Working from home, it is important to choose a comfortable place or room to focus on work. However, Davis et al. (2020) have indicated that most people (almost all of those who participated in research) had one or another problem with organizing their workspace. Such issues can adversly affect health and cause musculoskeletal and vision disorders. As a result, health problems can lead to reduced productivity. You can spend more time working, but with poor results. What to do to be more productive at home? First and foremost, you should properly organize your workspace, and 10+ home office must haves will help you achieve this, making your home workplace ergonomic (designed in such a way that it fits you and does not compromise your health).

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The Key Points to Focus: Physical, Virtual, and Psychological

When organizing your home workplace, focus on physical, virtual, and psychological aspects that can save your energy:

• First, make sure that your chair and desk can be adjusted to your requirements;
• Choose proper lighting that is neither too dark nor too glaring;
• Fix the monitor in front of your eyes at the distance equal to the length of your arm;
• The keyboard should be on the same level as your elbows;
• Choose the proper working space or room other than your bedroom or kitchen to avoid being distracted, for example, to have a snack;
• Get rid of objects distracting you;
• Organize virtual space on your computer;
• Move distracting files from the desktop to other folders;
• Delete unnecessary files;
• Review email messages and delete those you no longer need;
• Minimize social media use during work.

The Main Home Workspace Issues

When taking the steps above, the goal is to solve the following main issues that may distract and make you procrastinate or get tired:

• Poor lighting;
• The improper and unnatural body position, requiring you to make extra movements;
• Chairs without backs and armrests that cannot be adjusted to fit you;
• The use of a dinner table instead of a desk;
• Work in a room where you usually have a rest;
• A lot of files piled on the desktop.

Solutions through Home Office Must Haves

Lighting

Start organizing your home workspace with lighting. It is ideal to have a combination of a natural light source and artificial illumination. When it comes to the latter, there are many types like focused, ambient, or decorative lighting. The first category is the most important when you have to work with documents or use your laptop. You can choose from minimalist, classic, or industrial design options.

Adjustable Beam LED Desk Lamp can fit your home office with minimalist design. At the same time, it can be easily adjusted to focus a spotlight where needed.

Ikea also offers options of a perfectly designed adjustable lamp.

Ergonomic Chairs and Desks

To take care of your health, choose ergonomic adjustable chairs and desks.

Many companies offer ergonomic quality desks that can be fixed in one place (electric) and portable (pneumatic), allowing changing your workspace easily. Desks come in various colors with the top being made from manufactured wood and the metal base.

Stationery and Details

Stationery and small details can help deal with routine work like a charm.

Talking Out of Turn offers Jotter Pen Sets that will help take notes of things to remember or highlight important events with bright colors.

Hit Refresh desk supplies will make your day bright.

Home Office Trash Can

Dual Divided Trash Can is a perfect eco-friendly choice, made from bamboo specifically for home offices.

Phone Stand

A stand for your smart watch, phone, and tablet is a way to organize your desk top working space, using a perfect bamboo solution.

Mug Warmer

There is a great option to use mug warmer. Choose the most suitable variant for your home office to have a cup of tea or coffee at hand.

Printer Stand

Printer stand is a way to organize your workspace smartly, placing a printer, paper, books, and other small things in one place.

To sum up, share your thoughts in comments. Does your home office have ergonomic items? What would you like to add or remove from your workspace?

Reference

Davis, K. G., Kotowski, S. E., Daniel, D., Gerding, T., Naylor, J., & Syck, M. (2020). The home office: Ergonomic lessons from the “new normal.” Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, 28(4), 4-10. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1064804620937907