How to set up a comfortable home office

As it turned out, this was not a move for a while. It is now clear that working from home was not a temporary episode. We will be moving back from offices to working from home. Even if the pandemic subsides, a great many employers will want to save money and will adopt a hybrid model. Especially since a large part of the workforce is also comfortable with it.

We moved from work to homes overnight. There was no time to set up a home office. Everyone sat on whatever they had and put the computer on anything. Often it was the couch and their own knees. Some worked in bed, lying down. After almost two years of such exploitation of the spine and eyes, for it is these two organs that suffer the most, it would be appropriate to arrange a decent home office.

Some tips on how to organize a home office in the bedroom

At the outset, it should be noted that the bedroom is not a good place for a home office. As reporter and writer Melchior Wańkowicz wrote in "La Lontaine's Carafe" creative work in a place where one sleeps does not go, because a person is drawn to the bed. When, in turn, we go to bed, productive rest is hindered by the knowledge that there is a place to work next door. Well, but sometimes there is no way out. The rooms are what they are, and you have to work somewhere.

So how do you furnish a home office in a bedroom? A key element of any workspace is an appropriately sized countertop. The size depends on the type of work. Some people only need a computer, others need a stack of papers around it. In addition, you need a comfortable office chair. It should have adjustable height, back tilt and adjustable armrests. This should be considered a minimum.

For a large part of the bedroom a full-fledged desk will not fit. But you can put a mini desk against the wall. There are even folding ones to buy, which is a good idea, because it inspires you to clean up all the mess after work. You can also mount a countertop to the wall. If there's room, it's permanent, if there's not enough, it can be foldable.

However, the best idea seems to be a closet work surface. You can add to it elements that make it a full-fledged desk, namely drawers and an additional keyboard top. This is a good solution insofar as you get out of work by closing the closet. You don't even have to clean it.

Essential furniture for the home office

If you are not forced to furnish a home office in a bedroom, but have a larger space, it is worth thinking about more advanced solutions than those described above. In an office, the furniture is provided by the employer and usually the employee has no say in what kind would suit him. Furniture for a home office can be chosen independently. Such as we can afford and want.

Home office desk

This, of course, can be a traditional desk with drawers. It was once invented, and there are still a lot of people who can't imagine working at another piece of furniture. But a few years ago adjustable desks appeared on the market. You can sit at them, but also stand. Unchangeable position is one of the main causes of back pain. At such a desk, for example, you can work standing for an hour and sitting for an hour. Advanced models have electric adjustment. The simpler ones are lowered and raised with a crank.

Home office chair

We can also go crazy with the seating in the case of a home office. It doesn't have to be an armchair or chair at all. For the health of the spine, it is good to sit on a large inflatable exercise ball. Then all the time the torso is in gentle motion, which means tightening and loosening various muscles.

A kneeling chair is recommended by many specialists. Such a piece of furniture has support for the knees and for the seat. It has adjustable height and angle of inclination of the elements. Unfortunately, there is not much choice of models, as this is not a piece of furniture purchased for traditional offices.

Nowadays, almost every office worker should set up a home office. However, it is always worth remembering that better working conditions, even for a short time, can be provided in a serviced office. For necessary face-to-face meetings, you can quickly rent a small conference room.