Setting up your home office - 6 things you should know

Working from home has been part of everyday working life for many people, and not just since the Corona pandemic. Are you also planning to do your job more often in your own house? Good that you are here! Here are 6 tips you should consider when setting up your home office - whether you work there on a long-term or temporary basis.

1. it is worth investing in good equipment.

Almost all the basic equipment for the home office is theoretically available at a very low price. As you can imagine, however, this is not the smartest solution. At least not if you are working many hours a day at home regularly. We therefore recommend, if at all possible, the investment in a proper setup:

• an ergonomic desk chair
• a reliable desk (stable, wide and long enough)
• a mouse that sits well in the hand
• a mouse pad with palm rest
• a daylight lamp (especially if you do not have the possibility to place the desk close to the window)
• speakers or noise-canceling headphones, if you like to work with music

Which of these has priority naturally depends on your situation .You work at home every few weeks at most? Then it doesn't have to be the high-end office chair and you might just need a new mouse.

The situation is completely different if you are self-employed and/or work almost exclusively in a home office. Then you should consider buying a height-adjustable desk, for example. Your back will thank you for it!

2. clear separation of living and working areas is important.

Separate private and professional areas: the classic home office tip. However, this is often easier said than done, after all, not everyone has a separate office space available. Does this problem sound familiar to you? Then let me tell you: the most important thing is to always work in the same place - even if it is the dining table. Ideally, you delimit this area in some way. Classic solutions are:

• Shelves as room dividers (storage space as a practical side effect)
• decorative screens
• big plants
• Curtains

If you are permanently settled in your home office, you can go one step further and use asound-absorbing acoustic curtain instead of normal curtain fabric. In this way you get a quieter working atmosphere as well.

3. the technical setup must be right.

The technical question is also depending on the situation . Maybe you are employed and the employer provides you with a computer, a company mobile phone etc. Maybe you are self-employed and organise everything yourself. Especially in the latter case you will probably need a large part of the following equipment:

• PC or laptop
• 1-2 screens
• a telephone
• Headset, if you make frequent calls
• Printer (if used frequently, it is best to use a document feeder so that you can scan/copy several pages at once)
• a shredder, if necessary
• WLAN amplifier, if the router signal at the workplace is too weak

That still leaves the safety factor. After all, you don't want to risk becoming the victim of a hacking attack or losing your data. Therefore, in addition to the hardware you need:

• a VPN connection for encrypted data transfer.
• a data backup option (cloud and/or external hard drive)
• a suitable insurance if you are self-employed in the digital sector

4. supplies never hurt.

It is actually taken for granted, but is often forgotten in the heat of battle: the home office supply system. It saves you the hassle of running errands in between. With the following supplies you can use your time for something more useful and continue working without interruption:

• Ballpoint pen
• Printer paper
• Printer Cartridges/Toner
• Envelopes
• Notepad
• Folder/Folder
• transparent films

...and whatever else you use every day!

5. a filing system saves time and nerves.

Depending on the job, some documents accumulate over time. Some of them you may be able to dispose of quickly - others you will have to keep, for better or worse, within the scope of the storage obligation. So think about a filing system from the very beginning. This may sound pedantic, but in the end you will save yourself a lot of time and nerves through sustainable order! And with a detour to Pinterest etc. you are sure to quickly find a system that you like. As I said: In the long run, you'll be glad to have your inner monk out when you set up your home office...

6. storage space must not be too short

Speaking of order: Always allow for extra space where you can store things you don't currently need in the home office. Let's assume you take photos as part of your job every now and then. In that case you probably won't use tripods, lights etc. every day - but you don't want to give these accessories away either. The same is true if you have a lot of cooperation partners and receive product samples - where to put all this?

So, home office furnishings not only include the workstation itself, but also sufficient storage space. Your flat is already full and there is no room for another shelf? Then see if you can expand upwards using wall shelves. Alternatively, you can look for external storage facilities. As you can see, there's usually more to the home office than just opening up your laptop on the couch! But the effort pays off, according to a study by Exeter University, which found that a home-designed workplace leads to better health, satisfaction and productivity. Well then - what more could you want?