Maybe you have your own business, or maybe you’re an office employee working remotely. Regardless, having a private room dedicated to your job can be both a blessing and a curse. If you find yourself struggling with productivity or feel isolated, never fear—there are a variety of changes you can make to your office setup that will help you work harder, happier, and healthier!
Natural Light
One simple way to improve your office is to increase the amount of natural light in it. Natural light benefits you in many ways. Vitamin D is an important vitamin for your body that helps your bones, your sleep, and your overall health. If you’re working in an office, you’re likely spending most of the day indoors. Letting more natural light in your office will consequently enable your body to absorb more vitamin D. And if you’re sleeping better and you’re healthier—due to the vitamin D—you’ll work more efficiently. Also, if you’re healthier, you’ll feel happier. And productivity levels increase significantly when individuals are happy. So, pull down heavy curtains or blinds, put up a mirror, or even paint your walls a light-absorbing shade to utilize that natural light.
A Standing Desk
Another great way to improve your office is to purchase and install a standing desk. Standing desks have two modes—sitting and standing. Standing and working may sound tiring at first, but studies have shown great health benefits from standing. One benefit from working at a standing desk is that your muscles and joints get to move more. This helps reduce the aches and pains you get from sitting in a chair the entire day. Furthermore, standing typically gives you more energy and, therefore, both improves your mood and productivity. And naturally, standing helps you lose weight better than sitting does. So, overall, working at a standing desk helps you feel healthier and happier, which in turn improves your productivity.
Soundproof Walls and Doors
Soundproofing your walls and doors also improves your private office. The way this is helpful is obvious—the soundproof walls and doors help remove any and all noises that might distract you from your work, especially noises from outside. The trick is successfully making your room soundproof. One way to help keep noise out is to seal little gaps and holes in your walls that might let in sound. Once you’ve checked the walls, install a solid door as opposed to a glass door or another material. Next, purchase rugs and lay them on your office floor. The rugs help stop sound waves from bouncing around the room and carrying and increasing noise. In addition to the rugs, placing blankets on the walls and in the room will also help stop noise from traveling.
A Fireplace
A fireplace is another great addition to your private office. If your private office is at home, you’ll more easily be able to have a real fireplace with a chimney in your office. This fireplace will provide warmth and a friendly, comfortable ambience. Of course, fireplaces require a lot of maintenance to keep clean and efficient. So, you would need to put in some extra work. Electric fireplaces are another great option for your private office, especially if your office isn’t at home. Electric fireplaces require less maintenance than traditional fireplaces, but they’re still a great addition due to, again, the comfortable ambience they create and the warmth they add to the area.
High-Speed Internet Connection
Something you won’t want to exclude in your private office is high-speed internet connection. The internet is crucial in today’s workforce. Business people make purchases online, communicate online, advertise online, send contracts online, sometimes hold meetings online, and more. If your internet is slow, you’ll find that your work-time efficiency will decrease significantly. So, even if it costs a little extra time and money upfront, do some research to get actual high-speed internet connection. Doing so will save you time and consequently earn you more money in the long run.
Desk Organizers
Another important item that will help you work better in your private office is a desk organizer. Desk organizers are small, easy to purchase, easy to transport, and usually rather economical. Having an organized desk communicates professionalism to your visiting clients. It also helps you yourself stay more focused, be more creative, and feel less stressed. Clean desks ultimately save you time because you don’t need to wonder where your papers or other necessary items are. So, tidy your desk by getting a desk organizer and make your work life more enjoyable.
A Phone Headset
Once your desk is organized, you’ll want to make your job a little easier by adding a phone headset to your desk—or rather, to your computer. A phone headset will help you work better by freeing up your hands. You can focus on the phone calls you need to make while pulling up information you might need on the computer, taking notes, or doing some other task that requires use of your hands. With a headset, you’ll still be able to hear your clients well instead of struggling to hear them on speakerphone while using your hands to type or fill out paperwork.
A Quality Webcam
Lastly, an item you won’t want to forget in your private office is a quality webcam. Webcams are used frequently for conference calls, zoom meetings, training, hiring interviews, and more, especially while social distancing is still necessary. If your camera is blurry, however, the quality of the call is diminished. So, invest in a quality webcam to help you work better in your private office and to present yourself as professional.
Working in your private office can be a wonderful experience. For it to be so, however, you’ll need to curate your office space towards productivity and positivity. Among other things, look into having more natural light, a standing desk, soundproof walls and doors, a fireplace, high-speed internet connection, desk organizers, a phone headset, and a quality webcam. Features like these will have a large impact on how well you work in your private office.
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