All set to move to your dream home? A major part of what makes life easy and comfortable is your house. The moment you choose a place to live, you plan everything- from décor to assigning rooms. That is always the exciting part.

Now if you have a job where you do not have to work from home, then congratulations. However, a majority of the population is not that lucky. While people work from home on a full-time basis, there are others who do that for at least a few days per month, and still others who are always bringing tasks to complete at home, especially on weekends.

You can work in your bedroom or living room but your efficiency levels will only go downhill with the understandable disturbances at home. To stay motivated on your business and save yourself from distractions, you need to have a home office. You must plan your home office extremely carefully and professionally.

To help you plan a perfect space for your home office, we have created an ultimate guide to designing a functional and productive office. Read on!

1. Picking the Ideal Space

For choosing the location for your home office, the trick is to keep your distance from the goings-on in your house. Therefore, select a room as far away from the main living space of your home as possible.

If you want to customize a place which defines your personality, you can choose an outside space as well. However, consider the temperature barrier for in winters it might not be possible to work there unless you invest in a heating device. Plan it accordingly.

Another factor you should consider is the location of the router. Your home office should either contain a router or is at least located close enough to it to receive stronger signals. In some homes, the thick walls hinder with signals and the slow Wi-Fi slows down your business/work as well.

Nature offers healing power that a man-made environment can never do. For example, working in natural light will not only be great for your eyesight but will have positive effects on your mood and productivity. Similarly, looking at plants can calm you down and is great for your mental health. Therefore, a natural space is ideal for a home office. However, if it is not workable for you for any reason, then you can always set your workplace beside windows or put a few pots of indoor plants around your workspace for the soothing effect.

2. Creating an Environment That Will Match Your Work

Your workplace environment should meet your business needs. For example, if you design stuff, you will require more desk space to accommodate all the designs, equipment, and products. Copywriters only need their laptops and can even work in a compact space.

Also, will someone else join you in your office space as well? Such as a colleague, a business partner, an employee, or a customer that will come to meet you at any point. If that is the case, you will have to think about them. Your office area should be able to accommodate them comfortably. This is especially true if a client might visit you because impressions are important for every kind of business.

3. Choosing Office Equipment Appropriately

Here comes the next step: furnishing your office sufficiently so to make the place comfortable. You want an area where you would want to work! Therefore, you will have to be careful about every single detail when designing your office. For even the most minimalistic office requirements, you will need a chair and a desk. Now if you will work full time from home, your desk and chair must be comfortable. Otherwise, it will be a huge obstacle in your productivity.

Here’s what you need to consider when choosing your office décor:

• Desk with adjustable height: Every other day, there is a medical article emphasizing how dangerous it is for your health, especially your neck and back, to sit at a desk in a hunched position for prolonged time periods. An adjustable desk will improve your posture. Moreover, you can work while standing as well if you have a desk with an adjustable height feature. This will help your blood flow.
• Ergonomically Designed Chair: Admit it. You will spend a lot of time sitting on that chair on a daily basis. Save yourself some discomfort and backache by investing in an ergonomic swivel chair. This will let you move freely around the office, scooting everywhere to accomplish various office tasks.
• Storage Space: There will always be some important office documents and other items that will need storage. Therefore, go for a set of labeled shelves to ensure your office will not turn into a disorganized mess. It will make life difficult and put a dent in your productivity.
• Getting Your Drinks: Everyone needs their drinks right? Instead of running off to the kitchen every hour, equip your home office with a fridge and a kettle. Get your drinks and refreshments from your fridge and head over to the kettle for the essential-for-survival caffeine kick.
• Waste Bin: Save time and use a shredder or a trash can to dispose of documents without having to leave your seat.

4. Choosing the Right Technology

There are the usual pieces of technology none of us can live without, such as our smartphone, laptop, and tablets. However, here is a checklist for you to make sure you have it all.

• Laptop/Desktop: You will have to choose between the two. While a laptop allows mobility and portability, a desktop offers greater storage and processing power. If you want the best of both worlds and have enough dough, you can buy both too.
• Reliable Internet: This is a necessity for this era. You cannot compete in the market without a speedy internet connection.
• Tablet: Staying focused on your job is essential, no doubt. However, a laptop or a desktop fixes you in one place. Having a tablet can help you there. You can take calls while checking your emails on the tablet and you get to sit somewhere other than your desk. Work won’t feel like work then and you will save time too.
• Scanner/Printer: No need to go out every time you need a document printed. Invest in a printer!
• Smartphone: Your phone will not only let you stay connected, but you can use the various business apps on it as well. Just try to stay away from Facebook to focus more on your business.

5. Making Your Office a Safe Place

Finally, your home office should be well secured. Whether it is about the confidential documents or all that technology concentrated in a single space, the home office is a prime target for burglars. Save your important files in a locker which is fireproofed. Lock the doors carefully and make sure there is no window that opens into the street. Also, make it a private space and if there are children in the picture, teach them not to go into the office.