More of us are working from home than ever before, and it seems set to continue for a while yet. I am used to this way of working, having been self-employed for the past seven years since leaving teaching. At first, I did wonder if I’d miss seeing and speaking to others in the workplace, but surprisingly I didn’t!
Working from home is a great opportunity to have. It gives you the chance to be more flexible with your working pattern, be more present with your partner or family, and even potentially save a little money and time on the commute to work. But, there are also things you need to make working from home a success and I’m going to let you know what has worked for me!
The winter months can be tough on us all. The dark morning and evenings, the colder weather, and all of those nasty germs flying around waiting to knock us down when we least expect it. Preparing yourself is the best defence and there is some work from home essentials that you might need this winter. With that in mind, here are some of them.
A decent area to work from
It is important that you have an area of your home that you can work from. It doesn’t need to be your own room or office, even a desk that you can designate for work will be enough. This gives you the chance to segregate your working life from your home life. In truth, working and home life can be merged, as you don’t have that physical action of leaving the office and finishing for the day. But putting your chair under your desk, and walking away from it can be the physical action you need to switch between the two people you might need to be.
Enhance the wifi
It might be that you need to enhance the wifi in your home so that you can work at a more capable level. So plug-in routers can help to enhance the speed and width of your broadband connection. The last thing you want to be doing is relying on a poor wifi connection, especially when the weather can play a big role in that.
A monitor stand
The winter months often mean you feel colder, so it might be the ideal time to get a monitor stand to improve your posture when sitting at your desk. A monitor stand can help boost work performance as it can help to reduce the eye and neck strain you might feel when sitting at your desk. The colder months also might mean that you feel less comfortable sitting at a desk at home, so this could help.
A hot water bottle
The beauty of working from home means that you don’t need to worry about how you look or what people think, and if you happen to feel the cold more, then a nice new hot water bottle could be the ticket. You can have this sat on your lap, lean against it for your back, or just keep it close so that you can feel warm and comfortable while sitting at your desk. Read more ways to stay warm when working at home.
Coffee machine
There is no denying that a warm drink is always inviting on a cold day, and working from home means that you don’t have to tolerate the rubbish coffee from the canteen, you could enjoy barista-style coffees from home. A new coffee machine could be the working from home essential that gets you through the tough colder days.
Essential Oils Diffuser
If you struggle with stress and anxiety while working then you can use an essential oil diffuser to help calm you and create a more peaceful environment to work from. The winter can bring with it many mental health worries like SAD syndrome and also depression and anxiety due to the time of the year. So give yourself the best chance to keep up predictive working and create a calming environment to work from.
Loungewear
Another great benefit of working from home is that you don’t necessarily have to wear suits and workwear, in fact my wardrobe now consists of comfy clothes. So you could treat yourself to some comfortable loungewear for work. Getting out of your pyjamas and dressed for the day is essential for productivity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable. New loungewear and comfortable tracksuits could be the new work attire, especially to keep you warm during the winter.
An air purifier
There has never been more of an essential time to think about the air quality in your home, especially as many of us are staying home more frequently and working from home. So finding a great air purifier for your working area can help you to feel at your best. An air purifier can help eliminate household dust in the air as well as pollen, bacteria, and germs. It is a great way to give yourself the best possible working and home environment during the winter months.
Hopefully, this has made you more aware of some of the work from home essentials you’ll need this winter.
