If consulting or freelancing is part of your unretirement plans, it will be necessary to set up a home office. As much as the idea of lounging on your bed or sofa with a laptop sounds fun and sexy, at some point, your back will say to you, “Chair, please!”
Setting up a home office involves the same thought process as creating a productive work environment. That’s why I wanted to share this infographic from Cubicle Concepts with you.
To create a home office space that’s both fashionable and functional, consider these three things:
ERGONOMICS: We do our best work when we feel good. Plain and simple. Consider the height of your workspace. It has an impact on your wrists and arms. Think about posture. I can’t say enough about how much good posture helps productivity.
SOUND: When I’m working, sometimes I want ambient noise and other times I need complete silence. Think about how you work best when deciding the location of your office space. And if there are some noises that you cannot control, can you use white noise, a fan, or headphones to block out distractions?
LIGHTING: While natural lighting is ideal, that might not be possible, depending on where your home office is located. Having plenty of lamps to brighten up your home office will help your health and your productivity. Couple that with the right color of wall paint and some plants and it will completely change the look and feel of your space.
I know there are several organizations changing their minds on the idea of having remote workers. That being said, a recent survey from Gallup indicates that 43 percent of Americans spend at least some time working remotely – that’s an increase of 4 percent since 2012. So, it’s entirely possible that remote work can be a part of your semi- or full- retirement.
Organizations will want to know that any employee they allow to have a remote working arrangement is able to get the work done. They will want to know that the employee has an adequate home working environment. So, start thinking about what it will take to have a home office that allows you to stay healthy and productive.
[…] my daily activity was walking to meetings, warehouses, and a variety of other workplaces. Now that I work in a home office, I’m looking for a different solution to help me keep […]