Rinkits top tips on creating a home office in your living room
The last year has changed the way a lot of business’ work; since the lockdown, more people are working from home than ever before with many people forced to be creative and create a home office in the living room.
With this comes a struggle of staying productive, not getting in the way of people you live with and creating a space that keeps you motivated. Pj’s aside, there’s a lot of ways you can stay productive when working from home.
Step one - setitup
When it comes to making a home office in your living room you want to set up a space that’s practical as well as inspiring. I highly recommend investing in a comfy desk chair for proper support rather than using a dining table chair or stool from your home. An uncomfy chair can make all the difference to your productivity and vice versa. You want to consider the backrest and armrest when buying a chair, ensuring it is one that will support you. You can use this website Workplace Planner: Desk Height Calculator | Ergotron to calculate the height and placing of your screen based on your height. This is important so you don’t get eye strain or back pain.
Another great investment is a second monitor. Working with two screens makes life so much easier for many different job roles and makes multi tasking a lot more manageable. Once you work with two monitors you will find it hard to go back to just one! Finally you want to place your desk in an area with lots of natural light if possible. A study with adults found that those who got more natural light during the day slept better than those who didn't. It also just makes you feel more awake and productive.
Step two - Organiseit
Once your monitors, desk and chair are all set up and ready to go the next thing is organising the wires. When creating a home office in your living room, the last thing you want is multiple wires ruining your aesthetics.
A simple way to keep them all together and organised is by using cable/zip tie/s. If you work best with paper rather than online tools or have a lot of paperwork in your job, it’s always a good idea to have a paper tray. This way you can avoid having paper everywhere and getting in the way of your work, and we all know a tidy space is a tidy mind. I also recommend a stationary holder or pencil case to keep all your stationery neat. The best way to stay on top of your work is making to do lists and planning ahead. There’s so many planner options out there that help with this, some even have prompts to help if you aren’t a naturally organised person. A small desk calendar is also handy to keep those zoom meeting schedules and keep track of the days and things you have planned to look forward to.
Step three - personaliseit
Now comes the fun part; making a home office in your living room your own! Without cluttering the desk, add some things that make you smile, this could be a motivational print, a framed picture of someone, some flowers or an ornament of something you love.
How you can personalise your desk;
- I personally love having motivational quotes around my desk to inspire me and give me a little pick-me-up when I need it.
- Photos of people you love/ things that make you happy.
- Keep a jar full of your favourite snacks such as biscuits or nuts.
- Keep your favourite water bottle and carafes near you to prompt you to drink enough water to keep you hydrated and energised.
- PLANTS! - Having plants around you when you’re working has been proven to increase productivity. Plant’s keep the air cleaner and reduce stress and of course they just look amazing.
If you, like many others, have had to change the way you work and start working from home part time or even full time, then don’t let this disrupt your productivity. Hopefully this blog has shown that creating a home office in your living room really isn’t as hard as it may seem.
Remember the three steps, setting up, organisation and then personalisation and you will create a space that will not only keep you motivated but also feels like a great place to work.
I hope this blog has helped you in some way and I look forward to speaking to you again soon!
Love,
Georgie and the Rinkit Team.