Until recent years, ‘working from home’ meant one of two things:

a) Juggling your laptop, mobile phone and plate of jam on toast like a seasoned circus act while your sofa became engulfed in a sea of paperwork. The day moved from day to night without you even realising because you hadn’t even had chance to push the curtains back that morning before a colleague was on the phone making sure you weren’t skiving.

b) You actually were just skiving. Full stretch on the paperwork-free sofa, family bag of crisps atop of your pyjama-clad torso, Friends on a loop in the background, shifting position only to refresh your emails hourly, you know, just in case.

These days, working from home has not only become more commonplace for full-time office staff – it has also become a way of working life for many.

With around half of the population expected to be freelance within the next two years, working from home is set to become the norm.

This in mind, we wanted to share some tips on how to create the perfect home office so that you can stay productive, creative and motivated from the comfort of your own humble abode…

Let there be light

According to neuroscience research carried out by the brainboxes at Northwestern University, those who work in an environment with windows slept an average of 46 more minutes a night.

So, letting plenty of natural light in will enhance your snooze time and therefore boost your alertness and productivity during the day.

Access to sufficient natural light will also regulate Vitamin D intake which is essential for immunity, physical function and cognitive ability.

Include tech on a needs-must basis

We live in a world where technology is no longer a luxury – it has become a necessary part of our daily lives and something many of us could no longer perform our jobs without.

That said, we would recommend keeping tech to a minimum in your home office to limit distraction and procrastination.

Of course, you’ll likely need to use a computer but leave things like games consoles and tablets well out of reach while you’re working.

Mobile phones are a tricky one because you’re probably going to take or make various calls but you also run the risk of falling down a social media rabbit hole with no hope of return.

Try leaving your phone on loud in the room next door so you can hear notifications but aren’t seduced by unnecessary screen time every 10 minutes.

Splash out on a decent furniture

No matter how big or small your budget is, make sure a vast portion of it is spent on investing in a good quality desk and seat.

Splashing out on some ergonomic furniture now will help prevent physical issues such as back pain and cardiovascular problems further down the line.

When working from home, it can be easy (although not recommended) to let your daily working hours regularly spill into the double-figures.

So, if you’re going to be sat at a desk for long periods of time, make sure it has been designed with comfort and functionality in mind.

If you’ve got any of your own advice on how to create the ideal working from home environment, leave them in the comments below or share them with us over on Twitter or Facebook.