Top 6 Things Every Home Office Needs

Your home office is where your productivity begins – and ends if you aren’t careful. A home office needs organization, space, and natural elements that can foster creativity and provide a sense of tranquility at the same time.

Most of all, your home office needs to work for you. You can’t rely on anyone else to help you create the perfect office that will meet your productivity needs. However, there are a few general things that can make any home office the perfect space where function meets comfort.

Physical Storage and Organization

More and more people are choosing to go paperless in their home offices, and with good reason. Electronic storage equipment and software, like USB flash drives, external hard drives, and cloud storage programs are convenient ways to have your information on hand, wherever you go. Plus, they give you extra protection by backing up your important files.

Consider purchasing one form of portable storage, like a large flash drive, and one form of cloud storage, like Dropbox. Store all your paperwork and files in the cloud, and use your portable storage as a backup for things you still need access to, even if you happen to land in an area without internet access, such as Word files or spreadsheets.

Reliable Electronic Storage

Multi-Function Printer

It may be a hefty expense, but your printer should be able to pull out all the stops. A multi-function printer is one with the functionality of a printer, scanner, fax machine, copier, or more. One of the best things about this piece of equipment is that, if you need all of these machines, you save a lot of space by combining the functions into one machine.

If you want to convert your paperwork to digital documents, make sure the model you choose has excellent scanning functions, so you don’t lose any important information during scanning. Consider a wireless model that allows you to transfer documents from your printer to your mobile device and computer for added convenience.

Comfort

If you spend most of your working hours in your home office, it needs to be comfortable. In fact, it needs to be ergonomic, or well-fitting to you and your needs.

Office ergonomics can help decrease strain on your back and neck from sitting in a chair, slumped over a keyboard for hours each day. It can also prevent eye strain, headaches, and pain in your fingers and wrists. Before you start to see significant problems in your tendons, blood vessels, spine, and more, it’s important to increase the comfort of your office furniture.

Some desks are adjustable to fit the height of the person using it. Alternatively, purchase an adjustable desk chair to meet the height of your desk. You should comfortably be able to look straight ahead to your computer monitor, rather than look up or down at it.

Or, consider using a standing desk, which can increase your blood flow as you work. If you choose to use a chair, take frequent breaks to stretch or do light exercise.

Exercise Equipment

If you’re going to be taking breaks, keep some exercise equipment in your home office. You don’t need anything huge that will overpower the room. Instead, think light hand weights, a jump rope, or a small step machine.

Take a 5 minute break every half hour or so, and do some light exercise to continue to keep blood flowing. Not only will this let you kick your metabolism into gear throughout the day, but it also can improve your mood, lift stress, and keep your brain motivated for work.

Nature

Having a window for fresh air and natural light, and some indoor plants, in your office can improve your productivity and mood.

Fresh air and sunlight give you increased energy. Fresh air cleanses your lungs, allowing you to breathe in more air and, therefore get some more oxygen to your brain. Sunlight helps you stay more awake during the day, and improve your sleep at night, therefore leading to a better sleep and awake pattern, overall.

Indoor plants can strengthen your mood and health. They help to purify the air, and keep it more humid, for easy breathability. Plus, they can help fight stress and fatigue! So, bring nature into your office as much as possible.