You’ve taken the big step and you’ve decided to work from home. Whether you are telecommuting or starting your own business, having an organized place to work is essential for success. Here are the vital steps that you need to take to make sure your home office, and your home business operates smoothly. Don’t worry; organizing a home office is relatively easy, and less expensive than you might think.
Step # 1: Take Stock
Before you settle on file cabinets or furniture, it’s a good idea to take stock in what you already have. If you’re like most first time homeworkers, you probably have a lot of papers, pens, odds and ends, and emails. Take stock of what you have; that way you’ll be able to determine what you need to get organized. Does your business have a lot of paperwork, or is it more computer and internet based? Do you need a lot of storage space for supplies, or are they small and relatively easy to store? By understanding what you already have, and thinking about how your business will operate, you can more easily determine what you will need.
Step #2: Find the Location
One thing to remember when you have a home office is that work still needs to be done there- so choosing the right location in your home is important. It is essential that you keep your “office” and “home” areas separate as much as possible. While it is perfectly understandable that an errant toy will make its way under your office desk, try to make sure that the invasion of home and family into your work area is kept to a minimum. Working in a basement office, or an upstairs spare bedroom works well. If space is limited, though, a simple curtain hung up around your workspace can do wonders.
Step # 3: Get the Furniture You Need
Having a home office often means getting office furniture. Concentrate on finding office equipment that makes it easy for you to work. Do you have a chair that is comfortable, that encourages you to sit in a correct posture? Why not use that as your office chair? Perhaps you have some book shelves that were used by your child who is now at college. Why couldn’t they be used in your office? When you do buy something, however, make sure it is of good quality, and allows you to have to storage you need – now and in the future. It doesn’t make good business sense to be continuously replacing office furniture due to wear or expansion.
Step # 4 Organize!
Once you’ve gotten those steps done, the only thing left to do is organize your office in a way that makes sense to you. Many people organize by a color scheme, while others find that put things in a specific location is the key. The choice is yours.