Although the days of the pandemic are beginning to feel like a distant past, working from home – or “hybrid working”, as it’s often referred to – is a trend that continues to be embraced by many businesses around the world. With both hybrid and remote working now proven to be just as effective in maintaining productivity, besides allowing for lowering office maintenance costs, it’s a real no-brainer to continue to allow staff to work from home.
In fact, many firms and employees are now taking things one step further and not only embracing hybrid working, but also travelling abroad to work remotely from home too.
Despite the success of hybrid and remote working, however, it certainly does pay to have a few productivity tips on-hand when you need to boost your morale, or motivation levels – especially when that 3pm energy slump begins to hit!
One important area to focus on, when looking to improve productivity when working remotely or from home, is that of your work environment itself. If your workspace is cluttered and uninviting, it’s likely you won’t be able to focus properly, or produce your best work.
So, how can you better design your work space at home, so as to boost productivity levels? Read on to discover a few top tips.
- Use a colour scheme that aligns with the space available in your room. If space is limited, you might find that neutral colours will help to keep the room looking as comfortable as possible. It’s different if you have a bigger room, however, in which case you’ll have more freedom to be creative in determining your preferred colour palette.
- Make sure you have proper and adequate lighting in your workspace. Whether this takes the form of natural light or a desk lamp, working with sufficient lighting can do wonders for your productivity levels.
- Ensure you’re sitting in a comfortable chair, such as an ergonomic work chair with a purpose-built arm, back, and headrest.
- Maximising shelving space is a great way to ensure you can keep your supplies neatly organised. A crowded, cluttered work space will make it much harder to focus and maintain productivity.
- As a final touch, consider adding some custom decorative touches to personalise your workspace and prevent it from looking too dull, or monotonous.
Besides considering how you set up your work space, you can also focus on particular design theme in order to further enhance your home office. Here are a few popular themes for remote working spaces:
Minimalist workspace
If you like simplicity, you might find that you’ll be more productive in a minimalist workspace. Opt for the bare minimum neutral or monochrome furniture such as, for example, a desk, chairs, and some basic shelving.
All-wood
Wood is a popular choice for office furniture, with real potential to increase the aesthetic value of your workspace. For extra visual appeal, consider pairing wooden furniture with darker items and accessories in shades like dark grey and black. Alternatively, try using a lighter colour contrast for a noticeable improvement.
Beige or brown, all-purpose design
Using neutral colours like beige or brown can help to create a more modern, warm, and comfortable workspace. As is the case when opting for wooden furniture, you can team neutral office furniture with bold, contrasting shades for a more striking look. For a decorative touch, you could also introduce a few plants to the space. Alternatively, make the most of an empty wall by placing paintings or photo frames in the space.
All-white
All-white furniture never goes out of fashion, especially when it comes to a contemporary office design. This single shade can transform your entire space, making it look more spacious, bright, and polished – a surefire way to improve both mood and productivity!
Monochrome
If you long for a more elegant, swanky workspace, choosing darker colours could be a great way to achieve your ideal look. In addition, consider adding a few storage shelfs or basket to your space, so you can keep any clutter at bay. Last but not least, inject a contemporary vibe into your space with ornamental plants (hanging plants can look particularly impressive) or abstract artwork.
Adjoined bedroom with workspace
It may be that you don’t have extra room space for a designated home office, especially if you’re simply renting a single room while travelling away from home. Don’t fret, though; it’s still entirely possible to create your very own work space, from the comfort of your bedroom.
All you really need is to focus on one small corner of the room. Aim to find a small, space-optimising desk and chair that’ll fit into the space you have available, and look for a small shelf or storage box that you can use to store any office essentials.
The environment we work in can have a profound impact on our productivity levels. Hopefully, this blog post will have given you a few handy hints on how to improve your home working space. Don’t be afraid to do your own research and see if you can find any other ideas that appeal to you too; Pinterest can be a great place to start, and curate your favourite ideas!
These are the recommendations of workspace designs that hopefully can inspire you. The most important thing is to choose the right color palette and place the furniture neatly. Aside from designing your workspace, you should also maintain your productivity by keeping it clean and cluttered-free. It would be great if you could also install an air conditioner and have a professional AC service Singapore that can help to clean and maintain your air conditioner.
What are your top tips for working remotely, while at home or travelling?