done through the internet, a stable connection is essential to make sure you can complete your work without technical interruptions.
3. Create A Work Schedule With Defined Boundaries
For newer remote workers, adjusting to working and communicating asynchronously can be quite difficult – you’re not alone. Swapping from a socialized work environment to one of isolation riddled with potential distractions isn’t easy, something we dig deeper into in our article on the pros and cons of remote work.
Crafting a work schedule and mimicking in-office patterns is key to time blocking your life. Start at a designated time, take breaks, and wind down just like you would in a traditional office. This routine promotes discipline and effective time management.
To maintain a healthy work-life balance, establish clear boundaries around your work hours and physical workspace. This is vital to prevent you from burning out – it is very easy to tell yourself ‘just one more step on this project’ only to find that the sun has set, and your energy levels have tanked.
Our Hybrid Team Success Toolkit has a specific module on developing proper boundaries around your remote work schedule to make this unique task simple.
Or, for newer freelancers and remote workers, our industry-standard remote work certification may be the program for you. In it, we dive deep into how to structure your schedule to work for you, not against you.
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Replace spontaneous office chats with scheduled virtual interactions, such as team meetings, one-on-ones, and casual check-ins. This helps maintain team cohesion and morale, fostering a sense of belonging.
4. Curate A Professional Background
Your background speaks volumes about you in the virtual work environment. It’s the scenic route to showcasing your professionalism and personality. But make no mistake, a cluttered view can clutter your message. Simple solutions like tastefully arranging a bookshelf or selecting a neutral, company-branded backdrop add finesse to your presence, telling a story of order and intent.
On the topic of your remote work space, background bustle can be more than just a minor annoyance. Noise-canceling headphones and strategic acoustics can transform your remote office into a serene sanctuary. It’s an investment in a soundproof oasis that lets your voice carry, undisturbed, and your ideas resonate without interference.
5. Structure Times to Take Breaks
Unplugging from work is just as important as plugging in.
One way to do this is by adopting a time management method like the Pomodoro Technique. Work in focused intervals (e.g., 25 minutes) followed by a short break to refresh your mind and body. This helps maintain sustained energy and focus throughout the workday.
You should also ensure to set aside an extended block of time to decompress and regenerate energy for the second half of your day. For some, this could be a lunch break; for others, perhaps it could be a midday workout. Find what works for you and make it a part of your routine.
Take time to disconnect and recharge so that you can come back to work re-energized and focused. Your mental health and well-being should always take priority.
6. Mind Your Mindset: The Psychological Aspect of the Home Office
Your home office is also a space for introspection and exploration.
Use your home office as an arena to chart your path, not just to process tasks. Encourage your curiosity by having reading materials or art that inspires your journey. This will help you to develop a Placeless Mindset, one which helps you to contextualize and understand your place as a remote worker.
This also includes celebrating successes, no matter how small, in your home office. Recognizing milestones improves morale. Especially since you aren’t in a physical space with co-workers, taking time to acknowledge completed projects, personal growth, and any achievements can help remind you of the impact that your work has.
Some ways you can acknowledge your successes include creating a gratitude journal, pinning your proudest accomplishments up on a pinboard, or simply taking a moment to reflect and appreciate your hard work.
Final Thoughts
In closing, your home office is a canvas for your professional growth and comfort. By carefully selecting and arranging the elements that surround you, you create the ideal environment to flourish in the world of remote work. Remember, it is both an art and a science — dynamic and ever-evolving with the needs of your work and life. Make your home office an oasis – investing time in creating a comfortable work space will pay off in productivity, focus, and enjoyment in your workday.
