So you’ve decided that you’re going to be working from home, but now you actually need a place to sit. Setting up at your kitchen table or on a couch might seem nice, but after awhile it will become uncomfortable, and you’ll end up getting less work done. This is why people designate a room in their house to be their home office – a place where they can work uninterrupted, and where they can keep all of their office supplies. If you’re going to be setting up a home office, here are a few simple tips to help you with the process.
Find A Location In Your Home
The first thing you need to decide is where your office is going to be. In your basement? In an empty bedroom? The garage? Or perhaps in just the corner of another room, such as a den. It doesn’t matter where you put it, as long as there is enough space for you to do your work, and you are comfortable in there. When picking a location consider things like existing phone lines, electrical outlets, how cold or warm the room usually is, and whether you’ll be able to work there without being interrupted.
Get The Right Furniture
Now that you know where you’ll be doing work, you need the right furniture. To set up your home office, you’ll likely need at least a desk and a chair. How big of a desk you get will depend on how much space you need, and the size of the room you are in. When it comes to a desk chair, make sure you get something comfortable, as you may end up sitting in it a lot.
Whenever you’re looking at furniture, be sure to get exact measurements to ensure it will fit into the space you desire. Also, don’t feel the need to purchase everything new, as there are plenty of places that will sell you used furniture at a discount.
Find The Right Equipment
For your home office, you will probably need more than just a desk and chair. Most home offices these days need things like computers, printers, scanners, telephones and an internet connection. Before you buy just any piece of equipment, make sure you really need it, and find the best model for you. For example, some computers are better built for business operations, while others are more for personal use, so you want to get the right one.
Clear Out Space
The next thing you need to do is clear out some space. Likely the room you want to put your office in has other things in it already, and you need a place to put them. For this step, you’ll need to figure out what you’re keeping, and what you need to move to another location. You may also have to do some shuffling around of things in other parts of your home. For instance, if you have things in your soon-to-be office that you want to put into the garage, you may need to move things from the garage to a lean to shed out in the yard. Do whatever you have to do to get your home organized, and clear out enough space for your work.
Set Up Organizing Systems
It’s going to be hard to get work done if everything in your home office is out of order. You need to be able to find things quickly, and clutter has a way of distracting us. The best thing you can do is set up some organizing systems to help keep your office in order. Grab some file cabinets, and sort out all of your papers. Place labels on things to help you sift through them quicker. There are plenty of ways to organize your home office; you just need to pick a method that works for you, and then stick with it.
Personalize It
Lastly, you want to enjoy your home office, so go ahead and personalize it. Put up some pictures that you like, add a way to listen to music, and paint it a color that you like. You’re going to be working in there a lot, so it should be a room that you don’t mind spending time in. While you still want it to feel like an office, that doesn’t mean it can’t be a room that you like.
Working from home can be great, but it really helps to have a set place to sit and focus. By setting up a home office you’ll be able to get more work done, and as a result enjoy working from home more. We hope these tips help you to get started, and your home office will begin to take shape before long.
