Since an ever-increasing number of workers now do most of the work from their home base, creating the perfect space to get things done is of paramount importance.

Are you ready to learn five life hacks that will bring your Productivity to a whole new level? Then stick around as we’re about to reveal everything you’re dying to know:

1. Create a dedicated area

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the psychology of work and productivity, doing work in an exclusively dedicated area is the way to go.

The reason being is that our human brains are wired to associate certain rooms with certain activities (and, to some degree, even states of mind). As soon as you physically enter that room, a switch flips in your brain to set you in the right mental state that serves the purposes of productivity, the kind that lets you retain your focus.

Then, we have privacy, which is another aspect of working in a dedicated space. Otherwise, it’s easy to get distracted by your spouse, your room-mates, or your kids. On top of that, it also reduces the noise created by them.

In case you’re working with clients that come to you, it makes sense for the room to be located in an accessible place such as your home’s entry point. In certain situations, if your home does not allow for it, it might make sense to work in a dedicated studio for additional privacy and peace.

2. Declutter your home and desk

Building upon the principle of maintaining a healthy state of mind when working, you should always make sure that your home (or at least your desk) is free of clutter for productivity reasons. In other words, if your Desk is not clear, how can you expect your mind to be? Exactly.

To be realistic, decluttering your desk may seem harder than it is. More often than not, throwing things away or putting them elsewhere is challenging due to not knowing how important or useful certain items are. We humans tend to have poor judgment when it comes to that. Nevertheless, going through everything and determining what is work-related and what isn’t will make a huge difference, productivity-wise.

When you’ve separated your items into two piles, you can proceed to organize them further. For instance, Office supplies can go in one drawer and cups into another (and so forth). Doing this will also reduce the time it takes to find them once the need arises.

3. Know your applications

When you need to get things done, it’s important to jump right into it and not waste time configuring or downloading your applications. The good news is that you, better than everyone else, know the scope of your work and the applications you are likely to need to produce your deliverables.

So even if you don’t need to learn the ins and outs of certain software right at the given moment, it pays dividends to invest a little bit of time into it now. That way, you’ll be better equipped to handle an obstacle if it comes your way at a later date.

For instance, even if you’re not a graphic designer, the need might arise for you to create a simple banner or something similar one day. Since there are many powerful image manipulation suites out there – some of which you can get for free like GIMP – there is no reason not to get familiar with them.

Another great one to have at hand is a VPN. Even if your boss doesn’t require it per se, this might change in the future, as using it when connecting to your company’s servers is considered good practice. The reason being is that it protects your sensitive work-related data from being intercepted by unauthorized third-parties. And if you take a couple of seconds to look for it, it’s easy to find a NordVPN coupon to make your transition into it even smoother. (https://nordvpn.com/coupon/)

4. Make sure to get enough natural light

Unless you’re working a night shift, it’s important to position your desk in such a way that you get enough natural light. But it’s not for the reasons that might pop into your mind (hint: it has nothing to do with the visibility of your screen). As it turns out, productivity is the reason.

According to Carnegie Mellon University research, this has a tremendous effect on your productivity, impacting it around the 20% level. Even though it doesn’t seem a lot, it’s an astronomical difference if you consider all the other factors that play a role in maintaining it.

The great thing about working from home is that you have the luxury of being able to rearrange your furniture the way you prefer. And if your home office’s window is located in the south, where sunshine comes in abundance, even better.

5. Reduce the cable mess

Ah, yes… the good old cable mess. If you’ve noticed your home office is prone to developing this well-known phenomenon, you’re not alone. After all, you are likely to have many devices lying all over the place, including your printer, external hard drive, monitor, computers, and so on. The problem is, not only is it easy to trip over it, but it also takes away from your overall productivity and makes the whole place look messy.

The first step toward remedying the situation is cleaning all the resulting dust with a cloth. Then, get some zip ties that will prevent cable knots from forming in the future. If you can’t be bothered, using painter’s tape will do the job just fine.

Conclusion

With the help of these productivity hacks, your home office will become all it needs to be for you to reach a new level of productivity. That way, you will get more done in less time, allowing you to spend the remainder of your day on the things you love and enjoy.