Can you imagine not leaving your home for work as more and more companies let their workers work from home, occasionally or even full-time? Working from home has so many benefits such as saving multiple hours not driving, not looking for a parking space, eating your cooked healthy meals, and not wasting your energy on small talk!
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Working from home can also be challenging. Noises, family disruptions, things to do – these are not your best friends if you want to succeed in your job. There are lots of temptations (oh hello, fridge!), and you won’t even notice how the day has passed. Trust me, I’ve been working from home for a long time and after having tested multiple things to boost my productivity, there’s nothing better than to follow some basic rules. So here are my working from home tips to boost your productivity.
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I saw this post “In the future is all work freelance?” during Milan Design Week 2018. Even if not all of the work can be freelance, but people are getting more and more freedom to work from other places than their traditional office. What do you think?
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #1: It is important to have a dedicated home office workspace if you are not going to step out of your home to your office
If you are working from home only occasionally or full-time, your home office desk should ideally be located in a quiet place where you can fully commit to your work without having any distractions. If you decide to put your desk in your bedroom, it means you will not be able to switch off your brain, relax and fall asleep easily. If you work in the main home spaces like your living room, dining room or your kitchen, you risk being distracted by your family members running daily errands. You should think about the kind of space in which you would love to work the most by writing down the pros and cons of each one.
Read more: Discover Design And Collectibles In This Understated Luxury Parisian Interior
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #2: Decide on what type of desk you need based on your work type
Choosing a comfortable home office desk that suits your needs is essential in starting to plan your home office. The size of the desk depends on your needs. Some people, working with their computers, love small narrow desks even without drawers, while others love working on a big desk which fits all their documents.
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Working from home tips to boost your productivity #3: The chair doesn’t have to be an office chair
If you sit at your desk occasionally, you can look for beautiful dining chairs with armrests which are a perfect substitute for a traditional office chair. Like this, your chances of finding a perfect chair is bigger. Of course, you should keep in mind that they are not ergonomic and are not suitable for long hours sitting at your desk. These chairs look really good when placed in any room, even in your living room.
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #4: Prioritise good lighting
Another working from home tip would be good lighting. Fluorescent lighting which is present in all the offices drain our energy and is tiring to our eyes! Make sure you have a desk lamp for your written tasks. As lighting plays a very important role, interior designers plan it from the beginning. But don’t worry! If you are renovating or restyling your home office, you can perfectly place lamps that don’t need electrical installation work. These could be a desk lamp, a floor lamp, even sconces that are operated with a cord rather than a main switch.
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #5: Prioritise colours for everything from your stationery to your surroundings
Grey rooms have been so trendy lately in interior design but this colour isn’t perfect for office spaces. Perfect decor is achieved when choosing a colour that is nurturing, motivating and refreshing at the same time – for example, greens, blues or even wool panels which give some seriousness.
Abundant research has been done analysing how colours affect people’s behaviour and productivity. Choosing a colour for your working space is really important and it affects more than just your space design, namely furniture or wallpaper. Working with colourful and fun office supplies and stationery can boost your productivity. I love to surround myself with fun and colourful stationery which makes me happy and energised! That being said, some people prefer black and white or neutral colours while others feel more energetic choosing fun prints and interesting stationery.
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #6: Plants Stimulate Creativity
Biophilic design becomes more and more present when designing interior spaces. You can see a glimpse of biophilic design in this post from Milan Design Week 2019. It is a very important step in architecture and interior design and finally, it’s been accentuated as a trend. Humans have always needed to be closer to nature. By the way, did you know that all the best entrepreneurs prefer walking outside during their most important meet-ups or brainstorming sessions? But you can create your perfect biophilic oasis at your home instead of going out. Fengshui specialists say that putting your table near the window is a bad idea, but I love taking a look outside from time to time and resting my eyes for a few seconds at a time. Another way to incorporate some greenery is by cultivating an indoor garden. It can be one plant, or even more – just use trial and error, perhaps start with adding one plant at a time? 
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #7: Create a daily routine and stick to it
I saw a tremendous spike in my productivity when I created a routine and stuck with it. Having a schedule means you have less to think about. Instead, you just do it. It works perfectly for me. When I get up, I already know what my day plans are. Normally I set up my schedule around important meetings or calls and adapt if needed. Still, I have some unmovable tasks or time for myself like working out. Another interesting thing to consider when creating your schedule is optimising your routine around your most productive hours. Preparing yourself seriously for the workday gets you in the mood to crush the day and your goals. Imagine yourself as if you were working normally in your office.
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #8: Put your clothes on
Did you know that pyjamas are a productivity killer? All the best entrepreneurs in the world agree that changing clothes every morning as if you were going to an office boosts your productivity. Also, if you are a make-up user, try incorporating it into your routine. It really helps!
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #9: Different locations for breaks
If you want to check a video or social media timeline, I would recommend getting up and going to your chosen location – it can be another room, another chair etc. And the best way to use social media is to set a time of day when you can check it, for example in the evening. In this way, you won’t be bothered by any posts and your motivation and productivity will be at higher levels.
Working from home tips to boost your productivity #10: Follow defined working hours
It is so easy to fall into a trap and blur the boundaries between work and life. The easiest way around this would be closing home office doors, but if you don’t have one, closing your laptop or just starting your favourite activity might work. Or try following a workout stream online, creating a dish from a recipe or going outside. Where do you work from? If you work from home, do you have a dedicated home office room or is it in one of the common areas of the home? I am really looking forward to chatting and answering your questions through stories on Instagram.
