If you’re a freelancer or small business owner, you know how difficult it can be to find the peace and quiet that’s necessary for your work. Part of the problem is most people don’t set up their home offices properly. They turn unused rooms into makeshift office spaces and don’t take into consideration any of the important factors.
But a smaller home office doesn’t mean giving up on an effective work environment. In fact, you can have a great space for writing, producing and general business work without a lot of material or physical input.
Whether it’s papers or candy, it doesn’t really matter. You can’t focus on your work if you’re distracted by stimuli. At the very least, push your papers to the sides of your desk or table and try to keep that area relatively clear.
For example, you should have a clear space at least three inches wide around all sides of each item on your desk so that you don’t knock things over when reaching for something behind them.
The first question to ask yourself is where will you set up your home office? Will it be in a designated office room that you basically have to set up from scratch? Or will you be setting up stations in an existing room?
If it’s the latter, think carefully about where you’ll set up that station.
You want it near where your clients or employees are going to be located so that easy communication is possible. So think about your usual work flow and how this will change if you’re working in a separate home office
You may not necessarily need a designated office space. You can have a set of shelves or a couple of tables and chairs, but if you’re planning on doing some writing or typing at the computer, you’ll need to have your setup near these activities. The same goes for video conferencing or any other type of communication.
One more area to pay attention to is your wireless network. If you use wireless technology in your home office, it’s essential that you place an access point where all the wires aren’t buried under furniture and so on.
This will make it easier for those around the room to connect without any issues.
If you’re sitting behind your computer most of the time, consider a standing work table. This is especially important for those who are easily tired or have issues with their back. Just make sure it’s sturdy and will hold up to regular use.
You don’t have to spend a lot on it, though you should at least be aware of what materials are good choices for a desk that provides good support.
When looking for the right types of furniture and equipment, do pay attention to what’s going to fit well in your home office and how easy it will be to get around your area. A good desk or table should have adequate space for all your equipment and for your papers.
Try to work with what you have so that you’ll not only be more comfortable, but so that you can also free up your space in other rooms of the house.
In the end, it’s always great to get professional help with setting up a home office.
An interior decorator can help make sure everything will work well in the space, considering things like color schemes, how furniture is placed and other small details that may seem insignificant but will ultimately make or break how comfortable your working environment is.