Working from home has become a new normal for so many people around the world. Thus, it is essential to allocate yourself a comprehensive workplace at home and organise it in a way to stay productive and efficient.
And while the whole remote working thing is possible only because of the development of new technologies, why not use them to create a full-fledged home office?
In this article, you will find eight ways to use technology to keep yourself productive and engaged while working from home. They range from installing proper lighting, investing in an air purifier, and purchasing high-quality headphones to adding some living plants and buying blue-light glasses, among other things. Read on and stay motivated!
Install Proper Lighting
When setting up your workplace at home, lighting is the first thing you should consider. Too much light might make it hard for you to concentrate on work, whereas inadequate lighting can be equally annoying. Even worse, it may cause eye strain and fatigue. Thus, in order to increase your productivity, install proper lighting in your workspace and make sure that you can control the brightness.
It is especially important for people who converted their garages into home offices, as a garage is a place that lacks natural lighting. To overcome this problem, you can add several windows to your garage door, but make sure to get a professional inspection from one of the garage door companies in your area first.
Another solution applicable to everyone working from home is to buy a desk lamp with an adjustable head. Thus, if you need to pull out a big project or read documents in dim light, adjust the light downward. However, if you’re just checking email or doing some research online, you can move the head of the lamp upward to get enough brightness.
Make Sure There Is Enough Ventilation
While having enough lighting helps you get productive while working from home, adding some ventilation improves your quality of life in general. Why? Because a stuffy room is likely to make you feel tired and restless. In other words, poor air circulation at home can affect your mood and energy level and prevent you from concentrating on your work.
Therefore, if you want to keep your mood positive and remain productive while working from home, invest in an air purifier capable of filtering air particles and providing clean air to breathe. You can even enhance its efficiency by placing it near your workspace.
Invest in High-Quality Headphones
In order to keep yourself focused while working from home, you must look for ways to eliminate distractions and stay on task. After all, it is easy to get distracted when you work from home because you most likely have your family members, kids, or pets around all the time. Thus, if you want to be productive while working from home, investing in high-quality headphones can help a lot.
If possible, try to listen to music that inspires you, but doesn’t distract you from the task at hand. This way, you will be able to focus on your work without the disruption caused by the family being noisy in the next room. Also good music can boost your mood and increase your energy levels – which is really important if you want to keep yourself motivated and engaged while you work remotely.
Buy Blue-Light Glasses
Many people use their smartphones, laptops, and tablets for various purposes – including reading books and working on projects. And while this is great, using these gadgets before going to bed may not be the best idea.
Even though they may be more convenient to use, they also emit blue light, which may disrupt your sleep cycle and reduce your quality of sleep. Hence, if you want to improve your sleep quality and be able to stick to your working schedule, you should buy blue-light glasses and use them while working in front of the screen. This way, you’ll protect your eyes from blue light and ensure better sleep.
Add Some Living Plants
Another way of improving your quality of life while working from home is purchasing plants for your workspace. They will create a fresh environment around you and boost your mood while also helping in eliminating stress and fatigue due to their calming effect.
So what kind of plants should you buy? It is best to choose something that doesn’t need too much attention and allows you to take breaks every once in a while – for example, ficus or pothos. At the same time, make sure that the plants are far enough from your workspace not to block anything.
If you are worried about forgetting to water your plants, you can also purchase electronic moisture meters for your plants that will indicate when you need to water them.
Use a Whiteboard or a Corkboard
These are great tools for staying organised while working from home. While whiteboards allow you to write down your ideas and tasks, corkboards help you organise important documents.
Even if you’re not an organised person by nature, using these tools can be very useful because they allow you to manage your projects better and stay on task. Moreover, they will help you create a visual representation of your work – hence, you’ll be able to stay focused on your goals and get the job done faster.
Try a Standing Desk
If you like to stand while working, a standing desk may be the right solution for you. While it may seem inconvenient at first, this kind of desk allows you to get rid of back pain, lowers the possibility of weight gain, and even boosts your productivity.
Even better, you will feel much more energised and ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way. So whether you want to use a standard standing desk or build one yourself, it is worth giving it a try!
Get a Good Chair
While standing desks are great for improving your productivity, investing in a good chair is also essential. You don’t want to be stuck sitting in an uncomfortable chair all day – nor do you want to get a bad posture. After all, sitting in the wrong position can cause back pain, fatigue, and even stress. Thus, find the right chair for your workspace and make sure that it supports your back. It is also essential that your chair is adjustable – as many people are of different heights and need to adjust their chair every once in a while.
Final Thoughts
If you want to make the most out of this opportunity and be productive while working from home, you should invest in tools and technologies that will boost your productivity and quality of life.
And while that may seem like a lot of stuff to buy, you can always start small – by investing in a desk lamp, headphones, some plants, or an air purifier. After all, these are the easiest tools to begin with. In addition, they will help you create an environment that will improve your mood and boost your energy levels.