Coronavirus: 5 tips for setting up your home office.

People throughout the UK are likely to begin working from home over the next couple of weeks due to the Coronavirus outbreak, so we've put together some helpful tips to face the challenge.

Here are five tips to help you answer the question: How do I work from home during isolation?

Create space in your house

Making a sudden switch to a home office after years of working in an office environment could have some obvious advantages, like working from the comfort of your own bed while in your pyjamas, however, the novelty of wearing your pyjamas to work could soon wear off as you find your motivation levels low without professional surroundings to boost your productivity, and that's when you're going to want a dedicated space in your home, that's quiet and preferably closed off from all other distractions.

You'll want a working space that is large enough to accommodate all of the regular equipment you require, with some room to spare. Don't squash yourself into a corner of the house where it will quickly become cluttered and impossible to stay organised. Try and find a spare room as it will help you to separate your professional and personal life from merging under one roof. If you're not lucky enough to have a spare room, attic or even shed you could consider converting your dining room into a home office or creating a dedicated space in the kitchen.

Many people choose to declutter their homes to make room for their new home office by storing the things they don't need every day into self-storage. All Store First self-storage centres offer 24-hour access to customers, so when the time comes that we're all asked back into work, you'll be quickly reunited with your stored items.

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Ensure you have proper lighting or embrace natural light

It's extremely important that the environment you're working from is a pleasant one. Try to find a room with lots of natural light, if this isn't an option make sure you have proper lighting in place, a dark and dingy room will not be conducive to your productivity and could negatively impact your work.

Get a desk and chair

Once you've created a dedicated space within your house you can look into setting up a proper desk and chair.

The makeshift desk atop of your washing machine might work for a while, but you may be working from home for some time, so you're going to need furniture that you're happy to sit in for a full day's work. if you're in a position to do so, now is the time to invest in a desk and office chair.

Having a comfortable chair and a nice environment to work from should be a priority if you're going to be working from home.

Create a schedule

If you're an early bird, working from home can open up the option for you to power through your list before the sun rises. Or, if you're more of a night owl you can lie in during the morning and tackle your inbox late into the night while everyone else is fast asleep.

Whilst setting your own schedule sounds appealing, you have to be extremely driven to stick to an unconventional work pattern, so if you have set hours of work while in the office, it's important to stick to these while you're working from home. Be ready to start your day as you would normally and arrive in your home office at the same time you would turn up to your workplace. keeping up with your regular work routine while working from home will help with your daily productivity.

Get fresh air (if you're not isolating)

Just because you're working from home doesn't mean you need to be cooped up indoors all day. Get your shoes on and enjoy some fresh air during your lunch break.

While the peace and quiet may appear appealing at first - especially if you've come from a busy office environment - being away from the hustle and bustle of your office and work colleagues can soon feel isolating, so giving yourself the chance to leave the house and switch off from work will help with any mental blocks and give you a fresh pair of eyes for any tasks you're struggling with.

If you are in isolation and can't go outside, you could bring the office atmosphere to you. Try background music or even better, arrange a collaborate video chat with your work colleagues.

We hope you all are keeping safe, if you do need to put your stuff in storage, we’d love to speak to you. Contact our storage team today.