Many of us dream of the day that we’ll one day quit our jobs and start to work from home. In fact, some of you lucky and brave ones may have already done it.
One problem is, moving from the office to the home office you may lose a few of the “luxuries” you once had. Although now you’ll be able to work how you want, when you want, wherever you want, it’s probably a good idea to really put some work into creating a nice home office that inspires you.
The most important thing for your productivity and well-being is going to be comfort. No, not comfort in the sense of getting yourself a La-Z-Boy – this is proper, ergonomic-level comfort.
Ergonomics is the study of efficiency in the workplace, and is often synonymous with good chairs, the correct desk, computer mouse and keyboard, lighting, among many other things – and there are many websiteswhich focus on ergonomics and helping people improve their office life.
Our goal is to help you create a nice ergonomic home office – so let’s take a look!
The Ultimate Home Office Gear
Let’s jump straight in with some of the products you should be looking at to kit out your home workspace:
Standing Desks
First on the list are standing desks. You may have seen our recent article about the awesome Bestar desk, but you may not know that there are in fact well over 50 makes and models of standing desk. That’s a lot to choose from!
Standing desks can either be a full desk replacement, or a converter which is placed on top of your regular desk. Both have their merits – the most important is that you can adjust the height of your workstation to switch between sitting and standing throughout the day.
It has been published by many scientific papers that sitting is known to be a cause for many long-term health issues. Then again, standing for long periods of time isn’t easy either.
That’s why you will love a height adjustable desk which enables you to switch it up during the day.
Desk Mat
If you have a standing desk, the next product you’ll want to check out is a standing desk mat. These simple mats made of a dense rubber may look basic, but don’t let looks deceive you!
A simple mat like the Topo will save you from aches and pains that we are used to suffering throughout the day.
No more knee pain, sore hips and ankles, and say goodbye to lower back pain!
The added cushion between you and the ground that these mats offer is an absolute necessity if you are thinking of using a standing desk regularly.
Balance Boards
Balance boards, like the Fluidstance for example, are great for two reasons: they are perfect for engaging the core and strengthening other stabilizing muscles. Secondly, they are a whole lot of fun!
Working from home isn’t going to be all work and no play with one of these. There are also plenty of different makes and models, but the Fluidstance which we mentioned before is definitely one we would recommend taking a look at.
Exercise Equipment
Exercise equipment? Why would I want this in my office when I can go to the gym?
This would be a completely valid question. The answer is – with today’s busy schedules and people often finding it difficult to strike a healthy work/life balance, many people are looking to exercise in the office as a way to free up some time.
So in you home office you’ll want to have at least one of the following products which will help burn calories and shed pounds while you work away.
The first is a treadmill desk. Like a regular treadmill but stripped down to just the base, a treadmill desk allows you to walk while working. Many people love this form of LISS (low intensity sustained state) exercise.
The other option would be an under desk exerciser – either an elliptical or desk cycle. Both of these will allow you to pedal while working at your desk.
As you may have guessed, the first option is for people who are going to be spending more time standing in the office, and the latter is primarily for use while sitting down.
Accessories
Now we’ve looked at some of the bigger products, let’s not forget some of the smaller ones which can make your life a whole lot easier.
An ergonomic mouse and keyboard are both high on the list of accessories you MUST have. If you spend any amount of time on a computer, your hands and wrists will thank you once you start using these.
The next best accessory we can recommend are monitors. Anyone who has had the luxury of using multiple monitors will know the amazing experience that it is. You will feel much more productive and if you are used to using a laptop then you’ll be doing your neck and shoulders a huge favor.
Also, for monitors we recommend using a monitor arm to adjust height of your screen and improve overall workplace ergonomics.
Lighting & Colors
People often associate ergonomics with posture and the physical aspect of healthy and efficient workplaces, and they often overlook some of the key factors.
If you are going to work from home, you need to create a space that inspires creativity, encourages productivity, and makes you want to work when you’re there!
The key to this are good lighting and subtle colors. Take you time to find some good lamps and lights if you don’t have much natural light, and pick the colors and decorate wisely to create a clean and uncluttered office space.
Get going!
Whether is is still a pipe dream or it is or will soon be a reality, your home office will be your pride and joy and you should be considering improvements for your workspace.
Like the people who say, “you must invest in a good bed if you spend ⅓ of your life there”, the same is true for your office.
It is obviously not necessary to own every single one of the products we recommend, but definitely take a look at a few and see how you can make some improvements to your home office and your day-to-day life.
