Setting

Wake up and Work: 7 Tips for Setting up a Home Office for Remote Work

You’re thinking of setting up a home office for remote work and you don’t know where to start. Whether you’re working remotely due to the pandemic or decided to pick up a side hustle to make some extra money, working from home provides many benefits.

You’ll save money on gas. Avoid the rush hour commute. Eat lunch in the luxury of your home. And spend more time with your family.

But setting up a home office takes more than working on your laptop on the couch or kitchen table. Here are seven important tips to consider when setting up your home office.

1. Choosing Furniture

When purchasing home office furniture, you want to keep a few things in mind. First, you need the right-sized space to do your work. Will you be working on a laptop? You could get away with a small desk.

But if you need room to spread paperwork around, you may need something larger. Do you have room for an executive desk? Or does your desk space only afford you forty-eight inches?

The size of the room you have to work with will dictate the furniture you need to purchase such as a desk, bookcases, filing cabinets, and additional tables. Make sure to use a comfortable chair at the appropriate height to work comfortably. Or find one that’s adjustable.

2. Create a Healthy Work Environment

When setting up a home office for remote work, your environment should be a healthy one. Consider placing plants around the room to get additional oxygen.

Don’t work in a room where people smoke if there are smokers in your home. Another idea is to have sufficient task lighting. Enough to see your workspace, but not too bright causing eye strain and squinting.

If you work at the computer for many hours, consider adjusting the blue light on your display. Blue light is harmful to the eyes when you’re exposed to it for long periods of time. You can pick up a pair of blue light glasses if your computer doesn’t have the ability to use the night vision mode.

3. Set Yourself Up to Be Productive

It’s easy to get sidetracked when you’re at home. The phone rings. You receive emails. Your Twitter feed and social media apps never end. Consider turning off the alerts or using a program that limits the use of social media.

Some apps actually block social media. But don’t worry if you have a social program for work such as Slack. You can set up the preferences in the apps to tell them which sites you want to block and leave others alone.

Another way to be productive is to create a schedule. Especially if your boss isn’t tracking the time you spend doing your work on a company portal.

Plan work times with appropriate breaks, time for lunch, and stick to your schedule. You’ll be surprised at how much work you get done. Plus, you won’t need to attend all those impromptu meetings held at the office lasting half the day.

4. Separate Your Workspace from Shared Areas

Don’t have a private room to do your work? Well, don’t set up your space in the middle of the kitchen or the living room.

Your family may want to watch TV, do their homework on the sofa or the kitchen table. Choose a quiet, peaceful space where you can concentrate. Additionally, an area designated for your work will make you feel more like a professional.

5. Designing and Decorating Your Space

When you’re setting up a home office for remote work, you may want to make your space appear like it’s an office. Find a style that suits your taste. Maybe even paint the room.

If your room has bright red walls, you may want to tone it down. You may want to choose a color more conducive to working in an office environment. To coordinate the space, pick up some accessories.

Want to do a gold theme? Pick up a pencil case and a container for paper clips. You can even buy gold paper clips. These kinds of touches make a great way to personalize your space and make it more productive.

6. Minimize Family Distractions

If you live with your family, let them know in advance that you don’t want to be disturbed. If you have an extra room to use as an office, consider putting a “do not disturb” sign on the door and keep the door closed to minimize interruptions. 

While that won’t guarantee you’ll never get an occasional (hopefully occasional) knock on the door, it will help to make interruptions less frequent than keeping the door open and family members walking into your office to ask a question every hour.

If you live with roommates, ask them to keep the noise down while you’re working if they raise the volume beyond a level you can bear.

7. Keep Your Work Area Positive

It’s important to maintain a positive state of mind when you’re working remotely as well as any time of the day. Unexpected problems occur at work and at home. Clients go with other companies. Your boss loses their temper.

Your child gets sick. The principal calls you because your kiddo has acted up inappropriately. Many situations can put you in a bad mood. 

Try to roll with the punches. Don’t let mishaps and obstacles get you down. They’re often unavoidable. You can deal with them after work if they’re not emergencies. A good way to feel positive is to listen to soft music or meditation tapes while you’re working.

Of course, if this distracts you, think of some other options. One possibility is to place posters with positive sayings you like on the wall. Or positive quotes in frames on your desk. Have a few post-it notes with positive affirmations in front of you.

Is there a painting that lifts your spirits such as lovely Monet oil painting? An Andrew Wyeth watercolor? Hang it on the wall for some creative, positive inspiration. Color and nature affect our state of mine.

7 Helpful Tips Revisited: Setting Up A Home Office for Remote Work

Follow these proven tips for setting up a home office for remote work. These home office ideas will help you create a positive, productive work environment, achieve your goals, and earn an income.

Need more helpful tips career tips and more? Explore our extensive collection of articles.

Marriage is a consensual union where two people love and commit to each other for life. While tying the knot is done out of love, a couple truly does not understand the meaning of the word until they have weathered life’s storms together. Marriage is not for the faint of heart, but setting ground rules can prevent misunderstandings down the road.

Some find that once they are married, they feel more like roommates rather than spouses. The daily grind can get to everyone, and the responsibility that comes with such a commitment can be overwhelming. Ground rules are essential, and they should be established before you walk down the aisle.

Ground Rules for a Successful Marriage

If you want a successful partnership and a happy life, then you need to establish some ground rules early on. You may think that it sounds silly to put requirements on a relationship that has a foundation of love. But nothing can be nastier than a married couple throwing verbal punches during an argument. Here are some ground rules that can help you ensure your union is a long and blissful one.

Also, know that while you agree to these ground rules, they can be flexible–when both parties agree. For example, your feelings about starting a family might change one day. As long as both of you agree to amend these decisions–and play by the new ruling–you’ll do just fine!

1. Don’t Go to Bed Angry

There’s an old saying that states that you should never let the sun go down on your wrath. This is so important because the longer you allow frustrations to boil, the more apt it is to drive a wedge between the two of you.

Most arguments start over silly things, and they should be resolved before you go to bed. You will lie there all night and stew about what happened. As you replay the events in your mind, you will build the situation up to be bigger than it is, and it can easily cause you to resent your spouse.

If possible, don’t go to bed before at least committing to sort things out in the morning and to apologize for any wrongdoing.

2. Vow to Never Allow Family to Interfere

One of the most significant problems in marriages is the in-laws. In many cases, they act like outlaws when it comes to their loved ones. It’s essential to establish firm boundaries regarding the relatives early on.

Never allow your parents or siblings to speak ill of your partner. Additionally, you must ensure that they don’t stick their nose into your business. Your union must be strong, and you cannot let your relatives ruin your successful partnership.

In-laws can quickly destroy your relationship with meddling, especially when you have children. So it’s best that you set firm boundaries with them on what behaviors you expect and what you won’t tolerate.

3. Decide the Financial Stuff

There was a joint checking account in the olden days, and one person handled all the bills. Today’s couples are a bit more diverse in how finances are done. Do you tend to be old fashioned, or do you want to keep money separate?

It’s important to discuss these issues upfront. It can get very messy if two people are trying to pay bills and dipping into the proverbial cookie jar. Finances are one of the problems that can ruin a marriage quicker than anything else, so establish early on how things are done. Decide on a plan that is acceptable for both of you.

Another thing to consider is that neither party should make a significant purchase without talking to one another. Set a dollar limit that you shouldn’t go over without discussing it. The same should be said about opening credit and going in debt.

4. Determine if You Want Children

Another issue that is common among couples is the desire to be a parent. One may want to be a mom or dad while the other one isn’t interested in offspring. It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you are on; you need to voice your desires to your partner.

Don’t skip over the issue because you are afraid to tell your partner how you feel. It could cause a significant rift later.

5. Don’t Bring up the Past

Everyone has a past, and some histories are sketchier than others. When you create a union, you cannot consistently throw your partners past in their face. If your spouse was once addicted to drugs but pulled themselves out of that lifestyle, then they shouldn’t have to live with it being brought up constantly.

You cannot change your past, but you can change your future. Leave what’s behind you alone as it’s not a life sentence.

6. Always Be Honest

Dishonesty can be a quick way to head to divorce court. It’s easy to tell a little white lie now and again, but it can get you in real trouble. Trust your partner enough, to be honest. Make a pact that no matter how upset it might make the other person that you don’t lie to each other.

7. Vow to Keep the Doors of Communication Open

It’s hard to communicate once you’re not dating, and you’re living together. Make one of your ground rules that you keep an open line of communication with each other. Even though life is busy, you should at least have one night a week reserved for date night.

If it helps, keep a list of all the things you want to discuss during that time. Take time for each other, no matter how busy you are in life. Money and prosperity can only get you so far, but if you want true happiness, you will invest in your marriage.

8. Divorce is Not an Option

There may come the point and time in your life when you want to call it quits. Perhaps, you’ve grown apart, or you have had an affair. Life never goes as you plan. Marriages that last more than five years are the anomaly these days.

How do these people that stay married for 40-50 years do it? The key is they don’t quit, no matter how hard they want too. They keep going because they took vows to the other person to have and to hold, through sickness and in health.

While not every union withstands the test of time, don’t be so eager to give up. Make up in your mind that you’re not going to quit, but instead plan to honor your commitment.

9. Don’t Use Harsh Words

Negativity can destroy a bond. For every bit of constructive criticism that you give out, you should follow that with four things of praise. If you’re always telling your spouse all the things they do wrong, you will destroy their morale, and they will avoid you.

Even when you’re amid a heated argument, and you feel like calling names, don’t resort to childish games. Be a grown-up and civilly talk about things. Make a pact and set ground rules that you won’t call names or hit each other no matter what the situation.

10. Make Sure to Keep Personal Things Personal

One of the most significant ground rules in a marriage is learning to keep private things private. If your spouse calls their family or friends and tells them all your personal stuff, it can destroy your union. Make sure these rules extend to finances, romance, children, or any information you don’t want to be shared.

Establish rules about what things should never be shared beyond your union, and make sure you both keep these things out of the public.

11. Don’t Argue in Front of Children or Others

There are very few couples that agree on everything. However, take your arguments to a private area and don’t fight in front of children, relatives, or the public. When you disagree, no matter how trivial, go somewhere that you can discuss it calmly, and don’t get everyone else involved.

12. Make Your Relationship a Priority

Marriage takes work, and it’s not easy. Your union must be a priority every day. Your spouse, their needs, and desires, should always come before your own. When your commitment to your job is complete, your spouse and children get the next priority in your day.

If you want to hang with friends or relatives and do other things, they should be after your relationship needs are met.

Setting Ground Rules for a Happy Life

There’s no rule book when it comes to marriage; however, by establishing ground rules that cover the basics and significant issues, you can take care of many problems before they happen. Love and cherish one another no matter what life throws your way.

There are going to be hundreds of times that you want to throw in the towel and file for divorce. However, there’s something special about those who stick together no matter what comes their way. In sickness and in health are significant vowels to make to a person.

Take advice from older couples that have been married for decades. They can give you the keys to a successful marriage. Don’t take advice or seek wisdom from someone who has been divorced a couple of times. You want to make your union last, so you want all the help you can get.