Invest In Your Earning Potential By Making Your Home Office Comfortable

A home office is certainly not a new thing, but it is without a doubt becoming much more regular than could have been predicted a few years ago.

Disclosure: This content is a guest post brought to you to help you with your home-based business office set up. I know I need these tips – especially in the new home office. 

Once home computers hit the market, home offices became necessary because the computer screens and towers were so big. Then laptops and tablets became more common and popular, so a home office wasn’t necessarily needed because these pieces of tech provided the ability to work anywhere. However, remote working and startups are now becoming the norm, in which case home offices are necessary again, and are on the rise. In the US, studies have shown that 69% of entrepreneurs start their businesses at home, with more than half of those in the study continuing to run their businesses from home long into their businesses becoming established. Did you know, the likes of Apple, Disney, Amazon, Harley Davidson, Hewlet Packard Bell and Lotus all started in a garage/ home office environment? Lots of inspiring reasons to have a solid working space at home right? Back in 2012, it was reported that a new home-based business is started every 12 seconds!

Sure you could take a conference call in a coffee shop, write a blog post in a cafe, or even make a vlog and upload it outdoors somewhere with WiFi or 4G, but most often, there needs to also be a quiet, dedicated work area at home for the day to day jobs that need doing as a freelancer or remote worker.

If you’re currently working from home, considering starting your own business, or simply doing some freelancing on the side, you may have already made yourself a home office space to use. In this instance, you’re going to want the most comfortable space to use so that you enjoy your working hours. There are two reasons this is important. The first reason is that your earning potential should be supported by your level of comfort in your home office. The less comfortable space, the less likely you’re going to want to spend much time in there, or working will be a miserable experience. The second reason is that you can! Working from home is a great thing, and aside from wearing your PJ’s, checking your phone when you want to, having snacks and drinks at your desk, and having your pet sit with you while you work, another perk is working in the environment you want to work in.

These tips will help you get started making your home office a comfortable and enjoyable space to earn money in with easy, practical tips and tricks that will make you even more excited about being one of the millions of home workers across the US.

Don’t Be Jazzy With The Decorating

Of course, you don’t want a boring office, but, you also don’t want to get a headache the moment you walk in. Try and stick to neutral colors where possible to keep a sense of space and openness in the room. You can always play with colors and patterns with the accessories and decor you choose which is easily and affordably changed, unlike wallpaper or carpet.

Be Responsible With The Ergonomics

You are responsible or your own well being now, which means you need to think about the ergonomics of your workspace. Carry out your own risk assessment considering:

• Noise
• Temperature
• Lighting
• Workstation

It might seem extreme, but if you don’t get sick pay and work for yourself, it is extra important to keep yourself well. Statistics from the government showed that between 2015 and 2016 over a million people had an illness they said was either caused by their work or made worse by it and roughly 80% of workers reported conditions heavily associated with work environment including depression, anxiety, stress and musculoskeletal disorders. Just because you work from home, doesn’t mean you aren’t at risk. Use the government’s handy risk assessment resources to keep yourself protected.

Air

With an office space, especially a small space, you need to ensure that the room is well ventilated. If you don’t properly ventilate the space, you might get condensation in the room, find it starts to smell musty or find your technology overheats more. Try to have a window open, have a fan on hand, or possibly install air conditioning or a ventilation ceiling or wall fan if possible. It is also just as important to ensure you have adequate heating so you’re not freezing cold in the winter months. Although central heating might be enough to keep you warm, you might also want to have an extra heater with you just in case you need some extra warmth when it is really cold. If you have a garden office, or you only want to heat your office space, then a space heater is ideal and it is worth the time finding the best space heater for your unique home office setup.

Plants

Bringing the outdoors in was a big interior design trend last year, but the benefits of having plants in your office go beyond looking fashionable. Plants help increase our oxygen levels, deter illness by keeping the air moist, they clean our air, and some studies have even shown that they can increase productivity. If you’re not very green fingered, a succulent garden would be well suited to your needs.

A Really Comfy Chair

Clearly, you’re going to be sat down a lot working, so why not invest in a really comfortable chair. An adjustable office chair is a great idea as you can mold it to your needs. You might also want to have some beanbags, an armchair and other sitting areas in your office if it is big enough, so you can perhaps stretch your legs and change position if taking a conference call or listening to a podcast or masterclass.

Take Your Time

Take your time to plan your home office out well, so that you can benefit the most from it, after all, it’s going to be the place where ideas are born, businesses are grown, and money is earnt – it needs to be right.