You might not have noticed, but most businesses and companies set their office ergonomically – clear passageways in between workstations, biometrics by the office’s reception area or lobby, the office pantry separated from the production floor, and so on.
This is done to optimise the work and productivity of those working in the office. However, given the current global health situation, most of these working individuals are left with no choice but to leave their office and get work done from the comfort of their own homes.
To keep the productivity going despite being out of their usual workplace, people started becoming creative in making an office space from scratch. The office space usually includes a coffee maker; since, according to a study, coffee can help boost your work performance. Even those on a perpetual work-from-home basis would second the motion and attest that they also have ways to maintain their productivity, one of which is setting up their working space accordingly.
The question is, is there a relationship between the arrangement of the home office and productivity? The short answer is yes. Long answer: how your space is set up affects your productivity in various areas. Some of them include:
Concentration
Working from home means having little to no supervision; thus, it is easy to get distracted and get no work done – you might be tempted to scroll through your phone longer than usual or take a nap when you find yourself yawning.
While there is absolutely nothing wrong with practising a bit of self-care, it is an entirely different story when you find yourself procrastinating your work because of it.
To make sure your workplace is similar to that of an actual office, make sure that it is free of any distracting elements such as the television, your bed, or your phone – put them away if you have to. This will ensure that you get your head in the game and focus more on the task at hand. By the time your shift is up, you will have plenty of time to have your much-awaited me-time.
Learning
To advance in your career, your set of skills shouldn’t stay stagnant. Instead, you should practise and continue developing on what you have. Sure, working from home might not directly help you learn more, but it teaches you some valuable lessons. Such examples would be how to strategise a way to stay productive, adapt to the new work set-up, and make the most out of the given situation.
Even if people are working from home, businesses and companies can still deploy virtual training and learning opportunities for their employees. To effectively participate in them, you should make sure your workspace allows for maximum learning.
You can do so by ridding it of anything that will stand as a hindrance and instead keep the things that will increase productivity, such as equipping your workspace with writing materials for when you want to take down notes or reminders. Freeing your workspace of any distracting elements will help you be more immersed in the learning material.
Comfort
Chances are, you’ll be spending at least 8 hours a day in your workspace, depending on if that is the designated number of hours for your work. For this reason, it’s not only essential that your workspace help you focus, but it should also aid in your comfort level as you do work. You would not want to sit on a chair that hurts your back as your work progresses.
If your home office is comfortable, you are unlikely to be tempted to lie down on your couch and slack off. Just be sure that you do not make it too comfortable because you might end up sleeping on the job, which you should avoid if you are trying to maximise your productivity.
To accomplish this, you may want to fit your office with a comfortable chair, a sturdy desk near the power outlet, and good lighting – perhaps add some plants too so your home office would not be too monochromatic. At the same time, you have a more comfortable environment to breathe in.
Conclusion
In summary, how your home office is designed affects the amount of concentration you can dedicate to work, your ability to learn, and your overall comfort while working on your tasks.
Wherever possible, you should strive to make sure that your home office helps you be productive so you can maximise the opportunity to work from home. However, if you find yourself struggling in that aspect, you can always turn to co-working spaces that help you be inspired and more productive, such as the ones we offer at GreenHub.
At GreenHub Singapore, we offer a Flexi Desk option for solo professionals featuring a variety of amenities such as 24/7 access, high-speed internet connection, complimentary coffee and tea, as well as air conditioning. On top of that, we also have furnished office spaces that closely resemble your actual office, if not even better.