IT support requires a renewed sense of duty. Hour after hour, day after day, you are required to be sympathetic, responsive, clear and current. In an external setting, you have the luxury of being surrounded by peers to motivate you and share in your struggles. If you’re dealing with an unusually fussy or problematic client, you can vent to a co-worker and brush the whole thing off.

At home, there’s no such luck. That’s why, when working from home, it’s more important than ever to be proactive about your work environment. As countries continue to experience stay-at-home orders, more IT professionals are calling home their work.

If you’re one of the many at-home IT support pros, it pays to set up your space properly. In addition to having the proper backend architecture you need to run your applications and devices, here are three things to keep in mind.

Quiet Is Critical

This should go without saying: find a quiet place in the home. Many IT professionals have young toddlers running around, or roommates playing video games in the next room. For a discipline that requires sustained focus and frequent conversation, this won’t do.

If a quiet space is impossible to find, the next best thing is a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. They won’t solve the problem of noise through your microphone (when speaking to a client,) but they’ll give you peace of mind.

New Windows and Doors Can Really Improve Your Workspace

It’s remarkable how new windows and doors can transform a space. More than just functional elements of a home, they provide all sorts of additional benefits that help you survive the workday, including:

• Natural light: many offices and workspaces contain large windows for generous natural light because it improves the overall mood and productivity of workers. New windows – especially large bay windows or picture windows – achieve the same effect.
• Fresh air: Doors and operable windows allow for plenty of fresh air that the body needs to feel refreshed and sustained, especially in the warm summer months.
• Energy efficiency: your heating and cooling systems work far better when you have energy-efficient windows and doors. Without efficient windows and doors, your at-home workspace won’t be properly climate controlled.

Check out this large selection of doors and windows to take your at-home IT support office to the next level.

Take Steps to Avoid Frustration Fatigue

Users can be frustrating. Often, it becomes clear that they haven’t taken the suggested steps toward problem resolution (despite their insistence to the contrary,) and it becomes incumbent on you to re-examine the issue. It’s a struggle as old as the IT profession itself. And it can get tiring after a while.

To avoid “frustration fatigue,” be proactive about your mood. Take frequent, short breaks where you get away from the computer. Try aromatherapy to calm your nerves. If you’ve installed a new window, as mentioned above, open it and take in a few, much-needed breaths of fresh air. To provide the best possible support to clients, you need to be in the right frame of mind – unfortunately, that’s something only you can manage.

Hopefully, these three tips can help you create the optimal workspace for your at-home IT support setup.