The pandemic may be over but for many of us, it has changed our working habits indefinitely. With increasing numbers of people working from home or hybrid working, you may find yourself in a situation where you and a partner or roommate both work from home at the same time. Here are some tips to ensure you both remain productive and comfortable.
Desks
Depending on the set-up of your home working space, there are several desk possibilities. You may decide to opt for individual desks on opposite sides of the room to give you both your own distinct work space and improve concentration and focus. Alternatively, you could choose something like a larger dining-room style desk at which you can both work. This will encourage communication and collaboration and could work well if you work in similar roles and need to bounce ideas off each other. An L-shaped desk, on the other hand, allows for connection but still gives each of you your own space to concentrate if needed.
Storage
It’s important to have storage options that work for both of you and plenty of it. This means having enough storage for technology such as speakers and headphones as well as any specialist equipment you need, along with stationary and textbooks.
Depending on the set-up of your room, you could opt for anything from floating shelves and desk organisers to larger storage solutions such as understairs storage units. The right storage will help provide a sense of order and organisation in your workspace, which is important for productivity and to help keep stress levels down.
Lighting
You may both need your own desk lamps or task lights to focus on your own work, but you should be careful that this doesn’t distract your coworker. When it comes to general lighting for your home office, larger table lamps, floor lamps and wall sconces all make ideal lighting options. The more you layer the lighting in your workspace, the easier it will be to find a light level to suit you both without having to compromise.
Design
Personalising your workspace helps give you ownership over the space and makes it somewhere you’ll feel happy spending time. However, if you’re going to be working alongside a partner or roommate, this needs some careful thought. You want a workspace that reflects your personality and aids creativity but without having a detrimental impact on the other person and their work.
Discuss décor and potential colour schemes ahead of time. Be clear about what would be distracting or uncomfortable for you and likewise be respectful of what the other person is asking too. By including each other in your design plans, you should be able to create a space which appeals to both of your tastes yet still feels personalised enough that you can work comfortably and productively.
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