CHAPTER 1 SETTING UP YOUR HOME OFFICE
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GET YOUR OWN SPACE. If possible, designate one area of your home for workingâand only working. In other words, your couch, dining room table, or kitchen counter shouldnât be your office. A desk in your spare bedroom, backyard studio, or basement, on the other hand, is much better. Even a simple work-only setup in your bedroom (if thatâs all thatâs available) will get the job done. Connecting a physical space to your work will help you switch from your personal mode to professional and back again. Itâll also reduce distractions and improve your ability to focus.
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FIND A PLACE WITH AS LITTLE FOOT TRAFFIC AS POSSIBLE. The more frequently other members of your household walk by you to get food or drinks, go to another spot in the house, use the bathroom, and so on, the harder itâll be to stay focused. All things being equal, you want an area in the home that other people rarely visit during your work hours. Try working in a space for a few days and seeing how much foot traffic it gets. When looking for the best location to set up your new office, this should be your number one priority.
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KEEP IT QUIET. Avoid noisy areas if you can. However, noise is easier to control than interruptions from other people, so if the least-traveled spot in your home faces onto a busy street or absorbs all the traffic from the den, donât worry about it: You can always try some noise-control hacks to make it manageable.
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BRING NATURAL LIGHT INTO YOUR WORKSPACE. Natural light has a ton of benefits. It saves you money, since you donât need to turn on artificial lights; it boosts your mood, energy, and focus; it de-stresses you; it helps you stay in tune with your daily rhythms and body clock; it improves your sleep quality; and more. When picking your workspace, prioritize a spot with north-, east-, and/or west-facing windows. (And then make sure youâre actually getting that light by raising the blinds, opening the shutters, pulling back the curtains, etc.)
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FIND AN OUTLET. Ideally, the outlet should be close enough that you can plug in your devices without the charger stretching across the floor. You donât want people walking over a trip lineâyourself included! If you only have one nearby outlet, get a power strip (or better yet, a surge protector) so youâll have ample power for all your devices.
7 WAYS TO TURN ANY CORNER OF YOUR HOME INTO AN OFFICE
No office? Youâre not alone: Many remote workers donât have guest bedrooms or empty rooms for setting up their workspaces. If thatâs the case for you, try these hacks to create your perfect WFH âoffice.â
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TRANSFORM A CORNER. That awkward space where you normally shove random bags and shoesâor simply let the dust pile upâcan become an office with a little creativity and the right desk. Look for one thatâll fit perfectly into the space, whether itâs a corner-pointed (read: triangular) wall desk or traditional L-shaped one.
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CREATE A FLOATING DESK. If youâre short on space, a floating desk is a great solution. When youâre not working, simply pack away your laptop, roll away your chair, and fold up your desk so it lies flat against the wall. You can make a DIY version with a plank of wood and some brackets. However, donât worry if youâre not crafty. There are tons of ready-to-assemble options you can buy.
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ATTACH FLOATING SHELVES FOR INSTANT STORAGE. Untraditional desk options, like the floating desk or folding table, help you maximize your spaceâbut leave nowhere to put your papers, desk accessories, or anything else you like to keep close at hand. Floating shelves might be the answer. Install two to six around your workspace (making sure theyâre wide enough to support what youâll be putting on them) and get some decorative boxes to house your supplies.
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CONVERT A BOOKSHELF INTO A FOLDOUT DESK. This hack is basically the Murphy bed of desks. All you need is a bookshelf, hinges, brackets, a stable plank of wood thatâs big enough for your daily work supplies, and, most importantly, some elbow grease. First, make sure your bookshelf can accommodate your desk when itâs folded flat (you might need to consider removing or adjusting a few shelves). Next, make sure the bookshelf is firmly secured to the wall. If itâs not, the weight of the desk will pull the bookshelf forwardâŠand thatâs exactly as dangerous as it sounds. Finally, install the plank desk using hinges and brackets so it can swing out and back in again. VoilĂ , youâve got a desk that can appear and disappear like magic.
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INSTALL A STORAGE UNIT WITH A FOLDING TABLE. To get the benefits of a DIY bookshelf/desk without actually doing it yourself, buy a preconfigured option. IKEAâs IVAR model is less than $150 and offers several shelves, hooks, and space for two or three people to sit comfortably when the table-desk is extended. When youâre not working, simply flip the table back into place. Everything youâre storing will be cleverly tucked out of sight. Better yet, youâll free up all the space the desk was occupying.
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PUT YOUR DESK UNDER A STAIRCASE. That nook under the stairs can make a perfect quasi-office. Unless youâve got a ton of construction experience under your belt, itâs a good idea to hire a professional. They can clear out the necessary space (which may require taking it down to the studs) and re-cover it. Add wallpaper or paint to make this space look nice and differentiate it from the rest of the room. After that, youâll want to add a desk and chair. There may even be room for some storage.
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CONSIDER THE âOFFICE SHED.â Remote workers with a backyard might want to take this route: Youâll get your own space to work with zero distractions and even a quick commute thatâll help you maintain work-life balance. If youâre willing to roll up your sleeves, you can build an office shed yourself. Alternatively, preconfigured sheds are available online. Want a custom design without any DIY? For a price, you can work with a vendor to design your dream office studio.
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MAKE THE TRANSITION SLOWLY TO MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED. New to remote work? The transition from in-person working to remote can be jarring, and itâll be tougher if your company office has lots of supplies and software that your new one does not. To get a full list of what youâll need to successfully work from home, go to the in-person office for a day or two and catalog all the equipment you useâfrom your chair and printer to data analysis software and note-taking app. If this isnât an option, ask a coworker and/or your boss if they have any suggestions for what youâll need.
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TIDY UP YOUR WORKSPACE BEFORE YOU CALL IT A DAY. When you go to an office, you can leave your messy home, well, at home. Not so for remote workers. And this is a problem, because working in a messy space zaps your concentration. Research shows clutter can trigger the release of cortisol (the stress hormone). Messy homes are also linked to increased procrastination. Before you clock out each night, spend five minutes putting things away, organizing your papers, and removing dirty glasses. Youâll appreciate your efforts when you sit down to your desk the next morning.
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DESIGNATE A âJUNK DRAWERâ SO YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY SWEEP MISCELLANEOUS STUFF OUT OF VIEW. Not ready to do a full desk cleanup every day? This hack is for you. If you have a desk, use one of the top drawersâthat way, you can literally sweep detritus off your desk. If youâre working at a drawer-less desk or table, buy a tray, bowl, or box. You might be thinking, Doesnât this hack just move the mess? Yep! And thatâs a good thing because itâll trick your mind into thinking your space is clean. As a result, youâll feel calmer and more focused. Hereâs the key: Every few days (depending on how quickly your junk drawer fills up), you need to schedule some time to completely empty it out. Toss what you donât need, store items youâll need later, and put random papers and notes into the appropriate file.
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PUT ALL OF YOUR PAPERS INTO A FILING CABINET. If your job requires a lot of paperwork, a filing cabinet is a critical element of the work-from-home office. It helps you keep track of your papers, letters, and moreâbasically forcing you to get organized. Rather than hunting through stacks of loose papers for the one you need, simply open your file cabinet, find the appropriate file, and pull out the document. And if you care about aesthetics, good news: Filing cabinet design has come a long way since the boring boxes of yore. Look for a filing cabinet in a cheerful color like yellow or blue, or find one in a material that matches your dĂ©cor, like wood or even cloth.
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CREATE A PERSONALIZED FILING SYSTEM SO YOU CAN EASILY FIND WHAT YOU NEED, WHEN YOU NEED IT. The best way to file your papers is the way that works for you. Many people organize files alphabetically or by date. However, you can also try filing by document type (personal, professional, etc.), person (you, your partner, your kids, your parents, etc.), importance (high-priority files at the front, followed by medium- and then low-priority ones), action (files you need to do something with, like bills or unfinished paperwork versus historical records), or some combination thereof.
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TAKE YOUR SYSTEM TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH HANGING FILES, COLOR CODES, TABS, AND MORE. Purchasing a few additional supplies will make your organizational system even easier to maintain and navigate. Divide file sections with hanging files, which stretch across your file cabinet so they donât slip and slide around. Give each file category a color so that you can easily see which files belong to which section at a glance. (This will also make your filing system easier on the eyes.) Label each file to make organizing them and tracking down the right one quicker. Most files come with precut paper tabs, but you can also use a label maker or stickers, or get creative with some pens, paper, and scissors to create your own system.
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USE AN INEXPENSIVE PAPER SCREEN TO CORDON OFF YOUR WORKING AREA. Once youâre clocking out for the day, fold up the screen. Visually changing your workspace, even if itâs subtle, helps your mind distinguish between the two parts of your day. A screen helps you create a divide between your workspace and the rest of your homeânot to mention, it filters out distracting sounds like your partner watching TV, your kids playing hide-and-seek, your roommates cooking a five-course mealâŠyou get the picture.
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MAKE SURE YOUR DESK IS THE RIGHT SIZE. Believe it or not, all desks arenât created equal. You should be able to sit up straight, with your eyes ahead (not down) and your feet firmly planted on the floor. If you already have a desk, and itâs not the perfect size, adjust your chair, laptop height, and/or feetâs distance from the flo...