Working from home has quickly become part of the new normal for many persons since the onset of COVID-19. Many of you have been looking for ways to create a home office or workspace to operate out of. You have been combing the internet, searching for ways to enhance our working from home experience to increase productivity.
COVID-19 And The Impact On How We Work
COVID-19 have forced us all to think differently about a lot of things. One of the major issues brought to the fore is the way we work.
During the lockdown periods, we were forced to stop going into the office or other places of work and to confine ourselves to our homes.
Some of us were able to work from home in makeshift “offices” and workspaces. These included areas such as the dining table, sofa or even our bed. These temporary solutions may have been adequate for a time. There was quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and the effect it would have on our lives and livelihoods. Most of us had never experienced anything like this before but we felt reasonably sure that it would not last too long.
However, for some of you, as time progressed, you started to realise that working from home may go on for a longer period than originally thought. Even as lockdowns began to be lifted and people started to head back out to work, the ever-looming possibility of future lockdowns and restrictions hung in the shadows.
Many businesses have also been implementing or considering the long-term possibility of their employees working from home.
Some of you may have made your own decision to work from home permanently. Perhaps you have decided to start your own online or freelance business.
Whatever reason you have for making the decision to work from home, you are perhaps now realising that sitting on the corner of your bed hunched over on your laptop is not going to be a long-term solution.
Home Office Ideas
If you have recently found yourself working from home, here are a few things you can consider when creating a home office.
1. Provide For What You Need
You may be thinking that to create a work from home office you need a separate room with a door and most of the amenities that come along with a normal office. This may be ideal if you are in a home environment that is loaded with potential distractions like young children.
However, if you don’t need that level of separation or you do not need to perform all the tasks of a full functioning office on a daily basis, you can probably be comfortable with a lot less space. A small desk with a comfortable chair tucked away in the corner may be all you need.
It is ideal to have a designated workspace. This will help to promote better productivity. Also, it will be good to have a clear separation between work and home life. It can sometimes be a challenge to create a healthy balance between the two and having a designated space may help with that separation.
In addition, it may not be the most ideal situation to pack up and move your office for every family dinner. Having a fixed place for all you need during your work, is ideal. Everything should be easily accessible with adequate storage units.
2. Let In Natural Light
Having natural light in your home office space is a great addition. Natural light and a view of the outdoors is great for productivity and general good working health.
However, this should be an indirect light. In the tropics, direct sunlight coming into your home office space while you work can render the space unusable during those periods. Hence, avoid west-facing windows or any unshaded windows that allow direct sunlight in.
Keep in mind that blinds or curtains may not be adequate. Though these may offer some protection from the sun, they may also reduce ventilation. Heat will therefore still build up around the area of your workspace.
3. Keep It Cool
In the tropics, it can get hot. Working in a hot, humid environment can be uncomfortable. Your computer and monitor can also generate a considerable amount of heat making you and the space you work in, hot and uncomfortable.
Your home may not have air conditioning as the office did. Therefore, it is ideal to find a cool part of your home to set up your office. Try to get close to a window that normally has a cool breeze passing through. In addition, you can place a fan in front of that window. This will help draw in the cool air from outside and create a cooler space for you and your equipment.
4. Make It Camera-Ready
The rise of video conferencing software during the COVID-19 pandemic was remarkable. Virtual meetings will probably remain a major aspect of how we communicate in the future.
Therefore, it is good to set up your work from home office, with this in mind.
Ensure there is adequate natural or artificial light on your face while sitting at your computer. You could try facing the window in your space. Avoid a situation where you are backing the window. This makes it difficult to see your face during a video conference.
Also, consider what is seen behind you during a video call. This could be a place where you get to showcase a little bit of your personality, depending on how it is designed and decorated with personal items.
Try to avoid having large open views of your home behind you during a video conference. No one needs to see an awkward exposé of your family member during the next firmwide monthly progress meeting.
5. Think For The Future
The way we work may be altered for quite some time. The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated our working from home situation, but I believe this change could be around for a while.
As such, I think people will soon explore more ways to encourage their own working from home environment.
Available technology has risen to the task to show what is possible. As such, I think more person will move to working from home, whether in their own businesses or for other companies.
Hence, we may start to see more people incorporating designated work from home spaces into future home design and renovation projects. Whether it is a small office, a studio or even a small retail area, I believe more people may switch to working out of where they live.
This has the potential to further enrich our communities where we see artisans and professionals working within our neighbourhood.
Not only would this help reduce the daily commute and the pollution that comes along with it, but we could see stronger community bonds being created due to greater interaction.
Members of the community can support each others enterprises and seek out their expertise. This could see our neighbourhoods revisiting a time that was more close-knitted as well as sustainable.
Conclusion
COVID-19 has had a major impact on our global society. The way we work and from where has been impacted significantly.
Working from home has become a major part of our environment. Be sure to create spaces that are healthy and encourage productivity.
Consider what you need to function and search for an adequate area of your home that would satisfy your needs. You may be surprised at how little space you require. Try to incorporate natural light and ventilation to ensure your space is comfortable to work in.
Also, ensure that it is conducive to having online virtual meetings, as this is a major part of our current work environment.
For many of us, working from home may become an aspect of our lives that is here to stay. As we enter this new era of living and working spaces, we may discover a new ideal or revisit an old way of designing and building our homes that is better for the future of our communities.
Featured image by Mikey Harris on Unsplash