Working from home has become just as common as commuting to an office every day. Creating a home office environment that works well for you is worth the effort. Here are some home office ideas to make your experience working from home much more productive and fulfilling.
Home Office Ideas: Creating a Soundproof Work Environment
People who move from a shared office to a home office are often frustrated with how difficult it can be to replicate a functional work environment.
You don’t want to get distracted by sounds going on in the household in your home office. Perhaps the most impactful home office idea is to soundproof where you work so that you’re not sidetracked by whatever else in your home while you’re trying to work.
Purchasing soundproofing materials to attach to the walls of the office is expensive. A much cheaper way to soundproof your office is to get noise-canceling headphones to play music or something else that helps you stay focused.
Separating Home Life From Work Life
Working from a home office naturally tends to mix home and family commitments with business and career obligations. Establish habits that mentally separate those two aspects of your life. Use one computer for your work and another device to take care of personal things. It may also require establishing a specific pattern for what activities you do in your home office during the workday.
Time Chunking and Scheduling
One of the difficulties of working in a home office is that it’s difficult for those you live with to know when you’re off the clock. Time chunking and scheduling can solve this problem. If you block out times during the day when you plan to focus and other times for being available to others in your household, you’ll reduce stress.
Time chunking has proven to be one of the best ways of staying productive, whether in the office or at home. However, it is beneficial at home, considering the lack of visual accountability in a regular office setting.
Other Ideas Home Office
We’ve talked about some general home office ideas that can help you be productive at home without being stressed. Here are some specific home office ideas to promote productivity:
- Whiteboard: writing ideas on a whiteboard allows you to visualize your work, create dynamic checklists, and focus in other ways
- Motivational posters: positive reminders that motivate you to push through the challenges of your work will make you more productive
- Water feature: the sound and visual cues from water are calming
- Decluttering: keeping a clean and organized work environment can help reduce stress and feel much more relaxing
JBS Home Inspections provides inspection services to customers in the greater Boston area. Contact us to schedule an appointment.