7 Tips for Setting up a Home Office in Nigeria

I’m sure you are curious about how business owners run their businesses from home. Perhaps, like me, you decided to take that curiosity to another level by showing up unannounced at someone else’s home office just to see how it’s setup. Working from home offers a lot of flexibility and it can also improve productivity. However, working from home has its perks and the need to set up a home office in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized.

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A home office is a working environment where you carry out all of your business activities similar to a conventional office space or a shared space. The home office is gaining popularity as it offers many advantages such as the flexibility of making your own schedule, saving time, money and the risks of commute danger.  

However, a professional home office design is advised to enhance productivity in a non-traditional work environment. Stylish solutions for a productive home office environment can be found in creative details such as customised adjustable shelves, comfy chairs, and potted plants. Unlike traditional home office designs, modern home office designs possess more amenities and tools similar to the classical office space.

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These are 7 tips for setting up a home office in Nigeria;

1. Choosing the location

The ideal location for your home office should be a place within your house with enough space to accommodate all of your office needs such as tables, chairs, shelves or file cabinets, printer and waste bin. A spare bedroom, guest room or a basement are the best locations to set up an office space in your house.  Your home office location should be in a quiet area with some level of privacy or you fix a noise resistant door if you are sharing the building with your spouse, kids or roommates. It is advisable to locate the home office near the front entrance should you be meeting clients in your office.

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2. Stylish designs

Consider using furniture that complements other designs in your house. It should be functional and beautiful with a mixture of a typical workspace appliances such as art pieces, beautiful wallpapers, green pots. A recent research by the University of Queensland (Australia) support that plants around office environment make staff happier, reduce stress levels and boosts productivity by 15%. The home office layout should feature a nap pod or a small sofa and easily adjustable cabin should you need to work away from your office desk.

The choice of room colour can have a great effect on your mood and impacts energy level. Cool colours include green, blue, purple and colours that appear natural while warm colours like yellow, orange and red can be cheerful, lively and distracting as well.

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3. Great furniture

Make yourself comfortable in your home office by investing in beautiful, balanced and comfortable furniture that will increase productivity. This is because the pain from a bad working posture can lead to repetitive strain injuries. Your home office should be stylish and classically comfortable with armrests and conveniently adjustable backrest so as not to suffer your posture.

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An ideal office desk should offer enough space for a properly placed monitor, keyboard, and mouse as well as other office desk items. A traditional desk or a standing desk should be made available, in case you will be alternating between sitting and standing.

4. Lighting

Positioning the desk at a more interesting location where you enjoy natural light from the window is advisable. Sufficient natural lighting produces warm lighting that improves the working environment. Artificial lighting should be made available for darker hours of the day and table lamps or spotlight can be directed at the workspace. Poor lighting reduces energy, causes eyestrain, headache and impairs your productivity level.

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5. Choose homey accessories

Make yourself comfortable while working in your home office. Enhance the comfy feeling of your home office space by choosing extras such as decorative wastebaskets, bulletin boards, framed artworks, world atlas, and bookshelves. A small sofa isn’t a bad enhancement to your home office in case someone drops by at your office or you simply want to work away from your desk.

6. Home Office layout 

One of the important factors that affect productivity is organisation. Keep your office organised by storing frequently used items in easily accessible areas as it increases accomplishment and decreases the amount of time spent on retrieving needful items. Consider locating frequently used items such as papers and books at a bin or shelf near your desk.

Encase cords and wire cables on the desk with a rope tied together and passed through a hole in the desk. Don’t underestimate the number of sockets you will need for your office equipment to avoid overuse of the available sockets which may lead to electrical hazards.

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7. Alarm, Clock, and Timer

Establish your office hours by hanging a clock on the wall or on your table to keep track of your work hours and to also avoid overtime or working behind schedule. Establishing working hours contributes to better life-work balance and can increase productivity. A timer can be installed to keep track of when a task should be completed or signal the end of your work day.

Any office can be up and running with just a chair and table, but an ideal home office must be able to satisfy your professional needs. If you work at home or spend a lot of time on the computer, a home office with the above-listed features will suit your needs.