1. flexible furniture

The basic rule in every area of life is: get rid of monotony. Our brains don't like monotony, they prefer new experiences, ideas and situations. And monotony in the workplace is noticeable on several levels. If employees remain in the same working posture for a long time - usually sitting down - this not only causes the muscles in the torso and hips to atrophy, but also shortens concentration span and promotes fatigue. Other effects include tension and back pain. More variety is therefore good for the brain and body, which is why flexible office furniture is increasingly in demand. This includes sit-stand desks and ergonomic office chairs. Both promote health and performance and prevent back pain and long-term damage - even when working from home. Because even if your workplace is not in an office complex, you will spend several hours a day there. And after all, health always comes first...

2. the technical equipment

Especially in the home office, the technical equipment is crucial for a good and effective way of working, which should leave you satisfied at the end of the day. The most important point here is the WLAN connection. Use the Federal Network Agency's online broadband measurement to test the data transfer rate at your location in advance to check whether you can carry out your work there for a longer period of time. If you plan to make several video calls with consultations every day, for example, the Wi-Fi connection should be particularly stable. To protect sensitive passwords, you should encrypt your signal with WPA/WPA2.

In addition to the Internet connection, you should also have a suitable screen. A 22 to 24 inch screen is ideal. Depending on the task, it can be helpful if two screens fit on the desk. The distance between your eyes and the screen should be 50 to 70 centimeters. When aligning the workstation, make sure that neither lamps nor sunlight are reflected on the screen and thus strain the eyes.

To prevent tendonitis, you can replace your conventional keyboard with an ergonomic one. This will prevent your wrists from sinking into an unhealthy position. And last but not least: the headset. With or without a cable - it's up to you. For example, if you tend to forget that you need to charge your Bluetooth headphones, the good old plug-in version is probably preferable.

3. create lighting conditions

Just switch on a lamp - and that's it? It's not that simple. After all, there are experts who specialize in designing suitable lighting concepts for companies. A well-thought-out lighting concept in the workplace is a great help when it comes to concentration, good mood and performance. When daylight enters the workspace, it is often super nice, but there should be the option of using pleated blinds to reduce the sunlight so that the brightness still arrives but there are no reflections. The contrast between the workplace and the surroundings should also not be too high so as not to strain the eyes unnecessarily. For optimum lighting on gray days or winter afternoons, you can install an additional desk lamp. Incidentally, the EU standard DIN 12464-1 stipulates that a brightness of 500 lux is optimal directly at the workplace, 300 lux should still be provided in the surrounding area, and 100 lux is sufficient in the background and in the traffic zone. Lux is the amount of light that effectively falls on an object.

4 Organize data storage and backup

Depending on the structure of the company for which you want to work from home, you should discuss with your employer how you can obtain documents and make them accessible yourself. Is there a central company server? Are there self-explanatory folder structures there? If this is not the case, an infrastructure should be created that allows work processes to be carried out in an organized manner, even at a distance. This ensures that you can find the documents you need for your tasks, but also that your colleagues can access your results.

In addition, a regular backup should be carried out, because data loss is not only annoying, but also costs a lot of time and nerves. You can use backup tools for this, which are available both free of charge and for a fee; the data can be saved on an external hard disk or in a cloud. In an emergency, you can also access a cloud while on the move.

5. reduce noise and visual distractions

In order to be able to concentrate on your work, it helps to reduce the noise level as well as anything that could cause visual distractions as much as possible.
For example, if at all possible, your home office window should not face the busy street, but rather the courtyard. You can mute your answering machine, deactivate the notification sounds for WhatsApp and the like, as well as as as many push messages as possible. A subtle color scheme in the room also helps you to calm down and find focus.

However, if you find absolute silence rather deafening, you can take advantage of the Mozart effect and play soft music by Wolfgang Amadeus in the background. This has been proven to promote concentration, as studies have already shown.

Conclusion

Not all home offices are the same. It is important to plan and sensibly design the new workplace, and perhaps also to make one or two purchases. In an employment relationship, the employer is even obliged to provide the necessary materials and work equipment. And this also applies to the workplace at home. You should therefore not hesitate to design your home office in such a way that it is practical and healthy for you, and discuss the costs with your employer.