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Designing the perfect home study
An area to focus. A space for productivity. A place to get stuff done.
But is that all there is to a home workspace? What about a sturdy desk? Pictures of the family? Laptops and the latest tech? How can you make your work den more zen? How can you avoid the distractions of day-to-day homelife and still nail those targets and deadlines while wearing your pyjama bottoms?
These questions all beg an even bigger one: what does the perfect home study or office look like?
Let’s find out together – and uncover just how productive the UK and YOU are in the process!
How would the UK
prefer to work?
The world of work looks very different now in comparison to those pre-lockdown days. Work time has a much more flexible feel to it, with many of us dividing time between the office and the home study, and a great deal of us working on a 100% remote basis altogether.
We conducted a study into workplace productivity in the UK to get a sense of how the nation works (and why, sometimes, it doesn’t!). From our findings, we were able to find out how today's office workers would prefer to get things done and where from, with the majority (38% of Brits asked) in favour of hybrid working. Hybrid delivers the best of both worlds – a mix of office time and remote effort. The remote work can theoretically take place wherever you can get a Wi-Fi signal to hook onto, bringing cafes, libraries and remote offices into the mix alongside spare rooms and nooks at home. Currently, 41% of UK desk workers live the hybrid life.
Fascinatingly, 27% of those asked stated that they would prefer to work remotely 100% of the time and ditch commuting to the office altogether.
But 20% of Brits would rather work from a company office, suggesting there’s still very much a desire for hanging out by the water cooler and spending time with colleagues in the real world.
When does productivity dip?
A key factor in where we’d like to work is distractions, those things that sap our focus and make work even harder to complete to our usual high standards. Well over half of UK desk workers – 58% – don’t feel productive in their current workspace.
But how about you? Have you considered how productive you are, and why that is? Are you giving yourself the best shot at delivering your highest quality of work? Or do you find yourself stuck in a frustrating cycle of distractions and work avoidance?
Take our test and see where you stand on the productivity scale!
Your personal productivity calculator
Creating the ideal work situation
By knowing what distracts you or throws you off your flow, you stand a better chance of creating a space that keeps you on track and – breathe it quietly – can make working a pleasure. According to desk-working Brits, the top distractions are chatty colleagues, internet issues and the temptations and annoyances offered by mobile phones.
Pay attention!
The top workplace distractions
Office rules
When you’re working from a company office, chances are that unless you’re in charge of the building or the company, you’ll only ever be able to offer suggestions as to how the workspace could be different. Generally, the company decides who works where, how many other people are in a specific office, how much access there is to natural light or how much space is given over to break areas.
The presence of colleagues can be as much of a hindrance to getting things done as they are a pleasant distraction in the office, no matter how well-intentioned they are. However, it’s a lot less likely that you’ll be assailed by the family cat, nor will you have to spend time unloading the washing machine to hang out you other half’s underpants. Napping is generally frowned upon too, so there’s little chance of that cutting into your working day.
Home comforts
Working from home gives you the control to get things just how you want them. From the décor to the furniture, to your choice of printing tech from the modern range of HP deskjet printers for instance. Whatever you choose, you’re in charge when it comes to deciding how to turn your study into a palace of productivity. And all with the added bonus of no office gossipers nattering in your earhole. Bliss.
But which of the following would be the first choice when designing your home-working spot?
The top elements employees believe make a
productive work environment:
So, there we have it. The magic ingredients for the perfect office space, as voted for by the UK’s desk workforce!
It seems that if we truly want to create the perfect workspace, it’s going to have to deliver for the senses and take advantage of what nature has to offer. Along with these factors, the perfect work area needs to consider our health too. Filling up on wellness-enhancing features that promote a better working experience for our physical and mental selves is vital. And of course, it needs to be as distraction-free as possible, but still allow for occasional social perks from the presence of others. So how about this for starters?
How to create the perfect home working space
A quiet space in which to focus is the number 1 request, free from chat and distraction. So, consider what your home already has to offer in this respect. Do you have somewhere you can shut yourself away and close the door? If you don’t have a room available, then don’t worry – you can still section off part of an existing room and make it your space to work. Use a curtain, or a screen to make the area your own. Just make sure you let everyone else know this is your space and you are absolutely not to be disturbed.
Consider also
Noise-cancelling
headphones
Great for focus
Rugs and soft furnishings
Great for soaking up and dampening sound
Double-glazed windows
Shut out busy roads and other external noise
White noise from speaker
Great for masking unwanted sounds – just don’t nod off!Â
A tidy, fresh, and well-lit space is also important for productive worktime. Where in your home could you benefit from good natural light sources? Big windows facing a view of the garden or nature can help to inspire when working. Or, if you’re able, you could consider an outdoor office by adapting a shed (a ‘shoffice’) or summer house – you’ll have fresh air in abundance. To stay tidy and easy on the eye, keep things minimal but don’t miss the opportunity to personalise the space and make it somewhere you want to be. Consider what you absolutely need – a desk with enough space to house your laptop, a wireless mouse, phone, a notebook and stationery – but also room for refreshment. Be sure to select a chair that’s good for your posture but comfortable too. Then maybe a carefully selected piece of art, one or two pictures of places and people you love – all these things can inspire. Just don’t go overboard and clutter up – light, minimal and simple is the way to go.
Consider also
Mirrors
A great way to take advantage of and boost natural light
Standing up
A stand-up desk helps you hunch less, and keeps you sharp and energised
Plants
A plant or two not only looks stylish but can help to improve the atmosphere
Go paper-free
Use your laptop to digitise your notes and documents
As for those all-important breaks and lunches, the obvious place to head when working from home is the kitchen and living room. If room allows, consider a soft and comfortable sofa in the office so that you can occasionally break away from the desk and read, snack, or meditate – give your mind and body the space they need. It’s also somewhere for a friend or colleague to sit when you need a bit of company.
But don’t forget to step outside when the weather allows to enjoy even more fresh air and exposure to nature for a better quality of recharge. A good leg-stretch can freshen you up and blow away the cobwebs after a period of focus and concentration!
Everything you need for the perfect home office
Now you know how to create the perfect home office space, Currys can help you bring it to life. Printers are an absolute essential no matter how big or small your home office is. From printing out invoices to creating art to adorn your home workspace walls, we’ve got an exciting range of printers to suit your needs. HP printing kit has long been recognised for getting the best and most vibrant results for print-outs in the home.
Whether you’re looking for an all-round best printer all in one package to tackle a variety of print jobs, or something from our range of HP inkjet printers, you’re bound to find a great option that will sit perfectly in your home office. Or to save space, why not go wire-free with HP envy printers ? Also, HP printers DeskJet range are designed to make the most of your desk space without compromising on quality – so be sure to take a look and find the perfect complement to your home office set-up.
Methodology
For the survey, we asked 1,005 desk workers aged 18 and over across the UK about their working habits and preferences. The survey took place between the 2nd and 4th of October 2023.
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