You’ve probably been thinking or talking about home office improvements for a long time now. Maybe you already have a space you’ve thought about turning to a superb home office one. Or maybe you’re ready to have a proper setting to pitch investors remotely in COVID-19 times. But you know there’s still action to take on that. Maybe the chair you have isn’t the most comfortable, or the light’s no good around that area. Whichever is your case, now’s the time to do something about it. We congratulate you in advance for that! To help, we list 10 upgrades to your home office that you should have made a long time ago and can easily get done now.

Devote an actual space for your home office

First of all, make sure you set aside an actual space for your home office. Establishing working boundaries is crucial here. While working out of the couch or bed might work for a few days, we all quickly learn the daring consequences to that. Our bodies and minds resent it over prolonged periods.

Make a clear division between what’s social and family “home areas” and your upcoming office. Trust us, doing so will significantly help your productivity and the overall state of your working mind. It’s also easier to create a more clearly-defined work/life balance with diversely marked areas for every purpose. 

Consider your lighting options 

Part of choosing a working area around the house, but also part of the 10 upgrades to your home office that you should have made a long time ago, can be related to your office lighting. Your eyes need all the help they can get for you to resist long working hours from home effectively. Help yourself with it. 

Window areas that provide natural lighting are very inspiring as office spaces. If you can move from where you are by a window for work, make the best of it! If sunlight would be an issue, then work on placing the right shades to help you as the rays hit its brightest. Noon hours might be too hot for work around natural lighting, so consider protection in that sense, also. What’s great about this option is how you can see the day progress. 

Cared for correctly, you can have the right tone of lighting to help you at night time, too. And let the sun cut back on your electricity bill during the day. Talk about boosting your vitamin D naturally, as well! 

Rather than fluorescents that hurt your eyes, consider friendlier options. If working on cables to produce the right lighting source in your chosen home office space is out of the question, too hard or too costly, then go for desk lamps. You can find adjustable ones to move around as your day progresses, for example. Clip-on ones might help certain areas, too. And there are even battery-operated lights that can help you reduce cabling.

‍Get your optimum chair

We must say it! Unfortunately, a considerable part of the 10 upgrades to your home office that you should have made a long time ago is picking out that one sitting device on which you’ll be entirely comfortable. 

If you already have that, alas! All the power to you. Yet, if you don’t, now’s the time to get a good resting chair that’s optimum for your physical conditions. It’ll just ensure you can get into the zone without any sort of backache or bodily bother.

You might be using an old chair right now that was just lying around. Maybe you pulled one of your dining chairs out for a bit. But your home office space deserves an ergonomic chair or standing station if you need one. 

Choosing chair basics include easy adjustment of height and depth, for example. Your feet should be able to lie flat on the floor. And your thighs need to lie horizontally as your back lies wholly against the backrest. Get adjustable lumbar support, if you can, so your spine can keep its natural inward curve. And, if possible, look into the softness of your new chair’s material and its rotation options.

Ergonomic everything!

Now that we’re on the topic, ergonomy goes well beyond your back. Think about upgrading other office-related items, like your keyboard or mouse. Most people skip the mouse option over laptops and tablets nowadays, but it might prove useful depending on your tasks and the amount of time you plan on sitting in that space. 

Carpal tunnel syndrome is real, so take a minute to think about the little improvements that can make a big difference in the long run. Those might also make you feel better cared for as you spend long working sessions working from home.

An essential upgrade: Your home office desk

It’s only natural that we need to talk about upgrading your desk, right? Along the same lines of what we’ve discussed this far, some desks convert from sitting ones to standing options. You might enjoy standing for a few hours of the day.

Or maybe you want a less complicated one next to the one you have to give you different working options for your posture. If cash is an issue, go for DIY (do it yourself) options to spare on some funds and complete working projects on your time at home.

How much space do you want or need around you? Think of your desk size and how you want to order your work items. Could you use a desk with better cable running through it? A taller or lower one to fit your posture better? Give it some thought; you might be surprised at how a different desk might make your life so much better in no time!

Get some plants

Moving on to items on your desk or around your office space, having a plant can help in multiple ways. They won’t just make your area more visually appealing, but they can also improve air quality to balance your mood. 

Depending on your lighting and gardening skills, a few good options include peace lilies, spider or air plants, and even philodendron. If someone close to you loves plants and could help with the task, this might be an excellent activity to do together, as well!

Otherwise, a visit to the local nursery might be a beautiful part of the 10 upgrades to your home office that you should have made a long time ago.

Optimize your decor 

What helps you concentrate best? Think of that as you make choices on decor. You might want a minimalist environment to focus and keep a zen vibe. Or you might prefer distractions to get a break from time to time. 

Posters and calendars are useful decors for offices, for example. If a Rubik’s cube helps you think as you focus on work, maybe add it. But, if a neat space does you best, then forget about hanging distracting pictures. 

Keep your surroundings to the least possible interference.

‍Help yourself relax

We mentioned the cube before, yet we can also think of release balls to squeeze or bounce against a wall as you’re pondering on work decisions. A yoga mat can help with body and mind breaks during the day. You might also want to get a salt lamp or an incense burner. 

Whatever helps you relax, make sure you place it nearby. If it’s weights or hand grippers, help yourself take short breaks for pure relaxation as a real productivity booster that your home office can provide. 

Did you think about wifi, yet?

A bad wifi connection should’ve been part of the first upgrades to your home office that are long waiting for a bit of your attention. Nothing’s more frustrating than a low signal during work calls or video chats. We get goosebumps of frustration when a Google Doc won’t load, for example. 

If an email attachment is setting you back out of a lousy connection, this is the perfect time to call your ISP provider and sort some quality issues out. Maybe you’ll need to go out for a new ethernet cable, a modem, or a better router. Whatever you do, it’s clear a very stable internet connection is a dire necessity for a home office space. 

Place notes visibly somewhere

Believe it or not, 10 upgrades to your home office that you should have made a long time ago also include getting a whiteboard. Especially if you’re more of a visual person, make it easier on yourself to continually see the list of items on which you need to focus or those you wish to prioritize. 

We mention a whiteboard so you can organize your thoughts. Quickly check items off new lists, jot down ideas, and erase what you had to make new counts available. However, if cork works best with pins for you, that’s also an option. 

Whatever you do to get you settled correctly into working from home, we certainly wish you the best with your decisions and the most pleasure in the process of getting your home office to your optimum condition. 

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