As we discussed yesterday, it does not matter how motivated and focused you are if you don’t have the tools you need and the right environment to do your work in. Once you get your environment set up you should consider the tools you use, because you will spend a lot of time working with them.

ERGONOMIC DESK, KEYBOARD AND CHAIR

If you work-at-home you’ll be spending a lot of time on the computer. You’re definitely going to need an ergonomic desk, keyboard, and chair. If you plan on spending hours on end in your office, then you may as well do it in comfort. When you are comfortable, then you will be more productive. If you are not comfortable in your chair, you’ll spend time attempting to find the perfect position that doesn’t cause your back to hurt after a while. Although this only takes minutes at a time, it could add up to hours.

Typing, whether people realize it or not, is hard on the hands and wrists. When you don’t use the proper posture, which is easy to forget, you run the risk of creating repetitive motion injuries causing pain in the fingers, hands, and wrists. Let this go on for too long and you could end up with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, something that in most cases requires surgery. If you don’t like the design of the ergonomic keyboards (they can take a while to get used to) then you should at least consider a wrist pad to use at the keyboard and mouse. Many mouse pads come with gel rests attached to them.

Your desk should allow for your chair to be at the proper height, and for your monitor to be at the proper distance from your face. If your desk doesn’t have enough room to properly address this, you’ll find yourself in an awkward position, which will lead to pain.

Designing your office with ergonomics in mind isn’t always the most cost-effective option, especially if you’re just starting out. If you must cut corners to save money get the bare minimum to get yourself started, and upgrade everything one piece at a time until your work area is as comfortable as you can possibly make it.

GOOD QUALITY HEADSET

If you need to be able to block out noise from the surrounding room, then a headset is an absolute lifesaver. You can turn on white noise from SimplyNoise.com, or any music of your choice to block out the noisy distractions. If you have small children around, opt for using the headphones on one side only, so you can still hear what you need to.

If you have older children, tell them that when your headset is on you’re working and should not be bothered unless it is an emergency. This is the signal you need, similar to keeping the office door shut when you’re busy, to let those around you know you mean business. Plus, if you have regular calls with clients, you can use the headset and a service like Skype to make the calls you need from your computer – saving on your long distance bill. If you’re not much of a typist, you can also use the microphone on the headset for dictation purposes, using a program to type as you talk.

These are only the most essential tools you should consider to help you become more productive. Having the right tools will go a long way to helping out. The last environmental consideration that needs a mention is organization. Some people got it, some people don’t! Tomorrow We will discuss some tips on making organization a little easier, definitely a key part of making you more productive.

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