If you're going to work at home, rather than just be at home, you need to create an environment that will allow you to operate in a business-like manner.
There is no one "correct" way to set up your workspace. An organized office does not have to mean a desk with nothing on it and all paperwork hidden away in drawers with alphabetized files. If you forget about things unless you see them this clearly would not work for you. Instead, you should have project folders in an organizer on top of your desk where you will see them all the time. Creative wooden storage racks
However, there is plenty of advice available from people who tried all different kinds of work-from-home arrangements. Here's what they have to say.
Select the Right Location
A home-based business usually starts small, so the space allotted to it is often an afterthought. But when your business starts to grow it becomes inconvenient to go to the other side of the room every time you need to file something. Before you know it you have stacks of clutter on the floor waiting to be filed the next time you get up from your desk. Next, you decide that going to the closet each time you need something is a waste of time, so supplies end up all over your desk on a permanent basis.
When these things happen, you need to reconsider your office arrangement. Just like a child who has outgrown his clothes, your business may have outgrown its initial location. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Find a place of your own
If at all possible, find a separate room for working purposes only. It's a convenient way to isolate yourself from the rest of the house while you focus on your work. When clients call, they should not be aware that you are operating a business out of your home. Be professional and eliminate family background noise.
It's important for you, too. You need a clear distinction between work and home. That way, when you're in your office, you're in the right state of mind. When your office is no different from where you live, it's impossible to get away from work. Virtually every single work-from-home professional says that unless you live alone, trying to work on the couch or in the family room is on is a recipe for inefficiency. You'll give your work half the attention and twice the time it deserves.
Along those lines, I would caution you that working from a dining room table or similar makeshift setup is likely to be ineffective and inconvenient in the long run. It will be difficult to accomplish anything meaningful in the midst of family activity. Besides, you don't want to continually be relocating your work at dinnertime or when guests come over.
Not only will it be difficult to keep your work in order, but you'll lose time trying to recover your train of thought when you resume. Not to mention the risk of important details or deadlines getting lost in transit.
Don't get caught in traffic
It's usually a good idea to locate your office away from major traffic patterns in your home. Constant noise and household activity will not only distract you, but also will sound unprofessional over the telephone. An ideal location would be an unused room that's not on the main floor. That could be a spare bedroom, an alcove off a hallway, or even a basement. In fact, a finished basement could be an ideal solution if it has good lighting and comfortable working conditions.
Some work-from-home parents like to have the office located where they can easily keep an eye on their children, even including a television so that on days the children are home from school they can join them in the office.
The main thing is to choose a place you will want to be. I've seen beautifully furnished offices going unused because they were too isolated, cold, or inconvenient, and the business owner ending up working somewhere else entirely.
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