Some people really love working in an office environment, surrounded by other people, and with all the structure and infrastructure that comes with that.
But, plenty of people also can’t stand the experience, and are desperate for any potential avenue to becoming their own boss.
Combine that impulse with the innovations of the last few years in the realms of computer technology, specifically, and it’s no wonder that huge numbers of people are now beginning side hustles, or are outright quitting their day jobs to work from home remotely – either as freelancers, “digital nomads” or entrepreneurs.
But working from home isn’t just a blissful experience that you dive into without any trouble. It requires you to get focused, disciplined, and also to have your home serve as a good and effective working environment for you.
This last part is often a sticking point. So, here are some suggestions on how to turn your home into a great working environment.
Design your home for comfort and sustainability
If your home is something like a torture chamber, and is always on the verge of falling apart, it should go without saying that it’s probably not going to be the best environment for you to work from.
If, on the other hand, your home is comfortable, modern, and sustainable (in the sense of being easy to maintain, and resilient over the long term), you’re on the right track.
Sustainable architects like Playoust Churcher can do some pretty remarkable things these days in terms of creating minimalist, environmentally friendly, and cosy homes. But whether you’re going to have your home built from scratch or not, it needs to meet a certain threshold of comfort and convenience to serve as your office.
Organise your living space meticulously and set aside a clear “working space”
If your home is absolutely cluttered from floor to ceiling, in pretty much every room, it likely won’t be able to serve as a good workspace.
Your environment affects your mental state, and a severely disorganised environment can easily lead to a severely disorganised state of mind, and inability to focus and be productive.
Set aside a clear “working space” in your home – ideally a whole room – and keep at least that one corner completely organised and de-cluttered.
Ritualise your workspace, and focus on belongings that put you in the right “zone”
Humans are naturally creatures of habit and ritual, and high performers in all sorts of fields, ranging from professional sports, to the arts, regularly have little “superstitions” and routines that they take pretty seriously.
If nothing else, these little rituals help to anchor you to a particular state of mind, and get you “in the zone” for a particular task.
When you were working in an office, putting on a suit, having your morning coffee, and commuting, likely served a significant role in getting you prepared to work.
So, if you’re going to work effectively from home, ritualise your workspace and focus on belongings to put you in the right “zone.” That could mean wearing a certain outfit, sitting in a certain chair, et cetera.
This is a collaborative post.
