It is a well-known fact that the lighting around you does not only affect your mood and physical health but also affects your productivity and creativity. A person is said to be at their best when they are well-rested and alert and to attain that ideal state, focusing on the right lighting around you is important. Dim lights or underlit spaces do not only strain your eyes but also make you feel uneasy and tired. Bright lighting also stresses the eye and messes with your sleep causing headaches and migraines. Therefore, experts suggest that one should pay careful attention to what kind of lighting they are choosing for their surroundings to ensure that their brain does not have to work extra on making it more relaxing. Your home office is one such place where ideal lighting can make working more fun and easier for you. Here are some tips for you to improve your home office lighting and see a gradual growth in your productivity.
1. Create Task Lighting
Focus intensive tasks such as writing, reading or computer work require a well-defined light source in order for you to not strain your eyes. Therefore, creating optimum task lighting in your home office is a crucial step towards building an effective workspace for yourself. A desk lamp with an adjustable body and lighting helps put light exactly where needed. You can also change the brightness as per your need. It can support a variety of other focus intensive tasks such as needling or creating art.
2. Eliminate Glare and Shadows
Glare and shadows can be very annoying when working. It is always wise to look out where your light is coming from. The light source should be in front of you or behind your desk so as to avoid any glare on your monitor. Similarly, your task lighting such as a desk lamp should be appropriately placed to avoid shadows which can affect the visibility. Do not forget to consider the window positioning in your room as well in order to account for direct sunlight which may create an annoying glare during certain times of the day.
3. Benefit from Natural Light
It has been proven time and again that natural light works wonders for your physical and mental health. Within regular office spaces also, it tends to reduce sickness, improve mood and concentration and increase the overall productivity of the employees. According to studies, exposure to natural sunlight also regulates hormones and helps you sleep soundly at night. The no carbon footprint and reduced lighting costs sure account for extra benefits! Sunlight produces warm lighting which also helps improve the overall work ambience. You can use screens or blinds to regulate the brightness of daylight as per your requirement. You can opt for bright colours for your décor to reflect as much of daylight as possible. Regular intake of daylighting while working can increase your productivity significantly.
4. Change the Layout of Your Furniture
One of the most important aspects of creating your home office is striking the right balance between daylight and artificial lighting since lighting determines much more than just your work efficiency. To let in as much natural light as possible, rearranging your furniture accordingly is vital. Placing big furniture near windows can obstruct natural light from entering the room. It is wiser to move them away from the windows and instead place your work desk perpendicular to the windows. This ensures that you enjoy enough daylight while also avoiding the glares during the peak sunlight hours. Placing your desk nearby windows also helps your desk plants to get enough sunlight for their growth and nutrients.
5. Windows That Facilitate Light
Large windows and skylights are ideal to make a pleasant office space even at home. Designers recommend that areas with large windows should typically be designed for common areas in big offices. This ensures that as many people have access to natural light. Working in natural light has a lot of positive impacts on one’s health and mood. If you prefer working early in the day, having windows that face the east side is beneficial because you get the early sunlight which is not too harsh but is as pleasant. However, this can be too much during afternoon hours as the Sun’s rays are brightest at that point. You can use blinds or screens for such situations. Areas where it is not possible to let natural light in, installing tubular skylights can be your perfect choice as these bring sunlight through a reflective tube into your room.
Which Light Is The Best For Working From Home?
LED light bulbs are highly recommended for commercial spaces like an office because they are very energy-efficient and have a longer lifespan than fluorescent lights. They can also save you big bucks in the long term. They are your ideal choice when it comes to working from home as well because of their innumerable health benefits. Fluorescent lighting may not cause migraines in people, however, it may trigger symptoms of migraines in people who are predisposed to them. Since migraines cause extreme sensitivity to light, bright fluorescent lights can cause a lot of disturbances for those already suffering from it. Further, those who work in the evening under fluorescent lights can have their sleep patterns disturbed due to it. In such cases, LED bulbs are effective and efficient replacements for your home office.
To have an effectively and properly lit home office, it is important that you layer your lights well. A desk lamp with adjustable brightness and colour should be used mainly as your task lighting but you can also use accent lighting to improve the mood and ambience of the room. Decorative lighting can help in improving the overall character of the space you are working in. Having a home office means that you can take full advantage of the fact that you can decorate your workspace however you please.
Why is Proper Lighting Important for Working Efficiently at Home?
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is to stay focused and motivated considering there are numerous distractions which can prevent someone from making the most of their day. The environment of your work space needs to be such that maximises your productivity. Proper lighting plays a crucial role in ensuring that. The different aspects of lighting in the workspace make a huge difference to one’s motivational levels.
When implemented incorrectly, lighting can make a place look dim, dreary and unpleasant. Insufficient lighting or uncomfortable lights can also strain your eyes, cause headaches and create a depressing work environment. This can be detrimental to your physical as well as mental health and can have serious implications on your work efficiency.
The brightness of the lights is another major component to consider to ensure that you do not get any harmful gals from your light which might affect your eyesight in the long term. Along with keeping you alert, focused and healthy, a properly lit home office also inspires and invigorates you. It is therefore extremely important to be mindful of proper lighting in your workspace.
