With a properly established home office, running a business from home doesn’t have to be a drag or a distraction. Make sure yours has these six features.
1. An All-in-One Printer
In an increasingly paperless world, the humble home printer may seem like an afterthought. On those rare occasions when you do actually have to print out an important document, you can head down to the library or UPS Store and get it done there.
Ah, but the best all-in-one printers do more than print. Mid-shelf models copy, scan, fax, and call, all without breaking a sweat. Prices have collapsed in recent years, so there’s no reason not to invest.
2. A Home (Office) Security System
Your home office may not add to your house’s resale value, but it could certainly raise its appeal for opportunistic burglars. Keep one step ahead of the threat and investigate the best home security system options on the market. Many offer flexible contracts, lessening the fiscal hit of home protection.
3. A Standing or Adjustable Desk
You’ve heard by now that standing is good for you — at least, compared with the alternative. An adjustable desk gives you the freedom to stand when you’re feeling perky and sit when you need to take a breather.
4. Comfortable Seating
Your standing desk shouldn’t be the only piece of furniture in your home office. You’ll want a comfortable, high-backed office chair — preferably with rollers — for those aforementioned breathers. Space permitting, you may also want a larger-format seat, like a loveseat or full-size couch. There’s nothing like grabbing a few Zs at the office.
5. A Comprehensive Filing System
Those papers won’t file themselves. Even if your line of work doesn’t carry record-keeping requirements, you want to preserve important documents — financial statements, tax records, copies of business filings — stretching back to your first incorporation date. You never know when you’ll need them.
6. Something Nice to Look at
This is an admittedly subjective inclusion. “Something nice”? What does that even mean?
Whatever you want it to mean, actually. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in your home office, if you’re not already living out of whatever passes for your home office currently.
Whatever you can do to ensure that you enjoy that time, you need to do. If that means planting a row of flowering shrubs just outside your home office window, or adding a couple potted plants in the corner, or putting up posters of all the beautiful places you’d rather be at the moment — it doesn’t matter. What matters is your comfort and happiness, no matter how stressful work gets.
Is Your Home Office Ready for Business?
Your home is your castle. You want your home office to be its keep, not its dungeon — even if the only logical place for your home business is in the basement.
Together, these six features can dramatically improve the functionality and productivity of your home office. Chances are good that you have some other ideas about what to include in your home office, too. Given all the time you’ll be spending in there, no home office feature is too ambitious.
