I have been working at home almost ten years, and I am telling the truth, in the first two years, I had a headache all the time because I was straining my eyes on the screen and I could not understand how it was possible that my lighting system was working against me. Look around you, in case now you are reading this at your office at home. Your lighting would probably use some serious enhancement, as well.
The reason why Office Lighting is a Big Deal.
The question of what type of bulb to use and what kind of lamps to buy may seem like a simple matter at first glance but, before we delve into the types of bulbs available and the kinds of lamps people should buy, we need to discuss why this is such an important issue. Bad lighting does not only make vision difficult, but it also causes eye fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbance, and the vague sense of fatigue that sets in midday. I would be tempted to believe that I have to drink more coffee. It happens that I should have had more light.
The best home office lighting resembles the natural daylight in the best possible way with the minimization of the glare and the shadows. This combination will make your circadian rhythm joyful and your eyes relaxed during these eight or more hours at the work.
Ambient Lighting: Your Foundation.
This is your overall lighting in the room- the foundation, which glitters all over the room. The old ceiling panel in my current office has been replaced with LED panels where the light has been diffused all around the office. The point here is not to use harsh and direct overhead lights that leave an ugly shadow on your face when you are on a video call.
Around the 5000K-6500K color temperature, daylight-balanced LED bulbs can also be used in case you have to deal with regular ceiling fixtures. I understand that is technical, but this color temperature range is more or less like natural daylight and makes you active without being as cool as cool fluorescent light.
Task Lighting: Workplace location.
It is the game-changer that should be skipped by most of the people. Task lighting centres on your work area i.e. your desktop, your keyboard, your papers, or your notebook. I have a flexible desk lamp that is also LED, which is positioned on my left (I am right-handed, and thus, it does not cause shadows when I write).
Accent Lighting: The Element that is So Easy to Overlook.
This is not a requirement, but then you make your space more comfortable. Accent lighting makes a low contrast between a bright screen and dark environment. The background of my monitor has a small strip of LED that gives a soothing backlight and I have a lamp in the corner which reflects the light on the wall.
This layer is also necessary in case you have evening shifts. When you work in a dark room and have nothing but your monitor and a desk lamp as light sources, the contrast is somewhat stark, which is damaging to the eyes.
The Best Light (With Caveats) Natural Light.
I have placed my desk facing perpendicularly to my window, rather than facing it or turning it towards it. This is the reason why: when you look out of the window, you are in the sun and your eyes keep changing your focus. Turned with your back to the window, you make a shadow on your working place and receive pale-skinned video calls.
Natural light is obtained by perpendicular positioning without these disadvantages. I also spent money on regulated blinds, however, not blackout blinds but cellular blinds that filter out the glare on a hot afternoon and still allow the light to pass through. They do rise up full upon cloudy days or mornings.
A single cautionary experience is that natural light varies during the day and also between seasons. During summer my west-facing window is a problem at about 4 pm. I lose productive daylight by 4.30 PM during winter. These variations must be compensated in your artificial lighting.
What I Learned the Hard Way
I first purchased the “soft white” bulbs (approximately 2700K) since they were comfortable. Big mistake. Although warm light is a good choice in living rooms, at my desk, it left me sleepy. Replacement of the 1500K-2000K bulbs with 4000K-5000K bulbs that emit neutral to cool white light enhanced my alertness in the afternoon.
CRI Is Worth Checking
Color Rendering Index (CRI) is a measure of the way in which the colors look in regards with a light source. Regarding office working, particularly when you are doing anything that involves something visual, then have as much of CRI 90 as possible. This is something I never gave any thought until I began a little designing work and realized that colors appeared entirely different under my previous bulbs compared to the natural light.
Glare Is a Noiseless Productivity Killer.
The overhead lighting or window reflections on your screen are not only annoying but are always straining your eyes. The use of anti-glare screen protectors is useful, yet it is better to have correctly positioned lights. I also leaned my lights a bit over my head and it worked immediately.
Real-World Arrangement of various Budgets.
When you have your first desk, purchase a single good desk lamp (adjustable brightness about 40-80) and install daylight LEDs in place of your overheads (15-30). That is less than one hundred and it takes 80 percent of the enhancement.
On a medium budget of 200 to 400, an addition of floor lamp to provide ambient light, LED bias lighting on your monitor and an investment in window treatment that will provide you with control of natural lighting.
Money’s no object? It may be a good idea to install dimmer switches, bulbs you can turn on and off during the day, and a light therapy lamp that may be used during the winter mornings.
The Bottom Line
The light in your home office must be almost invisible, you can feel that you are not noticing that the light is there but it would certainly not be invisible the other way around. Getting it right will not help you become a productivity machine overnight, but you are eliminated of a low-level stressor that builds up over weeks and months.
Begin with an analysis of your existing arrangement. Work an hour at various hours of the day and observe when you are squinting, when glare happens and when you feel at ease. What needs to be fixed will be seen in your eyes.
FAQs
Which is the ideal color temperature of a home office?
4000K-5000K is neutral and cool white light that does not make one feel sterile but enables alertness. Do not use warm colors (2700K-3000K) that can make one feel sleepy.
Should I work facing a window?
No. Have your desk facing the windows in order to enjoy natural light but avoid glare and backlighting problem in videotphone conversations.
To what extent should my desk lamp be bright?
Find 400-500 lumens in general use. Buy a dimmable lamp to be able to regulate it depending on the time of the day and the task at hand.
Do three kinds of lighting make any sense?
You must have ambient (overhead) and task (desk lamp) lighting at least. Lighting Accent lights enhance comfort without being necessary in functionality.
Is it worth paying more on LED bulbs?
Absolutely. They are longer-lived than the conventional bulbs, they consume less of the energy they generate less heat and color temperature selections are better when working in the office.
