How to organize a workplace at home?

Everyone who now works remotely should ask themselves the following questions:

• What should my workplace look like?
• What standards should this place meet in terms of ergonomics to ensure comfort and productivity?

Organizing your own workspace at home can be a big challenge. Especially when it comes to small apartments or rooms. Proper organization of the workplace is the basis for greater concentration and efficiency.

Statistics show that due to the current situation, more and more people are working remotely. This reality or possibility, which arose many years ago, was previously available to a few. Today the situation has changed, and more and more people work in their own apartments and houses.

How to organize your workspace at home

Convenience and functionality

Let’s always be practical, especially in our own home. This is the first thing to consider.

We need to find a suitable, comfortable and, above all, functional workplace at home. It doesn’t have to be big, but it definitely has to be practical. Comfortable desk or desk with drawers, ergonomic chair, shelves within reach and storage space dedicated exclusively to our tools and stationery.

There should be no distractions in the form of TV, children’s toys, etc.

keep order

Maintaining order in the house is the basis of comfort and work efficiency. At home, as in the office, you need your own corner for work, ideally it should be an office, but this is not always possible.

Don’t mix home and office chores

It’s a good idea to label things so they’re easier to find. You can arrange drawers by color to classify your documents. Throw away unnecessary documents. It is recommended to clean and tidy your desk at the end of each working day. Do not leave foreign objects in drawers or on the table!

The right light for the job

The best light for the human eye and its well-being is sunlight. Good workplace lighting should combine both types of light, natural and artificial light.

When creating a work space, consider placing a desk near a window to make the most of natural light.

Artificial lighting should have parameters close to natural. We measure the quality of light not only by the intensity of the luminous flux, but also by the uniformity and accuracy of color reproduction. Sunlight in this case is the reference for the color rendering index (CRI or Ra) scale.

In the case of very good artificial light sources, the CRI should not be lower than 80. Values above 90 are reserved for premium products, often included in a range offered only by the best LED lighting manufacturers.

Other parameters to consider when choosing light sources are:

• lighting parameters – color temperature, light distribution angle, luminous flux and color rendering index;
• electrical parameters – power and voltage, power factor (PF) and protection class;
• operating parameters – IP protection class, weight, operating temperature, ambient humidity, service life, installation method.

A properly selected light source provides greater comfort and less strain on the eyes. The concentration and performance of a person increase with the right intensity and color of light. The best color temperature for an office is in the 4000-5000 Kelvin [K] range. It is defined as a neutral or day color.

When designing a workplace at home, remember that the light intensity on the table should be at least 500 lux [lx]. Lux is a measure of the intensity of light falling on an illuminated surface.

When choosing light sources, pay attention to quality. Poor quality products with questionable characteristics (eg CRI below 70) will compromise vision, well-being and comfort.

Customize your workplace

Customizing the workplace according to our preferences will allow us to feel better in the performance of our duties, we will become more creative and focused on tasks.

Keep track of break times

The sensations we experience greatly affect our productivity and the way we work. The biggest enemy of remote work is the lack of social contacts that can affect our psyche.

Set specific and binding time frames. Start work on time and finish at a certain time, just like you would normally work in an office. Plan breaks throughout the day for recuperation and better concentration.

Get some plants

The green or ECO office is a concept that is coming into the world more and more, and even more so in the current situation with remote work.

Turn up the music

Listen to your favorite music while you work to inspire and increase your productivity.

Things that inspire

It is worth decorating your workplace with photos or pictures that you like. Just don’t overdo it, overloaded space usually causes havoc.

Outcome

Working from home can be a real adventure! Pay attention to these tips to keep your workplace neatly organized and equipped for increased productivity, comfort and well-being.

How to organize the workplace at home? infographics

Infographic provided by Wrike – Functional Project Management System