Last Updated on Mar 23, 2020 by James W
Starting a business out of your home can be exciting. Your business may be an opportunity to pursue your passion. However, if you don’t plan the details of your home office, you may not be able to work productively in that space. Consider these tips for working from home:
What work will you perform?
To create a productive home office, it’s important to think through your daily workflow. What specific tasks will you work on in your office?
Entrepreneur.com provides a great list of questions about setting up a home office. Here are some considerations:
- Detail level of work: If you’re an engineer or an attorney, you may do work that requires a high level of attention to detail. If that’s the case, you need to decide how to provide some separation from the rest of the home. What rooms in your home are noisy- and how close is your home office to that area?
- What materials do you need? If you’re a writer and keep everything backed up on the cloud, you may not need much storage space. On the other hand, an engineer or architect may need multiple computers, printers and other equipment. Make a list of the items you’ll need in your home office.
- Will clients or peers visit? The answer to this question will have a big impact on the look of your home office. If clients or co-workers will visit, you’ll need space to meet with them. That may simply mean chairs in front of your desk, or a side table for conferences. You’ll also need to consider how and where clients enter your home office. Preferably, you may want clients to enter directly into your office from an outside door. If, instead, they have to walk through rooms, you’ll need to assess how those rooms look.
- Phone calls, conference calls: Is your workspace quiet enough for calls? If you have small children or pets, will they create a distraction? Also think about any outside noise they may interrupt a phone call.
- Other uses for your home office: Will the space be strictly used as your home office? Say, for example, that you set up an office in a spare bedroom. If guests come to visit and use the bedroom, will you need to work somewhere else? Many people who work at home are frustrated by the need to pick up and move to a new area of the house from time to time. This scenario will impact your productivity.
Helpful office furniture
Once you decide on your office needs and work environment, consider furniture. Mashable explains that many home offices are set up with an L-shaped corner desk or a desk that allow you to stand. You can also find lots of storage space designs that prevent clutter.
Insurance and security
If you work at home, check into insurance for all of the work-related furniture and equipment you purchase. Many insurance companies will offer a discount on your insurance rates if you have a home security system.
Use these tips to think through your home office design. A good office layout will help you stay productive.
