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The workplace is continuously changing, and more people are spending their time working remotely from their home. For those with work-from-home arrangements, having the perfect office space to buckle down and hit the books (or jump into the search engine) is critical. Here are the 5 things you need to make your space comfortable, relaxing and distraction free:

Place yourself somewhere where you get light

Find yourself a location with a window to allow sunlight for when you work. You’d be surprised how much an hour of sunlight does to help you keep relaxed, focused and feeling happy. In addition to the natural sunlight, make sure you have a good quality lamp on your desk to provide light for those times without sunlight – especially if you location has seasonal dark mornings or late afternoons that will impact your work day.

Give yourself a clutter-free environment

For most of us, clutter is distracting. Giving yourself a nice space free of clutter and non-work related items will help you stay in the right mind while getting the job done. While it is important to have a few personal items around to make your workspace feel homier, make sure a few doesn’t mean a desk full.

Add a little green

Speaking of improving your mood, get yourself some greenery for your office space. Not only do plants help provide clean air and improve your energy, they also help keep you in a brighter mood. Happy mood, happy mind; happy mind, great work! Get yourself a nice green friend who can sit with you throughout your work day.

Don’t cheap out on your chair

No home office is complete without a good chair. If you work an average 8-hour day, the likelihood is you’ll spend 40 hours a week (or more) in that chair. So make sure it is one you are not only comfortable in, but is good for your posture!

Get a desk that can be raised

If you are serious about your office space being of top quality, invest in a desk that can be raised and spend some of your day standing. Standing during your work day can not only help improve your posture, but the ability to move around unrestricted can help keep your energy levels elevated all day.

Alternatively, you can use a breakfast bar (pending you have one available) as a stand-up desk.

Make sure you have a good pair of headphones

Working out of a home office often means “meeting” clients, customers, collaborators and peers over the phone and that means making sure you’re set up for good sound (and visuals in some case). A good pair of headphones can mean the difference between a tin-like, far-off, hard-to-understand phone call and a smooth like-you-were-there conversation.

Setting up your home office for you

When setting up your home office, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the fact that it’s your office. You’ll be the one sipping coffee, making phone calls, tapping away at the keys and burning the midnight oil, so it needs to meet your needs.

Your home office should be a space where you are comfortable, calm, motivated and productive. You should be excited to arrive there (even if it’s only a few feet away from your bedroom) every morning (or afternoon, we’re not judging) and be comfortable working the whole day through!