How to do home office?
Working from home offers many advantages, from the flexibility of setting your own schedule to saving time and gas money by virtually eliminating your daily commute. However, being successful in a home office requires creating an office space that promotes efficiency in a non-traditional work environment.
Consider the following tips to help define a professional working space for your new business.
1. Create some comfy space
Your desk is for active work, but you probably need a place to think or read, too. A great home office has a nice comfy chair for curling up–potentially with an ottoman for your feet–plus a table for your coffee and a great lamp. Add a luxurious throw and a colourful pillow and you’ll want to take thinking breaks. A comfort zone is the overlooked perk of the home office. If you’ve got the room for it, it is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
2. Establish Rules
If you work from your home office regularly, it may be a good idea to set some hours for your workday — say, from 9 to 5. Working set hours may help keep you from hitting the couch for an afternoon snooze or taking a 3-hour lunch. You may also want to create some rules for your family’s use of the office. For example, if you leave the door open, it can be a signal to your family that you are welcome to come talk to you, but a closed door may mean you’re on a client call or doing something else that shouldn’t be interrupted unless there’s an emergency.
3. Utilize Formal Processes and Procedures
There is no need to write a formal employee handbook or publish a list of office rules, but determining a formal system of operations for your home office is useful. This includes everything from standardizing record-keeping and paying invoices to logging time with customers and mileage for business trips. Keeping a few formal procedures in place for standard business functions will ensure your office stays organized, and that information is available where and when you need it most.
4. Add greenery
Plants make people happier. It’s like bringing what’s outside your window into your space. Plus, since most plants can go a day or two without watering, you won’t have to go into your office on weekends (as you might need to if tending to other living things, like fish).
5. Overstock
Especially if other people are home during working hours, you don’t want to be darting out of the office every few minutes when you need things. Keep all your office supplies–pens, scissors, stapler, stamps–handy. Consider a small fridge or coffee maker if you like to enjoy a few beverages during the day. But don’t keep your lunch in the office fridge. You do need breaks, after all, and even if you’ve got an awesome home office, you don’t need to spend your life in there.
