The 3 things you should do when you are working from home

The average Canadian spends over 1700 hours a year at work. 11 percent of respondents in one study said they work exclusively from home. So it’s clear that during any given standard year, most employed adults really aren’t at home very often.

Now that many Canadians have had to suddenly alter their setups to be able to work in a kitchen, living room, or other makeshift home office environment, we’re getting much more closely acquainted with our surroundings. Where’d that teapot come from? Was that lamp always there? Why is there an empty shelf over the fridge? Why didn’t I get rid of those old pillows?

Spending time at home means getting to know your space better, and getting better acquainted with what’s in it. This might mean you’re dying to set it up exactly how you’ve always wanted to, or maybe it means ‘you’re falling in love with your stuff all over again’ (congratulations). Or maybe you’re wondering how you accumulated so much stuff and you’re hoping to stash it somewhere else while you set up a home office.

Here are three things you should do to set up a comfortable workspace chez vous:

Catalog and clean

Why not take this time to assess, catalog, and rearrange your living space? Right now is your opportunity to kick off spring cleaning. You can go room by room – starting with your work area – or by item category (Marie Kondo-style). Click here for a simple spring cleaning checklist!

Prioritize

One key component of a thorough home cleaning is prioritizing your belongings. Firstly, what can stay and what can go? Out of the items you’ve decided to keep, where will they go? Research shows that the old adage of ‘messy house, messy mind’ does have some evidence behind it (click here for a full article about the concept). Clutter and disorganized item placement can be distracting, especially when you’re trying to focus on work. If you can simplify the space around you, it’s easier to relax and to get stuff done.

Secondly, out of the things that are going, what’s going permanently (trash, recycling, donations) and what’s going temporarily (off-site storage or a kind relative’s basement)? There’s plenty of validity in the statement ‘out of sight, out of mind’. So if you’re in dire need of a zen workspace in order to be productive (but don’t want to purge all of your knickknacks), there’s always a way to make room elsewhere to store your treasures – especially if working from home isn’t a permanent change for you.

Create the vibe you want

A clean, simple workspace makes a huge difference, but so do several other factors that contribute to your comfort. Good lighting is key. If you aren’t set up near a window – or if you’ll be working after sunset or before sunrise – order some nice lamps to illuminate your surroundings. And don’t forget about ergonomics, which means making sure your chair is comfortable, that your desk is at the right height, and that your computer monitor is set up high enough so that you aren’t hunched over.

Keep all of these things in mind, and you’ll create a space where productivity and creativity can flow. What else do you need to make working from home more enjoyable? Talk to one of our team members to see how we can help you to gain more space at home! Find your closest location today.