Tips For Designing Your Home Office
Setting up a home office is one of the most important tasks you will face when you make the decision to work from your own home. Your home office can be a corner of your kitchen or living room or, if space permits, a former spare bedroom.
Size is less important that functionality. When deciding on where to set up the nerve center of your business, there are some factors you need to consider.
Is the area well lit?
Proper lighting is extremely important. Spending hours at a time in a dimly lit work space can create eyestrain which, after long periods of time, could lead to more serious problems with your vision.
Are there plenty of electrical outlets?
Take into consideration what appliances you will have in your work space. Your computer system will require an outlet for your cpu, monitor, scanner, printer, speakers (sometimes) and other ancillary equipment you may have.
Is the area well ventilated and dust free?
All of that computer equipment needs to “breath” to remain cool and functioning properly. If you have ever “fried” a computer you know how important it is to keep the fan clean and dust free.
Do you have telephone access?
In addition to having a telephone handy for business purposes, you will also require telephone access for your modem. You may also consider a separate telephone line for your business. It is much easier to track telephone business expenses for tax purposes if you have a separate phone line. It’s also important that your clients can reach you. If your clients have to compete with your teenagers telephone habits, chances are they will call someone else. Make certain that this separate line is set up to receive phone calls while you are online. Most major telephone companies now offer that service. You may pay a few extra dollars a month for it, but it will pay for itself over the long haul.
How much ‘foot traffic” is there liable to be?
You want your office to be as isolated as possible. Can you imagine trying to speak with a client with kids screaming in the background? Not a very professional picture. If you have no choice but to have your office in a high traffic area, adjust your work schedule to coincide with family activities. Sit your family down and explain the importance of your work and why you need their cooperation. It won’t always work out that way but at least it’s a step in the right direction.
It goes without saying that you need to have normal office supplies. Even if your work is online you still need the pens, pencils, note pads and so on.
One of the stickiest challenges you may encounter comes from your friends. People who do not work from home seem to think that if you do, you have all the time in the world to visit. This can become a major problem if you do not set the parameters. Setting out the ground rules is important to the overall health and well being of your business. Let your friends and extended family know your business hours and explain to them that you are not available during those periods of time. The sooner you do this the better.
Conduct your business in a professional manner. Just because you work at home does not mean that you should throw out the rule book. Maybe you have read the humorous comment about “working in your pajamas”. It sounds good in sales messages, but the truth is you are much better off if you awaken in the morning and prepare yourself for your work day as if you were still trekking off to the office, because you are.
You will be much better prepared to focus and get down to business if you dress the part. That doesn’t mean that you need to squeeze into the normal “office” attire. It does mean that you set the standards for your business and much of that has to do with “mindset” and self-image. Dressing comfortably is a one of the serendipities of working at home, but you will be much better prepared for business if you dress the part.
I have one final word of advice for the new work at home entrepreneur. Having your office right down the hall can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. Remember to take time out for yourself. Most people believe that working at home comes with certain privileges, and it does. However, it can also become all-consuming and take total control of your life.
Don’t allow that to happen. Create your schedule and live by it. Make sure you turn off the lights, shut down the computer and “go home” at the end of your work day.
How to De-Clutter Your Life
Are you constantly stressed because you can’t get organized, no matter how hard you try? Do you ever feel as if you are drowning in a sea of stuff? Are you frustrated because you are always running behind? If so, here are a few steps towards a better organized you.
Start with a plan. Don’t try to do everything at once, or you’ll get overwhelmed and give up before you even start. Junk accumulates in 4 areas: space, time, priorities, and paper/information.
Decide which one of the 4 areas you want to deal with first, and then ask yourself these questions:
1. Why do I need this in my life?
2. Why do I want this in my life?
3. Why is this essential in my life?
As you use the 3 questions above, take baby steps in what will be a life-long progress that will help you be more successful and have less stress and more balance in your life.
Your Space
When you eliminate things you don’t need or use, life becomes simpler, with less stress and more balance. You are able to focus on the things that are important to you, and you can get more enjoyment out of your space.
As you go through your home, tackle one room at a time, starting with the area that’s most frustrating to you. Get that under control, and then move on to another problem area.
The bathroom is often a good starting place because it’s one of the smallest rooms in your home, and de-cluttering it will give you a sense of accomplishment and renewed energy to keep going.
Your Time
Do you want more time to take care of yourself? Are you trying to squeeze more time out of your day to spend with your family? Are you looking to cut down on your chores at home? Time seems to be one area that gets out of balance very quickly.
There are many activities vying for your attention: socializing, church and school programs, recreation, yard work, reading, exercise, and so much more….And even though they all seem important, you don’t have time for all of them. You need to make decisions about how to best spend your time.
To help you manage your time, make sure you have a family calendar with everyone’s activities recorded on it: not only will this help you stay organized, but it will show you if you are spending enough time with your loved ones.
Use lists to stay on track: grocery lists, cleaning lists, project lists, etc. Lists help you in two ways: first, by writing down your tasks you are de-cluttering your mind, and second, you can do your chores quickly, knowing exactly what needs to be done.
Remember that time is a precious gift: use it wisely by making choices rather than reacting to situations as they occur.
Your Priorities
Do you find yourself on the run at all times? It’s really easy to always be busy and not accomplish things that are most important in your life.
When you know what’s important to you and what your goals are, it is easy to say “no” to those activities that don’t move you towards those goals. To set priorities, you must first know what you want to achieve: take time right now and think where you want to be in 1 year, 5 years, and even 10 years.
What will you be doing? Where will you be doing it? Why will you be doing it? How will you be doing it? And lastly, with whom will you be doing it?
Once you have a clear picture of where you want to be, you can create a plan to take you there. Write your goals in pencil, and don’t be afraid to change them, if your life’s circumstances change. Goals are just guidelines for your life.
Your Paper/Information
You need a plan to control all types of information: your photos, children’s mementos, bills to be paid, receipts, warranties, income tax information, and any other vital documents.
For photographs, have them placed in an album for that year, or for the occasion, immediately after you picked them from the photo shop: otherwise, you’ll be wondering later on, where or when you took those pictures.
For your kids treasures, get a box for each child, and when they fill it, they need to throw away one memento before they add their last creation. This is the best way to save only the best of your children’s treasures.
For your vital documents, make sure you have them in a safety deposit box.
As for your online information, organize your desktop and your email with well labeled folders, and make sure you only save information that is absolutely necessary: otherwise, you’ll soon be overwhelmed.
There are so many things you can do to de-junk your life! I hope this is the beginning of a great adventure for you, as you declare war on junk and take control of your life.
