Tips for Setting Up Your Home Office Space in Nigeria

The future of work is slowly changing not only internationally but also in Nigeria. We’re experiencing an explosive growth in freelancers, startup founders, remote workers and content creators who are now working from the most affordable and comfortable spaces: their homes.

Statistics show that by 2020 more than 50% of the workforce in the United States will be working remotely. In the United Kingdom, over 14 per cent of the workforce already works remotely, which means that around 4 million people work from their homes or other spaces. This trend is shifting to Nigeria where we have thousands, if not millions, of social media influencers and content creators making an income, working from home.

If you’re considering building personal success by working from home, then you may want to consider these tips for setting up your home office:

• Find the furniture that boosts your productivity:

Choosing right type of furniture and furnishings to install in your home office space is probably the very best first decision you can make. Take a measurement of your space; whether it’s your bedroom, dining area or sitting room and decide on the appropriate desk and chair that would suit you.

Most people will install a senior executive chair to give them that feeling of power that is often associated with work in more formal environments, others will ensure that they find an electric lamp that doesn’t take up too much space on their desks. Whatever choice you make, try to be sure that it can fit into your designated work area.

While desks may be seen as status symbols in the workplace they can offer that sense of organization even in the home office. Try to find desks with multiple drawers to enable you to file away your documents in a tidy manner. The ability of the mind to function with clarity can depend on the surface of your desk, so keep this tip in view! 

•  Consider Colors:

Nearly all of us were attached to some colors or other as children but this is not a childish thing. Colors are very key elements of the branding process and as such have a somewhat  magic effect, even on adults such as yourself.

Source furniture or furnishings that complement your sense of color.  For instance, red conveys the idea of passion and action and can boost your sense of purpose first thing in the morning, white can help you become centered on a feeling of peace and reinforce the idea that each new day is an opportunity for new beginnings. Orange and yellow reinforce the feelings of encouragement and optimism respectively. 

So, find the colors that work for you and see if you can find furnishings, such as window curtains, that you can install in your space.

• Play with light:

Never underestimate the power of natural lighting in your home-office space. Sometimes we tend to just go-with-the-flow by letting in minimal sunlight simply because we could be used to watching television that way but it’s a different ball game when you’re at work. 

 Start the day with as much sunlight as possible because your brain’s ability to perceive and filter information properly can also be influenced by how much sunlight it gets sometimes.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of tips but you can start your setup process with these and work your way into a decent income stream in 2019.

This article is part of the HOGDigest editorial series.
Originally written by [Nnamdi Christopher Iroaganachi] and republished with permission.

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