It’s no surprise that now more than ever, most people you talk to will be doing some kind of working from home, whether that’s to homeschool the children, part time or full time to keep out of the office. For many businesses, there are plans to make this a more permanent fixture as stats are showing that those who work from home tend to be more productive.
In fact, a study by Employment Hero shows that a whopping 55% of people would look for another job if the remote working option was taken away!
With this in mind, the team at Hogleaze Storage are here to help you work out how to create a home office. Whether this is something you’ve been planning to do for a while but you’re still sitting on your sofa getting a sore neck, or you’ve only recently been introduced to the ‘WFH’ life, Hogleaze Storage has got your back.
- Establish where in your house your home office will be
This is a really important first step, you need to consider the following:
- Is it a busy part of the house? – Will you get the peace and quiet you need?
- Are there too many distractions? – If you’re setting up your home office in the lounge for example, will you be tempted to switch on daytime TV?
- Is there plenty of natural light? – If you can avoid it, you don’t want to be stuck in a room with very little natural light or ventilation. Especially when spring and summer arrive, a bit of sunlight and fresh air can do wonders for your mental health whilst working from home.
Don’t forget, you will likely be spending 8 hours a day in that one spot… so you need it to be right. Once you’ve decided your new office space, make sure everyone in the home knows it too… You don’t want your kids putting all their homework over your newly acquired desk space!
- Declutter the space
A clean desk is a clear mind… right? Whether you have a 1m x 1m space to call your home office or a whole room, you’ll more likely work much more productively if you declutter some of that unnecessary furniture or rubbish.
If you’re repurposing a spare room as your new office then you will probably have lots of ‘stuff’ that you don’t need in there… This is where Hogleaze Storage comes in!
With business storage spaces from as small as 20 sq ft you can utilise them to hold extra beds you may not need at the moment, sofas that will be replaced by desks or wardrobes that will be substituted for filing systems.
Alternatively, if your business has had to close due to COVID-19 and you’ve suddenly had to move everything online, you may have a lot of stock that needs moving around. With storage sites in both Weymouth and Dorchester, we look after many local businesses in this way too!
All of a sudden, once you’ve stored your bits and bobs in one of our storage units, you’ll have one less thing to worry about and can easily get motivated to complete your work.
- Buy a new organisation system
As well as your office space looking super organised and ‘Pinterest-ready’, your new organisation system can help you to separate work and home life, and get that right balance that everyone is looking for right now. Whether you treat yourself to some new stationery, boxes or go all out with new filing systems you’ll feel much better for it!
If paperwork and to-do lists are just left on the side in full view you won’t be able to get work out of your head!
- Get yourself some (home) office plants…
Ok, so this may not seem like a priority but honestly, a bit of greenery can do a world of good! Many studies have shown that house plants can make you feel more relaxed, reduce stress and anxiety and make you more productive. Plus, indoor plants actually make for cleaner air! It’s all quite scientific but believe us when we say plants help in more ways than you may think!
- See if you can get some extra pennies in your pocket
Lastly, did you know that the government is offering tax relief for employees that are having to work from home? You can find out more about this here >> https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home
It’s also worth checking with your employer as to whether they offer any scheme for home workers to cover certain costs such as phone bills, electricity and heating. You may also be able to reimburse you for new furniture costs such as office chairs and desks if they’re required (this way you’ll have extra money to put towards your business storage unit!)
Contact Hogleaze Storage today for storage for businesses
Hopefully this article has inspired you about how to create a home office, we would be happy to help you! If you’re looking for document or business storage solutions get in touch today for your self storage quote. We offer a range of units to suit your needs both short and long term. Don’t worry, we won’t tie you into long term contracts, so once it’s time to get back in the office, you can get your spare room back to normal again.
Learn more about storage for businesses here and call us at Dorchester on 01305 889777 or Weymouth on 01305 830000. For more top tips follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.