Like millions of people around the world, I work from home. And doing so means I need to create a healthy work environment that encourages productivity. Working on a PC all day can cause health issues — not just physical ones, but mental ones.
Everyone understands the need to maintain good PC work habits for physical health, yet many ignore the mental aspects. Here are some practical things you can do to tweak your home office so that it’s more conducive to better mental health and overall happiness.
Avoid relaxing in your office space
In my view, the most important thing you can do is keep your work environment separate from where you spend your time relaxing. If you want good work/life balance, then you have to take steps to keep work and life apart, especially when working from home.
If you’re lucky enough to own a big house, you probably have lots of options for this, with plenty of other rooms where you hang out in the evenings and while on break. If you live in a smaller dwelling, like an apartment? Separating work life from home life can be tricky.
Tricky, but doable. One thing you can do is cordone off a very specific section — maybe even just a corner — of your living space. Use dividers to give it some physical boundaries. Only use that laptop or PC for work-related purposes and keep a separate device for personal stuff. Only sit at that desk when you’re working. That desk is your “work mode” desk. If you want to take a break or relax, physically move yourself elsewhere.
For a more drastic solution, if you have a backyard, consider building or commissioning a “home office shed.” These can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000+ depending on size and features. Expensive, I know, but if you’re serious about working from home and you just don’t have an extra room, this could be worth it.
Establish (and keep) your office clutter-free
You might enjoy living with a lot of “stuff” around you, but there’s evidence that clutter isn’t good for mental health. You’ve heard people say things like “Tidy house, tidy mind”? It’s true, and you should extend that truth to your office workspace.
Get rid of the clutter and tidy things up. If you need it, add more storage space with things like drawers and filing systems. Buy some boxes to keep tucked away in your closet if you need to. Organize your cables so they aren’t strewn all over the place. When you’re done with something, don’t just put it down — put it away.
It’s one thing to go clutter-free. It’s another to maintain it. Set yourself up for success by doing the little things as you can instead of letting it all build up into a mess. A disorderly desktop may not seem like a big deal, but it’s a subconscious drain on energy. Keep it clean.
Soundproof your home office space
Visual clutter isn’t the only thing wearing down on your brain. Loud sounds, distracting hums, and noise pollution from outside can prevent you from being fully focused and stress-free. More than that, the buildup of frustration and anxiety can take a toll on your mental health.
The simplest and lowest impact thing you can do is to get yourself a pair of noise-canceling headphones or earbuds. For example, the Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth Earbuds are solid, but you can go cheaper with the EarFun Air Pro 3 Earbuds or opt for full-on budget-level affordability with the Anker Soundcore P30i Earbuds.
Don’t want to wear stuff in your ears all day long? Look into physical soundproofing options. If you own your home, insulate your walls. If you don’t, consider hanging up soundproofing blankets over your door and windows (which is how most sounds get in). A speaker playing brown noise can also help drown out background distractions.
Bask in as much natural light as you can
Commercial offices rely far too much on artificial lighting for reasons of practicality. If you’re working from home, you can do the opposite — strive to let in as much natural light as possible.
Natural light has positive effects on mental health, with numerous studies consistently proving it year after year. Of those many benefits, exposure to sunlight boosts serotonin production, which helps improve mood. (That’s why it’s often referred to as the “feel good” chemical.)
Natural light also helps regulate the internal body clock, leading to better sleep patterns. More sleep (and better quality sleep) itself can boost your mental wellness. Last but not least, natural light can help alleviate symptoms of depression, especially during the winter months.
So, whenever possible, set up your workspace in an area with windows and sunshine. Skylights are also helpful. And if natural light simply isn’t an option for whatever reasons, you might try using a UV-free sunlight lamp that mimics sunlight using an LED source.
Keep the temperature comfortable
Work is stressful enough as it is even when you aren’t shivering in your seat or melting into your chair. When ambient temperatures are too high or too low, it can harm productivity — and when you struggle to finish your tasks on time, it can bring down mental health.
Nobody likes to “waste” money on heating and cooling, I know. But it might help to think of office comfort as an investment. In the winter, raise your thermostat a few degrees and get an electric blanket. In the summer, run a fan and get a portable AC if you need to.
With how much time you spend in your home office every day, a quality-of-life boost like this can work wonders for mental health. Suffering through hot and cold isn’t worth it if you can afford otherwise.
Use nature to bring your home office alive
As humans, we’re instinctively drawn to nature. That’s why so many people find hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities so beneficial to mental health. But unless you’re fortunate enough to have a home office in the middle of the woods, nature likely evades you.
To get the same benefits, you need to bring the outdoors inside. There are two main ways to do this:
- Opt for natural (and natural-looking) materials when building and/or furnishing your home office. A desk with a natural wood finish would be the most obvious example of this.
- Populate your home office with plants and flowers. Position them so they don’t get in the way of you working but remain visible. Hanging plants are particularly nice as they don’t take up desk space.
Cycle in fresh air on a regular basis
Fresh air is crucial for anyone looking to enjoy a healthy, happy life. While conditioned air is welcome during the sweltering summer months, it can’t replace the freshness of outdoor air. Sure, there will be days when the weather demands you shut your windows, but when the weather permits, try throwing open those windows more often.
You can kill two birds with one stone here, combining this with the above tip on letting in natural light. All of this assumes you have windows, of course, and that you live in an area that isn’t ruined by excess pollution. Still, you have to get fresh air sometimes. Working from home in stale air day after day will take its toll on your mental wellness.
Further reading: The best work-from-home tech products
Author: Dave Parrack, Contributor, PCWorld
Dave Parrack has been writing about technology since 2007. He has also been an editor, covering consumer tech news and seeking to help people better understand the devices and services they use daily. He has bylines at MakeUseOf, SlashGear, and New Atlas, and has produced thousands of articles in a long and varied career. He uses Windows (somewhat begrudgingly), but actually prefers his Chromebook. He thinks AI may just change the world, but hasn't yet decided if it will be for the better or worse.