How do I Create a Comfortable Home Office Setup at Home?

Create a Comfortable Home Office Setup

It’s been a while since remote work became the “new normal,” and we have gradually slipped into this new role. Some companies are enjoying this arrangement to the extent of making working from home or WFH their newest policy. A good home office setup is what you should consider making working from home enjoyable.

However, the charm of working from home in the comforts of our beds dressed in our favorite jammies has now worn off. Most employees crave the structure and routine of their office life.

Fortunately, you can easily create a comfortable home office design that is more than a rickety desk and a worn-out chair stuffed in a dull corner. Are you wondering how? Keep reading as you unlock these mysteries!

What Must an Ideal Home Office Setup Contain?

What would be perfect is a room with a door that can be shut for the essential need to separate work life from home life. You would use a small room that can hold a desk and computer equipment. Preferably space to move around and with some natural light in the room to help relieve stress and fatigue.

Choose the computer desk that fits your needs and the size of the room. Maybe you need a small computer desk for just a laptop and a few small items. Or maybe you need a corner desk that gives you plenty of space for two screens and a large desktop computer.

Add to this cupboard space if you need books, magazines, earphones, or any other items you require to work comfortably. Consider a plant to keep the air naturally fresh.

Small Home Office Ideas

Ideally, have a small, dedicated room set aside for your home office setup. It would physically separate your personal life from your professional life. If your house has a spare, rarely-used guest bedroom, you have already hit the jackpot!

Convert this space by finding good online home office ideas, and you are all set to stake a claim over this area. Alternatively, you can use compact furniture like Murphy beds and TV mounts for the room to serve the dual purpose of an office and a guest room. However, for peace and dedication, a small home office room would be best.

However, if having a separate room is not possible, then identify a quiet sport that offers you privacy. You may need a place with a door to block out external sounds if you are often on calls or telecommuting at work. If you often have clients over, you would need a spot near your home’s entry points.

Proper Work Desk or Table

The standard height for office desks is typically 29 inches from the floor to the work surface. However, this industry standard is set for pen-and-paper writing.

For computer-based operation, keyboards and mouse trays shave off an inch or two for the optimum height. Hence, it is best to record an accurate measurement according to your height.

Ideally, your forearms should be parallel to the floor, and your wrists should not be bent when you use the keyboard or the mouse. Standing desks have emerged as a new trend to keep workers healthy and happy as they work.

They keep you on your feet. Plus, they are height adjustable, allowing you room to raise or lower the height of the desk. Get the best of both worlds by purchasing a standing desk extender!

Perfect Monitor Specs and Height

Invest in high-resolution, high-quality monitors that are at least 25 or 27-inches large. In terms of display resolutions, all the terms and alphabet soups may appear confusing and overwhelming.

However, if you want notable contrast and sharp displays that will be easy on your eyes, choose between QHD, WQHD, or 4K UHD.

Having two displays is much more convenient than toggling between windows. Hence, most employees prefer having two screens for multi-tasking and improved productivity. Dual screens equal double the work, especially if your work involves coding, writing, researching, or designing. If purchasing another computer screen is not on your list, you could mount a flat-screen TV to function as your second screen while also saving space!

Your monitor should line up with your vision to support a straight posture. Adjust the monitor height such that your eyes position about 25 to 30% below the top of the screen. If using a riser is not an option, then you could invest in a swivel mount for the perfect viewing angle. You could even consider adding a home theatre in your room for that special touch.

LG Ultragear 1ms Curved Gaming Monitor 144HZ 

A Comfortable Chair

Sitting for prolonged periods is dangerous to your health. However, sitting in a bad chair is even worse. Considering the number of hours you would spend in your office chair, pamper your tushie by investing in a high-quality, comfortable, and ergonomically correct chair. A good chair can also work wonders for your posture, so your spine and back will thank you too.

Make sure you get a height-adjustable chair that offers lumbar support. A chair with a seat tilt arm offers adjustable seating positions, which is an added plus. The adjustable armrest is optional, especially if you know how to use one correctly. If possible, try out the chairs at physical stores before buying them.

Why Not A Gaming Chair

This is one of the most sought-after products with home comforts and sitting in a chair for hours at a time. Well worth considering a gaming chair as they are designed for gamers who spend hours sitting and gaming every day.

Adequate Lighting

If natural light is a scarce resource, make use of ambient lighting to brighten up your office space. Overhead fixtures are the best source of indirect lighting. You should be able to read printed documents and papers without straining your eyes.

Ensure that the source of lighting does not compete with the light of your monitors or create glares. If they do, use curtains or reposition the light placement to diffuse it.

Here’s a bright idea – have a lot of light! A large chunk of individuals overlook the importance of lighting while considering their workspace. Natural light should be your first and most preferred source of lighting.

It helps maintain your circadian rhythm and keeps you productive by 3 to 40%! Thus, position your work desk near a window to bathe in natural light and even steal a few glances at the view (remember the 20-20-20 rule?)

LED Desk Lamp 

Stable Internet Connection

Remember the old days when you would have to wave around your mobile phone to get a decent network service? Well, that time is behind us. You will find internet service providers that offer high-speed coverage that clocks at 1 Gbps! Depending on your requirements and the number of users, subscribe to a minimum of 50 Mbps speed.

Hook up your desktops with wired ethernet connections for higher reliability. WiFi is sufficient for basic, routine office work that does not require high capacity. Ensure that your equipment supports the speeds offered by your service provider. The last thing that you would need is a 100 Mbps speed that gets throttled by your router!

Miscellaneous Accessories

Depending on your work, you may require other ancillary items such as headsets, printers, scanners, and webcams. Apart from these essentials, consider getting your hands on an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for desktops and surge power adaptors for desktops and laptops. You may also need an external hard disk to back up your data, or you could subscribe to cloud services.

Tips to Make Your Home Office Setup More Comfortable

Once you have all the basics ready for your at-home office, make it more comfortable and functional in the following ways:

Start Your Research With Pinterest

If you wish to find inspirational posters for your workspace or create a DIY cubby for your office stationery – Pinterest will have you covered on all bases. Browse through an assortment of options to inspire your home office setup.

However, remember some setups look great only in glossy prints and may not support your daily 8-hour shift. Similarly, those ornate, vintage desks may end up being too small to accommodate all your office items. Remember, you control your office settings and not vice versa. With this mantra in mind, explore all the options available on Pinterest to create your dream office!

Go Green – Have Some Plants on Your Desks

Plants make people happier, healthier, and more productive. That’s not just us speaking; it’s science! Given this stress-busting quality of plants, get a tiny pot that you can place on your desk. Succulents are a brilliant choice as they are low-maintenance (or might we even say “no-maintenance”) plants that you cannot possibly kill even if you don’t have a green thumb.

Plants like the Boston fern, dracaena, spider plant, and focus have powerful air filtering properties, which will improve your office’s air quality!

Desktop Glass Planter Bulb Plant

• Planter with mini bulb shape vase with wooden stand
• Perfect for a desktop in office or home
• Made of nature wood
• Easy to set up and pour water
• Breakage-Proof Package
• FREE replacement for any damaged product

A Splash of Color Boosts Productivity

Did you know that you could trick your brain into being more productive? Yes! Luckily, an at-home office setup gives you the creative freedom to decide on the decor right from the color of your walls!

Bright and warm colors will keep your mind alert and give it a productivity boost. Shades of yellow, red, and orange are psychologically stimulating and will help you bring your A-game on. If painting the walls is not an option, you can always use wallpaper, sticky notes, and other such items for a cost-effective fix.

Keep Things Homely

Just because you are at your at-home office, it does not mean that you need to box yourself inside a soulless office cubicle. Start by designing your office to complement the room.

Next, add personality to your workspace with cartoon cutouts, trophies, and family photos. Redecorate this space occasionally, or else it will soon blend in with the background. You could even use aromatic candles and soft music to create a nurturing environment.

Channel Your Inner Marie Kondo

It can stress you out, dampen your productivity, and make you feel overwhelmed. So make prioritize cleanliness. Thus, create a weekly schedule to tidy out your desk and clear your little nook. If things don’t spark joy, get rid of them.

Get Creative With Storage

Unless you have filing cabinets and storage chests lying around your home, find new and innovative ways to store your stuff. With papers, files, and books, you could invest in a bookcase to hold these items. For office supplies, clear containers placed inside desks can make one feel super organized.

Maintain a Stock of Goodies

For a start, keep basic essentials such as water, pens, notepads, always within reach. Indulge in your personal victories, aka snacks and beverages. Are you a habitual coffee drinker? Do you treat yourself to a double choco-chip cookie after clinching a sale? Keep these at hand, too. Get a mini-fridge or a coffee pot to minimize distractions and to prevent yourself from leaving the office intermittently.

Manage Wires Responsibly

Cable Management System Kit

• Simply peel & stick the cable raceway kit to the wall, the innovative cable management kit has a one-piece design making it easy to add or remove cables, perfect for protecting your children and pets from hanging cords
• The cable management system are pre-cut into 9 sections to provide optimal installation length. Eliminate unnecessary cuts and save your time and make your DIY route plan more flexible and easier
• The wire raceway duct comes with upgraded stronger self-adhesive tape for easy installation, great for organizing cables of wall mounted TVs or monitors. 12 screws and 12 drywall anchors are included for optional installation
• The cord cover raceway kit is paintable to blend with any home décor, you can paint it to match the color of your wall, perfect for tidying up TV's and Computer wires and cables,the parallel openings on both sidewalls facilitates customization

The more we rely on modern devices and electronics, the more wires criss-cross across our desk, on the walls, and on the floor. Jumbled cords and wires are a sore sight that could also be potential hazards. Position your device as close to the power outlet as possible.

For the rest, learn the art of wire management. Fortunately, you do not need fancy equipment to organize these wires. Whether you are figuring out how to hide TV wires on a wall mount or need help for setting up a charging hub – just a few zip cords, clamps, or even a pool noodle can keep the messy wires away.

Set Aside Distractions

Let’s face it – we are more likely to get on Facebook and “scroll for a bit” when you don’t have a manager circling your workspace. However, these indulgences can dent your productivity and make your work more prone to errors. Set aside a spot to store your personal gadgets so you can stay on track.

Of course, an occasional break now and then is permissible if you are not prone to get carried away!

Keep Time

Have a desktop watch to fix accountability and to ensure that a 15-minute break does not turn into an hour-long Netflix binge. Conversely, if you are a workaholic that loses track of time, the watch can be an excellent reminder to power down and tune out of the “work mode.”

Radio Alarm Clock with USB Charger

So there we have it. Keep your desk tidy and enjoy your computing in a clean and friendly space.