How to Create a Home Office That Will Inspire Productivity

Working from home has many advantages. For one, workers save time, energy, and money since they don’t have to commute to and from work every day. Working parents also have more time to spend with their children now than ever before. Theoretically, working from home gives employees more personal time to do whatever they want to do, be it starting a new hobby, catching up on their favorite shows, or working toward their fitness goals. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. 

For people who are new to remote working, it can be a huge challenge to adapt to this different work setup. Moreover, working from home has its own set of drawbacks that need to be remedied before workers can return to their usual levels of productivity. If you’re struggling to stay productive while working from home, a conducive working environment may help improve your focus and efficiency. 

Below are five tips to create a home office that encourages productivity.

Designate a Dedicated Working Space

Find a place in your home to designate as your workspace. Whether it’s a portion of your kitchen table or a room in your house, you should have an area where you can work comfortably, without any distractions. Designating a dedicated workspace helps you create a boundary between office hours and personal time. When you’re in your home office, you only have to focus on work and nothing else. Having a dedicated workspace at home also allows you more privacy, boosts concentration, and gives the psychological effect of working in the office. 

Get Your Work Tools Set Up

You can’t work efficiently if you don’t have your complete set of work tools at hand. If you’re forced to work from home because of the current pandemic, ask your manager if you can take your work tools home. This way, you have everything you need to get the job done. For those who are unable to bring their tools from the office, the most important equipment you need to have is a quality computer with a stable internet connection.

Organize Your Desk

An organized desk or workstation encourages focus and peace of mind. That said, make sure to keep anything that may distract you away from your desk. These include nonwork-related gadgets and items, such as game consoles, televisions, and entertainment sets. Most importantly, organize your work tools neatly and systematically. Keep cables and wires out of sight, and place your tools at arm’s length so you can access them without having to stand or make big movements.

Let Natural Light In

Aside from boosting vitamin D production, natural light offers many benefits to the mind and body. Exposure to natural light also helps you sleep better and longer, and everyone knows how important sleep is to one’s mental acuity and overall well-being. One study at Cornell University also found that exposure to natural light helps reduce issues, such as blurred vision, eyestrain, and headache. Therefore, pull up to those blinds or ditch those drapes, and let natural light into your home office. 

Create an Ergonomic Workstation

If you’re going to be working from home for some time, you may as well invest in improving the ergonomics of your workstation. You can do the following improvements to make your workstation ergonomic:

• Use an adjustable chair with lower back support.

• Place your monitor and other displays at eye level.

• Make sure your lighting does not cause glare to your computer screen. 

• Situate your keyboard and mouse in such a way that will help you maintain a neutral position.

• Utilize ergonomic accessories, such as footrests, headsets, balance ball chairs, and wrist rests to help maintain a neutral position.

The Takeaway

Working from home can be tough, especially if you’ve never done it before. However, creating a conducive work environment at home can help reduce the challenges of this new work setup. From designating a dedicated working space to improving the ergonomics of your home office, these changes can make working from home much easier and help you stay focused and productive. 

What are your personal tips to stay productive while working from home? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Guest Post - How to Prepare Your Home for Inclement Weather

All kinds of challenges come with owning a home, and preparing for bad weather is one of them. Being ready for whatever’s to come can be one of the most important things you can do, both for your family and your house. Here’s how you can prepare your home for inclement weather, both inside and out.

1. Have Salt on Hand

Using salt to coat your driveways and walkways can ensure nothing freezes over and causes people to slip. Keep a bag in your garage or shed at all times so you don’t have to worry about running out and restocking.

2. Pull Out Your Snowblower

There are plenty of places that get several feet of snow at a time. Whether you’re expecting mere inches or a total coating, pulling the snowblower out and having easy access can make cleaning things off a much easier endeavor.

3. Disconnect Your Garage Door Opener

If you have people coming and going by way of the garage, it’s important to make sure the doors can withstand the elements. Disconnecting the opener from the garage door can ensure it doesn’t get opened during the storm accidentally.

4. Clean Your Gutters

Ensuring your gutters are cleaned out before a storm hits can make things much less likely to freeze or get stuck. Usually, it’s best to do this early in the season if possible. Each fall and spring, climb up there and remove all the leaves and debris that has accumulated since the last cleaning.

Prepping Your Home for a Storm

Storms can sometimes be scary. If you’re adequately prepared for the inclement weather ahead, you’ll have a much easier time cozying up and waiting for it to pass. You can ride the storm out with the peace of mind that you’ve taken every precaution needed to stay safe.

Author bio: Rose Morrison is the managing editor of Renovated, where she offers advice on home renovation, maintenance, and organization.

How to Get Your Garage Door Repaired in No Time Flat

Having a garage is a massive convenience, allowing you to keep your car safe and dry while giving you plenty of storage space. The only problem is that garage doors have an annoying habit of breaking. A busted garage door can be seriously frustrating. Suddenly, something as simple as leaving your house becomes a lengthy ordeal. Rather than dealing with this annoyance for months on end, you should have the problem resolved once and for all. Here’s how to get your garage door fixed in no time.

Determine What the Issue Is

The entire repair process will be easier if you know exactly what the problem is. Sometimes the motor powering the door burns out, while the door itself can also come off its tracks. Take a careful look at the door and surrounding fixtures until you’ve determined the source of the problem. You can then use this information to get accurate quotes and let mechanics know exactly what it is they’ll be dealing with.

Research Local Mechanics

Once you know what the problem is, it’s time to find someone who can fix it. The internet is a great tool for finding local specialists in garage door repair. Look for a contractor or company with years of experience and lots of good reviews. After finding someone who seems to fit the bill, give them a call to inquire about prices and availability. Feel free to call multiple mechanics to make sure you’re getting a good deal.

Make an Appointment

When you feel you’ve found a mechanic you can trust, it’s time to make an appointment. You should be able to find somebody who is available within the next few days. While a broken garage door is hardly a matter of life and death, it is still relatively urgent.

Meet the Mechanic at the Door

If at all possible, try to be home at the time of your appointment. That way, you can speak directly with the mechanic. A face-to-face encounter will allow the mechanic to explain the problem in detail and give you some advice about avoiding similar issues down the road. You’ll also be able to build a lasting relationship with the mechanic that could prove handy in the future.

A broken garage door is frustrating to say the least, so you shouldn’t let the problem remain unresolved. Just by taking the simple steps outlined above, you can get your garage door back in working order.

Interview - Hangio

Professional Organizers deal with clothes and closets on a daily basis. We encourage clients to recycle their wire hangers and opt for durable hangers that clothes will actually stay put on. Of course, we are always interested in new products. Hangio caught our eye on the NAPO website. Instead of using traditional hard plastic or wood, Hangio hangers are made from moldable foam that can be configured in six ways to adapt to each garment. The hangers are a bit more pricey than traditional hangers (29.99 - 32.99 for a 3 pack) but well worth it when you think of your clothes not having bumps in all the wrong places.

We reached out to Ayodele Aigbe the CEO and founder of Hangio for information on her bendable hanger. She was more than happy to speak with us and we wish Ayo all the best as she moves forward with these promising hangers!

What inspired you to develop Hangio?

My freshman year of college, I remember vividly walking into my closet to bring out my favorite sweater. As I took off the sweater from the hanger, I noticed that it had shoulder bumps on each end. I was flustered and searched Google for options on how to remove the shoulder bumps. I tried many things from putting hot water on each end and drying it to ironing out the shoulder. None of it worked! I was curious to see if anyone had gone through the same thing. As such, I began asking more of my friends and people on campus if they had similar issues via a survey and I found a common narrative- the traditional hanger design did not work well. The current design gave way to stretching, slippage, shoulder bumps, and wrinkling. Further, I knew it was a problem worth solving when I saw that these problems created a negative social impact on people. Inspired by the idea to create better hangers came Hangio

What makes them unique?

The world's 1st premium bendable hanger that alleviates the issues of shoulder bumps, clothes slippage, and collar stretching has arrived. Hangio Hangers are unique in their quality and design aesthetic.

Will they save any space in the closet?

Hangio Hangers #1 goal is to maintain clothes in our client's closet. Our Hangers are larger than others (i.e. plastic or felt) which enables the hanger to have a bendable design to accomplish its goal. As such, we recommend reserving a "special space" in our client's closets for where they can put their special/delicate garments on Hangio Hangers.

Where are the hangers made?

Hangio hangers are made in the USA.

What is the best way for someone to purchase the hangers? Is it all online or in stores?

All of our hangers can be purchased on our website at www.shophangio.com.