If you, like a lot of people recently, have begun working from home, then you may be struggling to set yourself up with an efficient, well-organised space in which to work. This is understandable; maybe your home is festooned with children and their toys, or perhaps you live alone in a small studio or one-bed flat, or maybe you’re sharing your home with multiple other people who are also trying to claim a home desk space. In any of these scenarios, having continued success can feel like a ‘do or die’ situation and one way to really achieve success is to find a way to make somewhere in your home feel like your home office desk. Here are our top 5 tips for achieving your home-based desk success:

Find the ideal space

First and foremost, whatever your living situation, you need to find the ideal space to create a home desk. If you have children, perhaps this space might be in a room that they normally have rules for entering or perhaps it’s a space away from their usual play areas. Or, if you are home alone with the kids, perhaps it’s the kitchen table where you can keep an eye on them whilst also managing your work. Whatever the scenario, it’s important that you find a space in which you can achieve a quiet, purposeful environment to the best of your home’s ability. Ideally, spaces like spare bedrooms or converted attic rooms could be ideal as they achieve a sense of separation from the rest of your home’s hubbub and, also, allow you to garner some distance between work and home.

Make sure your desk has what you need

It goes without saying but consider what you need on and around your desk – think about things like plug sockets (or maybe the need for an extension cable) and its vicinity to the Wi-Fi if your home has black spots. Try to resource your desk mindfully to prevent you from needing to go hunting for things around the home and incurring potential distractions.

Establish clear rules

Working from home requires clear boundaries to ensure your work/life balance is maintained: deciding which hours your desk is allowed to be used is vital to keep one from bleeding into the other. Also, make it clear what your expectations are with regards to the other people in your home – if, for example, your housemate keeps ‘dropping by’ and chatting for long stretches then it might be an idea to tactfully dissuade them. Equally, making sure your kids know what the space is for is a good way of getting them to respect your home desk workspace.

Do not eat at your desk

This is a good rule for home or in-office working: avoid eating at your desk. Take time to step away from your email, clear your head, take a break and return refreshed to your afternoon’s work.

Keep your desk tidy

Again, this is a good rule of thumb anywhere: keep your desk tidy and you’ll increase your work efficiency no-end. If you can find things easily, if paperwork is organised properly, and if you aren’t accidentally knocking your coffee cup over several times a day then life (and work!) become infinitely easier!

Whatever your situation, we wish you the best of luck in adapting to remote working and hope that you’re staying safe in these troubled times. Take care and stay home.