Working at home offers a great deal of ease and flexibility with scheduling. While sitting on the couch in your pyjamas to work might be tempting, a home office provides the structure and quiet that a person needs to complete important tasks.
A Separate Space
Setting aside a spot for your office is necessary. If you have a spare bedroom you might want to consider using this area to work, for peace and privacy. Even if a spare room isn’t available, securing a spot in a part of a bedroom or living room will make do. You should have enough space for a computer, telephone and any other work-related materials and family members should know that this space is dedicated to work only.
Easy Access
Scrambling to find important documents or phone numbers in the middle of an office is unprofessional, and the same is true for those who work at home. You must prioritise your documents and equipment. A computer desk with shelves or drawers is very useful as you’ll be able to access all of your work-related supplies. Having a phone near the computer also ensures that conference calls or phone orders don’t go awry.
Various Workstations
If an entire room has been dedicated to the office, you could try to set up a couple of different workstations. For example, having both a coffee table and a seat near the computer allows you to move around a bit during the day. People who work from home might even wish to set up a computer on an elevated platform so they don’t have to sit all day – a bit of standing work can be great for variety!
Book Shelves
Even if the work isn’t directly related to reading and writing, you likely have some sort of manual or supplementary material you need. Stocking the bookshelf with these most important items will help to make sure that everything is in the office and everything has a place. You can use these shelves or filing cabinets to keep track of receipts, orders or other pieces of important information that are related to various clients. And of course, a lovely bookcase will also serve as an element of decor for your office.
Decorating The Office
Just as people like to decorate their offices at work, you should have no qualms about adding a little bit of character to your work space at home. Photographs around the room or pretty elements of decor like mirrors and plants can help to remind you that this space need not be one of stress and frustration. You have the ability to work from home and, therefore the ability to decorate the office in any style that you see fit.
Organising a home office is a task that requires some thought and patience, but the effort will pay dividends for you and your business.