Since COVID-19 caused many businesses across the world to shut down and limit their day to day running, working from home has become the norm for many people. Many of us have had to establish our own home office spaces, be that in a cramped corner or spare bedroom. If you are a working professional in the UK, there’s a good chance you spent at least a portion of lockdown working from home, and maybe this is going to be the norm for you moving forward.
The best way to improve the way your home office space functions in a more eco-friendly and stress-free way is to focus on the details. You need an area of the home, whether it be a room or a quiet corner, where you can work uninterrupted and be as productive as possible. This means you need to find small ways of creating the most eco-friendly home office environment possible. So, these are some simple ideas you can use to help with this…
1. Choose the ideal space
Choosing the perfect space for your home office is absolutely essential, and there are so many benefits to this. You need a space that is conducive to work, and it is vital that you are able to treat this like a regular working day. Working on the sofa or the kitchen table is unlikely to yield the best results, so it is essential to have a designated area that you can use to help you get the best out of your work. That means you have to think about the ideal space that you can use for your home office. If there is a spare room in the home, then this is the perfect option for you. If not, then you will need to be able to focus on finding the ideal space in the home, and making sure it is the right environment for working as much as possible.
2. Redecorate with eco-friendly paint
Redecorating is a great way to change the energy of a space, and there is plenty that you need to consider when it comes to making the best of this right now. Try to think about what you can do to make your home office look as fabulous as possible, using eco-friendly paint. One of the best things you can do to help achieve the desired result is to get inspired with your home office interior decor ideas. This is something that can be a bit of a trial and error process, but it is also something that plays a major role in helping to take your work life forward right now. The right decor can actually make a huge difference to the way in which you are able to get your home office looking and feeling, a splash of paint can be the easiest, most budget-friendly way to achieve this.
3. Upcycle or invest in quality furniture
It’s really important to make sure you choose the perfect furniture for your home office these days, and this can have a major impact on how the office looks, and how well it is set up for working conditions. So, take some time to consider your home office furniture, in order to enjoy the perfect working conditions. This could mean upcycling furniture that you already own, checking out eBay for desks and chairs, as well as looking at inventive storage options on Pinterest too. There are plenty of fabulous furniture choices that don’t mean buying lots of brand new pieces.
4. Display artwork by independent artists
Trying to do as much as possible to personalise the space is one of the key things that you can do to feel motivated and joyous. Think about investing in local artists, look for handmade ceramics or illustrations to display on the wall. There are loads of factors that will help you to personalise the office. For instance, picture frames and photos of family and friends would be a great place to start, as well as going for some kind of personalised colour scheme or decoration too. You might choose certain artwork or memorabilia that has meaning to you and adds a personal touch to the place.
5. Remove distractions
When you are working from home, it is important to make sure you maintain a professional mindset, so that you can be productive as often as possible. Now, one of the best things that will help you to achieve this is to remove distractions that pose a risk to your attention span. This means the TV goes off, the phone should go on silent, and you should use some kind of time tracker on your computer to keep you away from social media sites and focused on work. Removing distractions is integral for helping you to keep on top of this as much as possible, and there is so much you can achieve once you do this.
6. Try to keep your space clutter-free
Your workplace desk is a good barometer to use when you are trying to determine the best ways of working from home and achieving success. Try to keep it as clutter-free as possible, and try to make sure you focus on better organisation on your desk. This is something that plays a massive role in this process, and can go a long way towards helping you to have a more productive working environment in the process too. Presenting your desk at home as you would your desk at work is one of the best things you can do to help you improve your work day as much as possible.
7. Get into a positive mindset
Getting into a positive and professional mindset is so important for helping you improve your home office environment, and getting you into the ideal frame of mind to enjoy a productive and enriching day of work. You need to be able to try to work as effectively in your home office as you would be able to at work, so this is something you need to keep in mind. Try to focus on being able to achieve the greatest success with this, and dressing as you would do for work is a great way of being able to improve your mindset and keep you more professional in your home office right now. Remaining professional and focused at all times can make such a massive difference to the home and the way it comes across, and this is something that you need to think about right now.
8. Decide to have a work number
One of the most effective things to consider that does work very well for a lot of people when working from home is to have a work number. This is something that can provide a lot of stress relief, as well as helping you to appear more professional, and adding to the working environment of the office. By having a number specifically for work, you are not mixing your personal phone with your business affairs. This allows you to keep your personal phone switched off, or on silent, during the working day,and you can also field important calls by using your work phone. It’s a great idea and can make a massive difference to the home office and the way you choose to use it. You could choose a more eco-friendly mobile phone service provider like eco-talk to make sure your being as green as possible.
9. Introduce some house plants
Introducing some house plants into your home office is a wonderful way of being able to make a big difference, as well as helping you to ensure that you add some life and vibrancy into the room. Plants are a great addition to any home because they can help to clean the air that you breathe, thus being really great for your health in the process.
10. Go digital and reduce paper
It is easy to start printing off invoices, documents and endless paperwork. Needless to say this is not great for the planet! Try the challenge yourself to go paper-free. Keep a digital calendar and to-do list. You can manage invoices on a digital platform such as Quickbooks. These small changes can really help to improve your eco-friendly home office environment.
You can do so much to create a more eco-friendly home office. Being as productive and fulfilled as possible each working day is vital, and working from home provides plenty of benefits. But, there are also drawbacks and distractions, and it takes time to adapt and adjust. So, the more you can do to make this environment work for you and the planet, the better.
