How to Set Up a Comfortable Home Office as a Working Mom

Are you ready to start working from home, either as a Mompreneur with your own business, or working online for a major company?

Here are some things you should consider when you decide where to set up your home-office:

• Is it comfortable?

• Quiet?

• Out of your bedroom?

• Does it have good, natural light?

• Good Wifi?

Once you have chosen a space that will work for your office, you want to get it set up in a way that is both comfortable and functional.

Having a Dedicated Workspace Helps with Work-Life Balance

It is important to set up your space in a way that allows you to get the most work done. I recommend setting up a dedicated office space somewhere quiet, so that you don't end up working sitting on your bed.

If you work where you sleep, this can cause a problem with work-life balance. You may have trouble setting boundaries between work time and personal time if you are working in your bedroom or living room.

Being aware of work-life balance is even more important when you work inside the home than when you work outside the home, because if you work from home, you may have a tendency to overwork, which can be exacerbated if you don't have a dedicated office space.

According to the Camden Chronicle,

With a dedicated office space, you’ll be more easily able to separate work tasks from your personal life. When working from your living room couch or bedroom, it’s easy to overwork yourself, since there’s no mental distinction between work tasks and personal tasks. Your home office should be in its own room and should only be used for working. When you’re done with work, it’ll be much easier for you to switch to “work off mode” and prepare to spend time with your friends and family.

Especially if your kids are at home during the day, you will also want to be sure that your work area is quiet, which is even more important if if you need to be taking calls! You will look more professional on Zoom calls, too, if you are working from an office than from your bedroom or living room.

Have Plenty of Light

In addition to having a dedicated workspace, it is important to ensure that you are working somewhere with plenty of light.

This ensures that firstly, you don't get eye strain when you are looking at the computer. You can get lamps for your office, or let in natural light, which can have a positive effect for your mental health.

According to Cantifix,

Exposure to natural light helps our bodies produce Vitamin D, improves our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns, helps us to focus, enables us to get more done, and even makes us happier. Ensuring we get enough of this vital resource is key to our physical and psychological wellbeing.

You will also want to make sure that you have a fast internet connection in your new home office as well. You can check your speed by using a speed test, which can easily be found online. That way, you will be able to make sure that you have the bandwidth for making calls.

Home Office Essentials

It is important to make sure you have a desk, a comfortable chair, file cabinet or bookshelf, and somewhere to organize all of your desk supplies.

I am in the process of setting up my home office again in a new house, and I am looking to do everything in Rose Gold, so that it will have a happy and inviting feeling.

When it comes to a comfortable chair, it is good too get something that is ergonomic, so that you won't have a backache when you get finished working. My personal favorite is the Yoga Ball Chair.

Alternatively, you may wish to opt for a standing desk. These are very good for your back and your body as well.

When you are going to be on the phone a lot during the day, you may want to get some wireless headphones, so that you can walk around the house while you are on long calls, as it is good to get up from your desk once an hour. Personally, I opted for noise-reducing headphones (traditionally used for gaming) since I have a very active five-year-old at home.

I also like to have a bulletin board above my desk with my calendar and to-do list. That way, I can pin up my tasks for the day, as well as pictures of my kids.

It can also be helpful to have a desktop organizer for all of your files and office supplies. This will keep your desk from becoming cluttered. You can usually store your pens, post-its, paper clips and files in an organizer.

If you don't have great wifi in your office, you may also need to get a wifi range extender. That will allow you to get a better signal in your office, even if you are away from the main router in your home.

Organizing Your Office

When you get ready to organize your office, you will want to be sure that you set up your desk next to an outlet, and that you have a power-strip with extra plugs available for setting up your desk.

Also, it is a good idea to look at what will be in the background of your Zoom calls when deciding where to place your desk. You want your background to be as neutral as possible. So, if you can have a blank wall in the back, that is ideal for calls, so as not to be distracting.

If you can face your desk towards a window, that also helps a lot with the natural light coming in.

Other touches that I like for my office, in addition to pictures, are candles and incense. These both help me to feel relaxed and able to do my best work.

If you like to work with music playing, you may want to set up speakers on your desk too, or you can play music over your headphones to help you keep focused during the day.

Conclusion

The way you set up your office can help you to succeed or fail when you are working from home.

It is especially useful to have a comfortable and quiet space, away from where you sleep. That way you will be better able to focus on work tasks and mentally separate work from personal time.

Having the right work tools can also help greatly.

Finally, consider what you will be doing at your desk, like making Zoom calls, when you set up your office.

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