How to Set Up Your Home Office for Studying Your MBA

How to Set Up Your Home Office for Online MBA Teaching main image

Hundreds of thousands of workers and students across the globe are being forced to stay at home for the foreseeable future because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This transition can be particularly difficult if you, like many others, are used to studying in your local library or café, usually surrounded by your peers. Or perhaps you feel you may struggle with staying indoors for longer periods of time, or your home might not be particularly study-friendly.

Whatever your worries might be, set them aside for now, as we’re here to help. From equipment to décor and everything in between, there are many different ways you can make the transition as smooth as possible.

Here are TopMBA’s tips on how to best organize your home study space.

Pick a room with good lighting

According to a Harvard Business Review report, lighting can really make or break a studying or working environment.

Natural sunlight isn’t only energizing, it’s also a creativity and productivity booster.

Set your study space up in a bright room, preferably near a window. If you don’t have a particularly bright space in the house, you can create one by making simple adjustments. Utilizing mirrors is a fantastic way to create the illusion of a bigger space through by enabling light to bounce around a room. You should also think about getting rid of those heavy curtains – you’ll thank us later.

And finally, pops of color here and there can make your study environment look even more lively. There are plenty of things to choose from – a plant, a poster and a table centerpiece are just a few examples. Get creative!

Make sure you’re comfortable

Having good equipment at your disposal can make studying from home easy and comfortable.

Studying from your bed or couch might seem appealing at first, but it’ll likely give you back pain in the long run. If you haven’t already, why not take a look into purchasing a desk for your workspace. It doesn’t have to be luxurious, just make sure it’s functional and proportional to your height. You might also want to consider purchasing an office chair for maximum comfort.

If you’re trying to save money, have a look for second-hand equipment on Facebook Marketplace, Freecycle, Craigslist or Gumtree. You might be able to get it for free!

Keep your learning space clean and stocked up

It might come as a shock, but cleanliness plays a huge role in your ability to learn. Numerous studies conducted over the past few years prove that the tidier and cleaner a study space is, the more those using the area are able to focus and complete their work.

You might opt for big cleaning sessions a few times a week, or you might prefer to get up early every morning and spend the first 15 minutes of the day ensuring that your space is nice and tidy – as long as you do tidy up your work space, any method will work.

Another tip: make sure the room is stocked up with everything you may need throughout the day like books and stationery. Having to interrupt a study session to get a piece of paper is a real focus-killer, so do your best to avoid it.

Check your internet speed

While your current home internet plan might be great for watching Netflix, it doesn’t mean it will accommodate your MBA-learning needs. Attending online classes, interacting on video calls, using specific software and downloading lengthy academic material can put serious pressure on your Wi-Fi.

Nobody likes learning with a poor internet connection, so you might want to check with your internet provider whether your plan is study-from-home proof. You might need to upgrade or change provider entirely if the upgrade quotes are too high.

It might seem like a hassle but trust us, it’ll be worth it.