Working from home gives you the opportunity to set up an office that perfectly
suits you and your business.
Defining your office
You will work much better if you have dedicated office space. That way, you
can work without distraction, and close the door at the end of the working
day.
This space could be the spare room, the attic or even the garden shed. Working
at the end of the garden path is becoming increasingly popular and the
garden office industry is booming on the back of it.
Wherever you choose, make sure that it has plenty of natural light and
decorate it with soft tones of blues and greens as these colours will make a
home office, and you, work particularly well.
Furnishings
Once you’ve identified the space, whether inside or outside the house, it’s
time to furnish it and the two most important pieces of furniture are those
you’ll spend most time at - your chair and desk.
Buy a chair that is designed for computer use and try it out. Sitting
awkwardly for any length of time will put your body under stress and make
you work less efficiently, so make sure your chair is fully adjustable.
Ideally, your feet should be flat on the floor and your back straight.
Getting this right will make working from home so much more comfortable.
Invest in a good, sturdy desk that offers you sufficient working space and can
also accommodate your computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse. The top of your
monitor should be at eye level and the monitor itself about an arm’s length
away.
Scale furniture to the size of the room to avoid any sense of claustrophobia
and keep furnishings an inch or two away from the wall.
Cut out the clutter
It is difficult to work effectively amidst chaos, so try to keep your
workspace free of clutter.
If necessary, invest in some good storage but always buy boxes with lids and
make sure you label them well.
If you have a lot of boxes or files it can be distracting and also unsightly
so consider buying a screen or a box seat for visitors to hide them from
view
Final touches
To make your home office complete, consider adding a plant to help reduce any
feelings of isolation, or a vision board to remind you of your business
goals and priorities each time you enter and leave the room.
And a decent sound system to provide some background music or something to
dance to when celebrating a new deal is a worthwhile investment
Emma Jones is the founder of online home business company Enterprise Nation
(www.enterprisenation.com)
and author of Spare Room Start Up – how to start a business from home.
