How To Make A Home The Perfect Office Space

While flexible working has been proven to increase productivity amongst some people, working at home is something that many other people struggle with, particularly as it can be difficult to switch off when the working day is done.

In fact, research in 2022 found that ‘25 percent of respondents state that their biggest struggle when working remotely was not being able to unplug’.

In order to achieve the right work-life balance, then, you need to find an appropriate way to work at home that isn’t going to encroach on your personal life.

You can make a home the perfect office space in many ways, with many methods going beyond the standard approaches. The various ways to make a home the perfect space include, but are not limited to:

1. Creating a suitable area to work
2. Getting outside on your breaks
3. Considering a virtual office membership
4. Taking a hybrid working approach

1. Creating A Suitable Area To Work 

While you’re limited by the space that you have at home, creating a suitable and tranquil area to work is essential to make a home the perfect office space.

If you don’t have the space to turn a whole room into your office, then at the very least you should create a workspace with a desk and a comfortable office chair.

You will need to ensure your workspace is somewhere that you’re able to focus, as a noisy environment can ‘put a real stress on the brain and focus can start to wane when [you] need to concentrate’.

It’s also important to have adequate desk space so you can keep your workspace organised, and lighting is important to get right. If your workspace is too light or too dark, then this could result in eyestrain, which can have long term effects on your eyesight and eye health.

2. Getting Outside On Your Breaks 

It might sound simple, but an effective tip to making your home the perfect office space is to ensure that you get outside on your breaks.

While it’s tempting to do the dishes, the laundry, or any other chores that are building at home whilst you’re on a break, you shouldn't prioritise this as you need an adequate break. You wouldn’t have this option if you were working at the office, so don’t let house admin encroach on your ‘you’ time during business hours. This is how burn-out occurs.

Instead, you should try to get outside on your breaks as much as possible, whether it’s just a quick stroll to grab some lunch or take a lap around the local park.

This is important as ‘exercise increases productivity’, and can give you a boost of energy when you hit a slump in the day.

By getting some exercise and fresh air, then, you’ll appreciate working at home even more, as it will help to minimise the risk of you getting cabin fever both living and working from home.

3. Considering A Virtual Office Membership

Another tip to make a home the perfect office space is to consider a virtual office membership.

As many people neither need or desire a physical office space, but require a ‘trading address’, virtual office memberships provide the perfect solution.

At Tramshed Tech, we offer a variety of memberships, including various virtual memberships with varying benefits depending on the package that you choose. 

All of our virtual packages include a registered address, networking and workshopping opportunities, registered service address contacts, as well as priority bookings on desk space and meeting rooms should you need somewhere to meet with a client.

We also offer a roaming membership, which gives you access across our sites, meaning that you can work from any Tramshed Tech co-working space that is most convenient for you. To find out more about our memberships, or the support that we offer for businesses, get in touch today.

4. Taking A Hybrid Working Approach 

As we’ve already established that some people struggle to work from home, taking a hybrid working approach can provide the perfect balance, whilst bolstering your home as the perfect office space.

Since 2020, more and more people have opted to take a hybrid working approach, splitting half their time between home and an office space. This year alone, ‘the proportion of workers hybrid working has risen from 13% in early February 2022 to 24% in May 2022’.

Using coffee shops and libraries for a hybrid working approach is becoming more popular, and even pubs in the UK are now offering ‘Work from pub’ opportunities, with #workfrompub trending on Twitter.

Additionally, co-working spaces are also a fantastic alternative to working at home 24/7. Through using a co-working space, you’re exposed to fantastic networking opportunities, events, and meeting a whole range of people that you otherwise wouldn’t from working at home full-time.

Whichever way you split your time, hybrid working not only creates the perfect balance between working from home and in an office setting, but also helps you to appreciate the time you spend working at home whilst also combatting that cabin fever feeling.

We are Tramshed Tech: a startup ecosystem home to 50+ companies ranging from pre-revenue start-ups to scaling businesses with 600+ registered members from the digital, creative and tech communities. We’re currently based in Grangetown, Cardiff Central & Newport, and are soon expanding to other sites across South Wales to Barry and Swansea. 

If you’re interested in joining us at any of our locations, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Written by Jemima Thomas for Tramshed Tech.