How to set up your home office for success

If you’re new to working from home, it could take a while to get your home office in order.

Robyn Amott sets up home offices for a living via her home organising company, Bless This Mess, so we asked her:

Which areas of a home office tend to need the most attention?

And how can we set ours up to maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Here’s what she said.

Optimise your internet
As anyone already working from home will attest, a good internet connection is vital.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a large house, Robyn suggests investing in some boosters. These little hubs act as connectivity touch-points to better carry a signal a long distance. They are the electronic conduit between your modem and your device.

However, you won’t only need a strong signal, you may also need a back-up service should something go awry with your internet.

With Optus you can get their next-gen Ultra WiFi Modem included in select nbn home internet plans, which includes internet speeds of up to 150% faster than previous modems*, with stronger, more reliable coverage in your home with the latest WiFi 6 technology.

Plus, with Optus 4G backup, you can connect on day dot and stay online if your nbn connection ever falters – and connect up to 128 devices on the same network!.

Organise your paperwork
Despite living in a digital world, a paper trail is still common for many. Robyn’s first step is limiting the amount of paperwork to what is vital. Then, start filing and categorising. Here are her tips:

“I find binders and folders can be a barrier because there are too many steps involved,” Robyn explains. “I recommend working with vertical filing spaces instead of flat spaces. Boxes tend to become a dumping ground.

“Then you want to categorise it. Think: what is the action I want to take with this paper? Do I want to file it away for reference or is it part of an action? Is it relevant to your children, or bills to pay, or forms to complete? You need to categorise each item instead of just giving it a blanket ‘to-do’ label.”

Separate work and home life
As Robyn summarises, “the dining room table is not the ideal workspace”.

“In the perfect scenario, you want to keep your office away from your bedroom and away from the active hubs of your home,” she begins. “If you’ve got a spare room, that’s great.”

“Otherwise, perhaps a nook exists in your home that is still away from the main hub of the house. You can get creative. In one home, we put a desk in what was previously a linen cupboard in an upstairs hallway. It’s big enough to have a desk but could be closed off when you’re finished with it and it’s not creating visual clutter.

“If everything is in your face all the time you’re going to feel like you can’t clock off. So, find a space where you can feel you can ‘leave the office’ at the end of the day and go back to it in the morning.”

Get a comfortable chair
The biggest perk of working in an office versus working at home is arguably the ergonomic setup. Offices tend to take care to keep their workers comfy – and safe – on the job.

However, we at home tend to look at an exxy office chair and wonder if it’s really that much better than our regular dining chairs. The answer is yes, it is.

While for most of us it may take a while to realise the harm in our thrown together work-from-home set-up, when the effects arrive, they come with a vengeance. Back, should and neck pain caused by a non-ergonomic work space can have long-lasting and distressing effects on day-to-day life.

Take a little time, money and care when purchasing the right chair.

Reduce visual clutter
Maintaining focus when working from home can be a struggle for some. Keep your workspace bare to minimise distractions.

“When we’re at our desks, our eyes can easily be distracted by peripheral clutter,” Robyn says. “So keep your immediate space around you as clear as you can.”

If you need to spread out paperwork or other items, Robyn suggests a roll-away trolley to sit at the side of your desk.

“You can spread things out across there, but it doesn’t interrupt your concentration when you’re sitting at your desk.”

A stylish bar cart could do the trick and double its usage later on…

Knock-off drinks anyone?

*Based on comparison with Optus Ultra WiFi (Gen 1) modem. Actual speeds may vary and are limited by the plan speed.

(Source: Realestate.com.au)