If you are working from home how about investing in creating a home office space can offer a practical alternative to the daily commute.
The City of Cape Town initiated the work from home trend last year and according to international office space company Regus, in 2017, 63% of business people reported they were working from home at least 2 days a week, while more than 70% of South Africans expect working from home to increase in the next year.
Here are some helpful tips from Mike Greeff, CEO of Greeff Christie’s International Real Estate on how you can transform your home to office ready:
Decide on the space in your home
When deciding on a spot for your home office space – do not turn to the most overlooked corner of the home. Choose a space that is comfortable, desirable to be in and a space that will motivate you. Converting a space in your home as a work office requires your home to have the dedicated space available for your use.
Ensure good lighting
When choosing a space for your home, be sure to choose an area that is well-lit, receives plenty of sunshine and especially fresh air. An added benefit would be to have a view that you are able to cast your eyes on when working.
Make sure you are connected
Working from home requires you to be connected almost all the time, whether it be for client communication, employer communication or an actual process your job requires. Therefore, make sure you have access to several plug points, and good cell coverage and network coverage as it is crucial to you adequately executing your tasks.
Have some extra space
If working from home is part of your full-time job and your work includes client meetings, it is important to ensure you have extra space to add additional furniture, be it a comfortable chair or sofa and coffee table to conduct those meetings. Picture yourself in the scenario where you are set-up to work from home but are not adequately prepared for meeting clients, it could potentially be embarrassing.
Make use of décor that is appealing
Finally, when deciding on your work office, aim to use colors and décor pieces that you find to be inspiring. If you are most inspired when using bright colors or perhaps having a fish tank around, then make sure that it is incorporated into the look you are going for. On the other hand, if you are most productive when being surrounded by calm, pastel colors and unison colored furniture then opt for that. Remember to invest in a good, solid chair as this is where you will be spending most of your time. Choose a good desk, not just a piece you picked up at a garage sale. Your surroundings will say a lot about you before you get the chance to - so choose wisely.
Working from home could be one of the wisest decisions you can make provided you exercise that same wisdom in finding the right space and making it work for you.
