Home office - how to make your workspace more pleasant and productive

During this period, everyone who can works from home. It is the best thing to protect ourselves and our loved ones. The workplace has become the home office and it must be set up in such a way as to provide us with all the conditions to carry out our work in the best possible conditions. Because working from home is not easy. We automatically associate 'home' with rest, relaxation, watching films, and it's hard to forget these temptations in order to concentrate on work. We need to create a space that is as comfortable and appropriate as possible so that we can concentrate on our work. And a proper space means a desk that allows us to sit properly, that doesn't tire us and give us back pain, enough light so that our eyes don't get tired and that "separates" us from the rest of the activities in the house, and ways of organising our office work.

Correct office posture

The correct position depends on the chair you are sitting in and the table or desk you are working at. They should allow us to keep our backs as straight as possible and have the computer/laptop at the right distance from our eyes. If the distances are not right we will have to adjust our position and this will lead to back pain, numbness in the limbs and extra strain on the eyes.

What does it mean to sit comfortably on a chair? Here are the most important requirements:

• to stand and rise without difficulty
• the soles of the feet should rest naturally on the floor, the knees should not be pushed up but should form an angle of 90-100º
• the seat should not be very deep so that its edge does not push on the leg
• the seat should not be very narrow because it becomes unstable and induces a feeling of insecurity
• the backrest should be slightly inclined from the vertical to the back in order not to impose a rigid posture
• the height at which the seat is placed is in accordance with the height of the table

As we can see, the height of the table is also important. But we can't always fit them so that we sit comfortably. The best solution for a study table is to be adjustable. This is also a very good solution for school children because the height can be adjusted as the child grows. Such an adjustable table is available in Home Accessories. It is an electrically driven table, the lifting speed is 38 mm/sec., but more technical data you can find outhere.

Light is very important

The light in the room where you work comes from daylight or fromluminaires. If it's a dark day or the windows are not big enough, we need artificial light to accompany the natural light to carry out our work comfortably.

It is best to have a light source as close as possible to where you are working. Light from the ceiling, even if it illuminates the whole space, may not be enough and strain our eyes when we work. That's why a desk lamp is so useful. To save energy, it's best to use an LED one. To give you an idea of the savings made using LED luminaires, a luminaire that has the equivalent light of a 60 W bulb consumes between 6 and 9 W.

One aspect that can influence mood and ability to concentrate is the colour of light. There is yellow light, called warm light, white or neutral light and blue or cool light. Warm light is for relaxing spaces, for the bedroom or living room, where calm is needed. For a workspace, where concentration and productivity is needed, neutral or cool light is recommended.

If you're thinking of adding light to your workspace, find here a catalogue of LED luminaires.

A tidy office helps increase concentration and productivity

It's hard to work in a space where everything is spread out, where you have nowhere to put your laptop, where wires and extension cords are everywhere. To work in peace and quiet, you need organisers to keep documents in order, post it notes to jot down ideas or emergencies, maybe a small board with magnets or a cork board to hold them on, and plugs that are as handy as possible so you don't have to run wires all over the house.

If bookcases and tables can be bought without problems, it is more difficult to fit sockets. However, there are systems that make it much easier to bring sockets and the internet as close as possible to where you work.The Eubiq GSS System is aModern modular system allowing flexible design of power distribution system (wiring and sockets) and data cables in any space. It has been designed so that the basic element, which has built-in electrical wires, can be easily integrated into skirting boards, panels, furniture, partitions and cable management systems. Read more about the system, here.

Another option to get rid of wires is recessed sockets in the table or desk top. Really, it's not something you do anytime, but it's not very difficult either. Sockets are unobtrusive, can have a cover so they're hidden when not in use, and can group power, internet and landline sources in one place. Find here a few models of such sockets.

After already a month in isolation we realized that it is not impossible to work from home. It's true, we really want to go out, to go to the office, but we have found that it is possible to work from home one or two days a week. And if we do, we need a bright and tidy space, an ergonomic chair and table to make our time in the office as pleasant as possible.