What is the biggest fear when it comes to working from home? Well, fear might be an overstatement. A better word might be: hesitation.
So what's the biggest hesitation when it comes to working from home?
The potential for distractions!
Accountability is critical when working from home. Things like time managment and having the will power to avoid distractions are going to be paramount to ensure success and a strong productive workflow. Whether you're sales, project managment, marketing, customer service, or graphic designer - production is king.
So what can you do to create the ultimate productivity work space? Here are some tips:
If the whole premise of productivity is avoiding distractions, then you'll want to make sure your desk is clear from any clutter. Dirty coffee mugs, old sticky notes, or even a lack of cable managment for all of your tech equipment will just impede your work flow by causing visual roadblocks between you and your work station.
Naturally certain items for your desk are going to be necessary like desk clocks, decor, pens & sticky notes, note pads/journals or other work station tech to improve your productivity (which I'll discuss in later in the article). Items that improve your workflow will just need to be organized to keep the desk clear. A clear workstation and desk, means a clearn mind which only leads to quality work flow that you'll enjoy!
As a big proponent of utilizing tech to optimze workflow and overall productivity, I am also a big proponent of not letting it take over. Too many monitors can be over stimulating, too many devices can have you running around figuring out which notification just went off, you know how it goes...
Personally, I had to work this one out myself to figure out what to avoid at my workstation, and you might have to as well. You have to be honest with yourself and realize what is going to distract you. As an example, I was looking into tech that was way too over powered and over priced but I had a feeling like it would benefit my workflow.
Rather than going for something like a new iPad Pro (which is like $1200 and designed for graphic designers and 4k video editors), I knew something like a basic iPad would be more ideal. Does it have less functionality? Of course, but as someone working in consulting and doing some lightweight copywriting here and there, the lower amount of functionality means it's less likely to be a distraction and can be utilized for it's core functions that revolve around my job duties. Things like zoom calls, note taking, calendar integration, emails and other apps our office uses for mobile acccess when we go to vendor fairs or after normal business hours. It's got just the right amount of FUNction to make these simple fucntions a lot more enjoyable.
This is basically a long winded, personal example of saying: have the self control to know what is going to distract you and AVOID incorporating them into your workstation. While also giving yourself the tools to make things more fun and keep a positive, enthusiastic mindset during your workday.
Now on a slight change of pace, I know we just talked about avoiding things for your workstation, but in order to have a great sense of producitvity and good workflow you also have to feel comfortable and confident with where you're at (especially if your going to be spending 8+ hours a day there).
Since you're working from home you'll have more freedom to customize your workstation (this is where the tech stuff can come into play...) but these customizations should be a healthy mix of fun and productivity. It's all about FUNction.
So what's that look like?
As an example, using tech can spice up or make basic functions more enjoyable. Like using an iPad to handwrite notes during meetings so people don't hear you clacking away on a keyboard (personally I like doing this during my consultations and sales calls). Using an Amazon ECHO device as both a clock and AI assistant. "Alexa, set reminder to call lead: John Doe at 3pm" or my personal favorite: "Alexa, brew my Nespresso" (And yes, it can do that as long as you have a smart plug for the Nespresso).
Other examples of "making the space yours" can be other forms of art work (great options can be found on Amazon or even Ikea), plants give a sense of life and vibrancy to your small ofifice, utilizing LED lights to create backlighting for your desk (very good for the eyes), different types of mouse pads, wireless or wired mouses and keyboards, and more. I personally love RGB keyboards and am looking into mechanical keyboards as well. There are tons of different options for clean, professional and sleek designs. Or even ones that are a little more ostentatious and flashy, just don't let it distract you!
At the end of the day, the highest quality workflow and production will come from a healthy combination of organization and fun tools that will encourage a faster, more effective workflow rather than distract you. You obviously don't want to be a robot, so throw your personality into the decor and make the space yours!