Wherever you work – in an office, at home, at the coffee shop, or in a hotel suite, it’s important to create a workspace that allows you to be efficient and productive so that you can get more meaningful work done.
There are five things that you should evaluate when creating your workspace. Whatever setup you have, be sure to keep it simple, since there may be times when your workspace may be moved to a new location. And if your setup is simple, it’s much easier to recreate what works best for you.
Find a Comfortable Chair
There are a few things to look for in a chair: wheels, a high back, and the ability to adjust its position.
Wheels allow you to easily move to different areas of your workspace. A high back is a great guide to keep good posture. Some people like to sit low while others like to sit high. Having an adjustable chair allows you to customize the positioning. Don’t allow style to override function (take it from me, I allowed style to convince me to buy a chair that wasn’t adjustable and didn’t have wheels). I never sat at my desk until I replaced the chair.
Good Lighting
Nothing messes up posture more that poor lighting. You’re either squinting or leaning in towards your computer screen or reading material. Home improvement or lighting stores are great sources to find the best lighting solution for your particular needs.
Adequate Workspace
Figure out what things are essential for you to have close by and what things you occasionally need. Once you have established what things you need within arms reach, position those items in the most productive manner for you (for instance, if you’re right handed you may want your phone to the left of your computer and any writing materials to the right). Aim for a spacious workspace, but not too much room. Having too much space encourages clutter (and we are anti-clutter around here).
Something to Write on Nearby
Keep a pen and pad nearby to capture ideas that pop into your mind while you’re working. This provides an easy way to collect those thoughts, thereby removing them as a potential distraction from the project you are currently working on. Be sure to transfer those thoughts you wrote down to whatever master system you use to maintain your to-do-list.
Timer
If you’re new to following me, you may not be aware that I’m a “little” obsessed with mechanical timers. Something that I found to be highly effective is to employ a 50-10 method. You’ll spend 50 minutes focusing on a project, followed by 10 minutes of something completely opposite. For instance, you may spend 50 minutes working on a presentation followed by 10 minutes of exercise.
Here are a few workspaces to view for inspiration, including my dream home office. I’ll let you guess which one you think I love.