If you’re like many working people here in the UK, you may be working at home now because of stay-at-home orders. This can be a challenge if your work environment is cluttered, unorganised and unsanitary. Is your messy and disorderly home office affecting your productivity? Here are seven basic guidelines for creating a tidy, organised and clean home office during lockdown, along with some considerations and warnings.
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CHOOSE THE RIGHT DESK
If you do your work from your bed or a couch, using a laptop, think about how this can lead to poor posture, in addition to back pain, which is a condition that affects 49 percent of adults in the UK each year. Besides hurting your posture and back, working in bed or on a couch isn’t practical. You need a work surface that’s able to accommodate everything you need for doing your job. Make sure your desk is the right height as well as has enough space for resting your forearms.
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CONSIDER YOUR HOME OFFICE SETUP
Consider the setup for your home office. This entails thinking about what you’ll need to have so that you can be both productive and comfortable while working at home. A standing desk is a must-have item for some people. This allows you to both sit and stand during your workday.
Another piece of necessary equipment is a good printer that includes a scanner. The best and most convenient option is a wireless printer. If you rarely use your printer-scanner, it may be a good idea to put it in a hallway or spare bedroom. This lets other members of your family be able to print things without having to disrupt you when you’re busy in a Zoom meeting.
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USE EFFECTIVE STORAGE STRATEGIES
Chances are, it’s your bills and keys that are the two items that can be the most difficult to keep organised. Why not store these items in a creative, DIY mail organizer so that you won’t have to ever search for them again?
Box shelving, which can be easy to make and customise, can be an ideal method for storing office supplies. You could even use vases or picture frames to make the shelf look more attractive as well as uncluttered. Another idea is using glass jars or old coffee cans for storage.
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CHECK LIGHTING
Too often, people who work from home ignore lighting. When checking the lighting conditions of your home office, determine if the lighting from your desk lamp is either too dim or too bright. See if you’re receiving enough natural light or light from the sun, which is the best type of lighting you can have. Try to locate your workspace near a window or an opening that ushers in sufficient sunlight. You may want to have several lighting fixtures in order to create a comfortable work environment.
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INVEST IN HOME OFFICE ACCESSORIES
When you work at home, it’s important to have the right office accessories. For instance, be sure you have enough pen holders, filing trays and other needed accessories so that your desk is tidy and organized. The tidier your desk is, the tidier your mind will be.
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DEEP CLEAN YOUR OFFICE
Besides keeping your desk tidy, it’s just as important to ensure it’s hygienic. This may surprise you, but the typical office desk is around 400 times filthier than your toilet seat. After clearing off your desk, use a damp cloth and anti-bacterial spray for wiping it. You could also use a solution that’s one-part white vinegar and one-part water.
If you have a hardwood desk that’s been blemished with marks, try using a clean tennis ball for rubbing over the marks. If this doesn’t work, trying rubbing a small amount of bicarbonate soda, using a damp cloth.
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HIRE A PROFESSIONAL CLEANER
If you’re too busy to worry about deep-cleaning your home office, hire a professional cleaner. In addition to saving you time, a professional cleaner can ensure you’re working in a healthier environment, which can lead to staying healthy. This is especially important now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another huge perk of using a professional cleaning service is that these experts know how to reach dirty areas that most people are unable to access. Furthermore, they have all the needed equipment that’s required for sanitising and deep-cleaning.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS AND WARNINGS
- Choose the right seating. Keep in mind that an uncomfortable chair can prevent you from focusing on your work. What’s more, your chair should be the correct height for your desk. That’s why you need to test every chair in your home to decide which one works best for you. If none of your chairs are a good fit, invest in a high-quality office chair.
- Consider using pegboards. In addition to looking attractive, pegboards are exceptionally versatile as you can cut them to fit any space. Have a pegboard mounted above your desk so that everything you may need is in grabbing distance.
- You can even include some shelves to a peg board for additional storage.
- When choosing storage bins, choose products that are flexible and are able to grow as your business expands.
- Remove any distractions from your desk.
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