4 Common Mistakes People Make When First Setting Up A Home Office and How to Avoid Them

As a workplace fanatic myself. I consider my workplace a sanctuary of creation, a place where I get things DONE. I’ve had many home office setups through my life, and it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I have been doing it wrong and correcting them.

You see, those beautiful Pinterest ideas of a home office will not pull it off if you actually work full time at home. You need a space that is going to maximize your productivity, get work flowing, and one that does not harm your body. Here are 4 mistakes I did in the past and how to avoid them.

1. Getting an Eames Plastic Chair

Those beautiful Scandinavian chairs will not pull it off! It doesn’t matter if you throw a decorative throw on top. Nor if you bought it from Amazon for $45 or you got the original $400 Herman Miller Eames Shell, these chairs were not designed for long hours of focused work! Yes, they are beautiful, but they are not intended for office usage.

I had one of these when I first had my home office. It looks gorgeous, no question, but after two hours sitting, it was impossible to sit further. The incredible thing was that I did not even suspect that the crams were because of the chair!

Invest in a comfortable chair with adequate support. Think of the chair as your mattress, it is where you will spend a good portion of your time on it. Make sure it is a good match!

2. Placing your Office in Next to Distractions

This is probably one of the most common mistakes made by people setting their home office for the first time. You are excited about the idea of working at home, and you want to be as close to feeling at home as possible. However, this can lead to a lot of distractions and be frustrating for you and your family.

Avoid the spaces where you usually watch television or rest as they are naturally set up for your mind and body to get away from work. Instead, choose an area or corner where it is also peaceful, but there are little to no distractions.

3. Setting A Metallic Corporate Space

A highly productive workspace doesn’t need to look as if you moved a piece of wall street office into a corner of your house! Try accommodating your home office design close to the style you want to have in the rest of your house. Match the colors to your current furniture. Yes, it might be a bit more expensive to get the right furniture, but you will appreciate a good looking home in the long run.

This is especially true if your home office is not in a separate work studio. Start by focusing on the parts that will occupy most visual space, such as the desk and chair. Merely choosing the right colors, materials, and shapes for the desk and chair will make a huge difference.

4. Zero Attention To Ergonomics

Assuming you are one of the lucky ones who have the blessing of working remotely. It is likely due to the fact your job is more attached to your computer than your location. This also means that you are spending most of your time in front of your desk. When working at a company, they are technically responsible for making sure your work environment doesn’t harm you. But, at home, no one will check the ergonomic recommendations for you!

Even worse, you are alone at home, and perhaps you are all spread over your chair, desk, or even bed since no one is watching. Although it feels great at the moment, it can be very harmful in the long run. Time yourself for a good stretch, alternate from working sitting to standing, invest in a good chair, and raise your monitor to eye level. The list goes on. I recommend you to check on the federal ergonomics recommendations. You are your own office manager!

There are many other things we can do wrong when first setting up an office space at home. It is hard to know what works best for us before trying. However, proper planning will avoid obvious disappointment and the need to spend extra money to fix the mistakes that could have been avoided. I have made these mistakes myself in the past, and I am still continually learning what works best for me and my job. How about you? Any mistakes you wished you had not done when you first established your home office?

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Original article posted by Eva Lin on Medium.