SEVEN WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HOME OFFICE

There are plenty of obstacles between you and your mega unicorn flotation. Don’t let your workspace be one of them. Herewith, some instant upgrades

Don’t ever use your laptop as a laptop

For the love of

God, or at least your back, put the laptop on a stand and pair with a Bluetooth keyboard. Adjust the height so that the centre of the screen is around 18 degrees below horizontal, according to Alan Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis at

Cornell University.

Konmari your inbox

That virtual in-box is as much a part of your headspace as what’s on your desk. Keep emails in check the Marie Kondo way: “Schedule one or two blocks of time during the day to go through them. Change from thinking that everything gets kept, to thinking that everything gets discarded – unless there’s a reason to keep it.”

Go full gamer

You know those Counter-strike nerds who spend 23 hours a day glued to their screens? Their ilk has created a market for ridiculously ergonomic chairs (get a Reddragon Assasin, R3 000 on loot.co.za) and keyboards (try a Kinesis split model, from R1 200). Adopt their kit, shun their lifestyle.

Get a convertible (desk)

The average desk height is about 75cm, which benefits absolutely nobody. Consider a standing desk converter. Vari options are used by most of the Fortune 500 (go-to model: the Pro

Plus 36, R8 690 at Ergotheraphy. co.za), but ensure you also get a standing mat to alleviate pressure on your feet.

The boring thing you will rave about

Two (prosaic) words: document stand. Seriously. If your job involves paperwork in any way, buy one that is also strong enough to use as a writing slope, position it between your keyboard and your monitor and stop peering over your desk like some hunch-shouldered horologist.

Theft: the greatest form of flattery

Think about the spaces you most enjoy visiting. Find what draws you there and re-create it at your place. Perhaps that’s buying a candle or looking for some greenery. Cardiff University found that adding plants to a workspace can boost productivity by 15%.

Next-gen your lamp

That desk lamp? It’s prehistoric.

Get a Dyson Lightcycle Morph (right), which adjusts brightness and colour temperature depending on time of day and what you’re doing. It might cost R10k, but it’s a business expense, right?