How to Coworking-ify Your Home Office.
Happy collaborators from days of yore.
I get it. When you’re used to coworking, WFH life just hits different.
I miss my biga$$, size-of-Texas coworking flex desk.
I miss waltzing in after a rushed morning and having coffee already brewed up and ready for me.
But most of all? I really *REALLY* miss my lack of back pain. Apparently the bar stool I thrifted off Facebook Marketplace doesn’t have the same ergonomic qualities as a custom-designed, leather, 720-dollar conference chair.
(Friggin Ikea.)
SO, when the design team that dreamed up 25N Coworking’s space — Workplace Studio — offered to give a workshop on how to bring their design expertise to our disappointingly un-decorated home offices, I was elated.
Here’s their top 5 tips:
#1: Inspire Productivity and Focus
Bad news — it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on track after you get interrupted. Here’s what to do about it:
Plan out your day with intentional breaks. This will keep you sane and also help family members/roommates know when it’s okay to talk to you.
Prepare your lunch and snacks ahead of time, like you would as if you’re going to the office.
If you’ve found the lack of coworker background noise unexpectedly eerie (just me…?), use music or your TV at low levels for comfortable background hum.
#2: Create Intentional Space
This will help whether your home workspace is the kitchen table, the living room couch, or a full-blown home office.
Design your workspace differently than the rest of your home decor in order to establish different headspace. Light candles, put up your favorite band posters, or add twinkle lights. You have full permission. Go wild.
Clear your space before you work. Even if you just move “the pile” (yeah, you know the one) to a different area of the room and then back again at the end of your workday.
Wear clothes that help you feel your best.
#3: Strategize for the Work + Parenting Combo
Ahhhh, the trials of unexpected homeschooling. This may be the mother of them all.
Abandon your former work schedule and re-structure the new one around the kids’ school schedule. This may include starting your most important tasks earlier in the day before the kids get restless.
Take ALL advantage of naptime or quiet time.
Plan activities that don’t require supervision: workbooks for preschool-age children, educational apps and games for older kids. (ABC Mouse is a good one.)
#4: Use Proper Ergonomics
Photo from Humanscale
Don’t sit in a way that screams “I want to make my chiropractor rich”.
Photo from Humanscale
Raise or lower seat, thighs should be parallel to floor with feet flat on the floor or footrest.
Adjust seat depth to have 2” of clearance between edge of seat and back of knees.
Seat should fit small of your back.
Adjust recline tension to promote mobility throughout the day.
Allow backrest to support your body.
Keyboard should be located a couple inches above your thighs, keep wrists straight while typing.
Position monitor an arm’s length away with the top line of text at or just below eye level.
Position task light on the opposite side of your writing hand.
Align monitor and keyboard with the center of your body and arrange frequently used work tools within easy reach. Prop documents between your keyboard and monitor for easy reference.
Rest for 2–3 minutes every 30 minutes to allow you body to recover from periods of repetitive stress.
#5: Conquer Zoom
Light your face! Throw the shades open or turn on a light — but make sure the light isn’t at your back.
Raise your camera and test your video before a call. There is one (and ONLY one) acceptable camera angle: head-on and at eye level.
Use a virtual background and the “touch up my appearance” function. Both can be found under video settings!
And the final tidbit, for bonus points?
If you have $200 or less to “upgrade” your home office, your first purchase should be a high-quality desk chair. Sure, it’s not as sexy or Instagrammable of a purchase as a commissioned art piece, but it’ll make your workday not hurt you, and that feels like a good starting point.
Learn more about Workplace Studio’s custom design solutions here.