How To Make Your Desk A Better Place To Work From | WFH Edition

 

No one could have predicted that a mere virus would bring the whole world to its knees! Millions of people have been affected personally and professionally in the last two years, and the end is still not in sight. The worldwide pandemic has brought about many changes in our day-to-day lives. Whether it be the compulsion to wear masks whenever we set foot outside our door or even the limitations on getting out of our homes. Long-lasting lockdowns and restrictions on large gatherings in any public place have become the norm. And this includes all workplaces too. Other than essential services, nearly all workplaces have had to get their employees to work from home. What started as a precautionary measure expected to last a short while has lasted for more than one and a half years now. Initially, people started working from makeshift spaces in their homes. Whether it be a small table, the dining table, or even small laptop tables sitting on the bed! But as time went on and there is still no end in sight to this situation, the jugaad workspaces were no longer cutting it. While many offices have opened, the new norm is a blended working mode; wherein you can work at the office and from home on a roster basis. This calls for a more permanent setting at home, from where you can work, efficiently and productively. While the office vs home ambiance will always be separate, your workstation can be similar or even more as per your liking if you want; and that’s what this post explains.

An Organized Workstation Equals Improved Productivity

It has been tough for people to work in a solitary environment. Employees are trained to be team players and work in tandem with each other. But that direct contact has been deprived now, replaced by virtual faces. In this scenario, it becomes even more essential to keep yourself motivated while working. It’s even more imperative to have a well-organized space with positive vibes for working from home. As here there are very few things separating home from work, a dedicated workstation helps you get in a mindset of work and professionalism, even if you are lazy and don’t get out of your pajamas every day, except for video meetings (with just a change of nice shirt over pajama bottoms)!

When a workstation is cluttered and dirty, it directly affects productivity. Necessary documents and trash papers get mixed up and you can’t find the important ones when in a hurry. Tangled wires of all the required electronics, unorganized and missing stationery items, and trash surrounding the desk keep hindering your work. Working in a dark and dank place, slouched in a chair or your bed, or too much noise and distractions in your surroundings make it harder to concentrate on work. To avoid all this, you need a well-organized and nicely decorated workstation.

How To Organize Your Workstation

There are many simple ways to decorate your workstation and make yourself more productive. Starting from choosing the best spot in your home to creating a well-lit and comfortable workspace and decorating it yourself is the best way to separate your work from your home. Here is a list of 10 do-it-yourself(DIY) ideas to make a unique workplace for all your work-from-home requirements.

#1 Choosing a space

This is the first and most important step as it is going to be the place where you spend the majority of your time while working every day. Try to choose a corner of the room preferably with one wall to your left or right side with windows. More natural light means your workspace will have a spacious feel to it. Maybe spread a nice carpet that you have laying around the house in the corner to make it feel like a dedicated space. Even if these feel like the most basic things to do, when you go to work first thing in the morning, a bright workspace will help you to have a good start to your workday.

#2 A proper table and chair set up

If you already have a nice spacious table that accommodates all of your work requirements, then just place it in the chosen corner and you can start working right away. If you don’t, don’t worry. You can choose and buy from many affordable options available online. You can get a proper wooden table or a foldable table that is very easy to handle and it works best as a temporary option as well as provides the required amount of space.

To bring a nice look to a simple folding table, you can get some stick-and-peel adhesive table covers online as well. these come in different looks and you can choose from a simple classic marble tabletop look to different decorative patterns. This can be done in 3 simple steps:

1. Properly clean the tabletop with a wet cloth and dry it, so that the cover will stick to it easily.
2. Peel off the back of the cover and starting with the table corners, stick it carefully to the whole surface.
3. Make sure to press on the cover as you go to avoid any air bubbles or uneven ridges. And you are done!

Along with the table, you also need a nice and comfortable chair to work. You don’t have to go and buy a full-size office chair if you are not going to make full use of it later. It is much more practical to use a chair that you already have in your house. If you have a simple hardback chair, then you can buy a chair cushion so that you won’t be stiff or uncomfortable setting in it. It is necessary to have a good sitting posture to avoid back pains.

Once you have the table and chair set up in the corner, now you are ready to set up all of your equipment, documents, stationery, and other necessities.

#3 Monitor Stand

This one may seem like an unnecessary expense at first. But when you are working 8-10 hours every day, you tend to slump down in your chair after some time. If the monitor is placed on a lower level, you start to stoop without even realizing it. But if the monitor is placed on a stand, it is at your eye level and you stop bending or slouching. Such a stand is not restricted to desktop computer setups, even for laptops, such apparatuses can be helpful. Using your laptop for long hours may cause heating of the laptop. With special features like cooling fans, a monitor stand (so to speak) for your laptop can help in the long run. Also, as the laptop/desktop monitor may be slightly elevated off the table, the chances of you spilling food or drinks on the screen or the keyboard are minimal.

You can either directly buy a standard monitor stand or choose a height-adjustable option as per your preference (and budget restrictions). If not, you can use any small wooden or plastic flat stool in your house.

#4 File Organizer

It is important to have all your documents separated and organized as per their respective projects. You don’t even have to buy multiple file organizers. Because you can make them yourself with stuff lying around in your house and some simple accessories. For this, you will need cardboard or an old shoebox, glue, plain colored sheets, and decorative paper.

How to DIY:

1. Measure the length of the shoebox, mark at the center of both sides cut a triangle off. Fold both sides of the box. Tape the bottom part together.
2. Cut two extra pieces of carton boxes as the bottom layer of the organizer. Put them at the bottom.
3. Glue the outside with colorful wrapping paper.
4. Add decorations if you want and let it sit for a few hours and your DIY file organizer is ready to use.

#5 DIY Bulletin board

A bulletin board can be used very effectively not only in offices but also for work from home. It can be mounted on the wall right behind your workstation and used to pin up important appointment timings, meeting schedules, upcoming virtual event notices, and much more. You can buy readymade boards and pins, or if the idea of DIY excites you, here’s how you can make it at home. You will need cardboard, glue, plain or colored sheets, a piece of thin cloth, and pins.

How to DIY:

1. Take a cardboard sheet in size 50 x 40 cm and cover it on the front with a plain colored sheet with glue.
2. Now cover the front again with a thin cloth and stick its edges at the back with glue.
3. Cut out thin strips of cardboard and stick them along all the edges to create the borders.
4. Mount the board on the wall and use pins to stick the papers on it.

#6 Stationary stand

One needs a lot of stationery items while working like a pen, pencil, stapler, paper clips, etc. And we all know the habit of pens disappearing in a second when we need them in a hurry. So it is good to have a stand for all these items on your desk to keep it organized.

It is also quite simple to make a pen stand yourself. We all have unused coffee mugs at home, sometimes even with broken handles. These are actually the best suited for this hack. Or you can also use spare tin cans or tumblers. All you have to do is just paste the spare decorative papers on the outside of these mugs and if you want, paint some more patterns on it as you like. And your pen stand is ready!

#7 Drawer Organizer

For most of us, (myself included) desk drawers are always the messiest part of a workstation because anything that you don’t want cluttering your desk gets thrown in the drawer. There is a very easy way to manage this clutter. All you need is fabric boxes, decorative paper, glue, and spare cardboard.

How to DIY:

1. Take a rectangular cloth box and its cover both, as they can be used to make two organizers.
2. On the outside, cover them with decorative paper with the help of glue.
3. Cut out pieces of cardboard as per the length and breadth of the box. Have some long pieces to create a bigger partition and some short pieces for smaller compartments.
4. Now stick these vertically to create separate compartments for different items.
5. Stick small post-it notes to the front of each divider with the label for the respective compartment and now place the whole box in the drawer and you have two drawer organizers ready.

#8 Work Planner

It is important to keep track of your weekly and daily plans for work, especially when working from home. Because it’s easy to lose track of a project, mix up the timings of zoom meetings, etc. when you are working alone. There are many planners available in the market that you can use. But if you can’t find one that suits your needs, you can just create one on your desktop and have multiple printouts in a simple spiral-bound format.

How to DIY:

1. Find a binder to hold your planner. You can get the standard office issue binders, or get creative and get binders that suit your personal style.
2. Customize the months or years you need. Several calendar options are available online. Take a colored or greyscale printout, as per your liking. Else, you can also create your own monthly calendars using blank white or colored paper and drawing on them using markers.
3. Add extra note pages. These can contain your to-do lists, grocery lists, notes, and other things broke down. You can also purchase stickers or colored post-its that can be used for notes and reminders throughout the planner if you want to add more spunk to your planner.
4. Simply punch holes in all your pages, add them to the binder, and voila! you've got yourself a truly personalized planner.

#9 Foot stand

When you are sitting in a chair at your workstation all day, it gets quite tiring. Many people have reported that now that they are working from home, their workload has increased considerably. So it is important to be comfortable while you are working. To relax your legs, you can use a foot stand attached to the legs of your table. You can buy one or easily make it at home. To do this, you will need, two wooden sticks, a stretchable long cloth, thread, and needle, and two pieces of sturdy rope.

How to DIY:

1. Take a cloth of 80 × 40 cm. And sew together the edges along the breadth.
2. Now take two sticks and insert them inside the looped cloth on opposite edges and again sew them securely at both ends.
3. Now take a small rope and tie it to the edges of one stick creating a loop that can be tied to the table leg. Repeat this on the other side and the foot stand is ready.

#10 Decorate your workspace

To keep your spirits up throughout a tiring workday and to have a positive and productive time, you should decorate your workplace with small but effective things. Like a small succulent or a photo frame on your desk. Or print out your favorite motivational quote or a nice painting on glossy paper and stick it on the wall beside your desk, to keep yourself motivated even in these tough times. You can have a scented oil dispenser on your desk. And if you work late at night, even a nice table lamp will brighten up the place.

These are some very unprecedented times and we have had to adapt to some major lifestyle changes in a very short time. Hope these simple yet effective hacks make it easier for you to power through a hectic workday and help increase your productivity!