Being a parent is a full time job. Working at home is a full time job. Here are a few home office ideas to make your life a little easier for both jobs.
Establish an office in your home even if you have a laptop, a wireless connection, and cell phone. Designating a space where you work focuses your attention and your family’s attention that you are at work. It would be great to have an off limits room for your office but not many homes have a spare bedroom. Your home office doesn’t have to be huge, even a closet will do.
The basics you’ll need are a flat surface to use as your desk, a storage area for important work related papers, and office supplies. It may seem silly to have duplicates such as stapler, scissors, paper, ink, etc., when those supplies are also in the family room, but you’ll save time knowing you have what you need close at hand. Don’t share these supplies with the family or you’ll defeat your purpose.
Your office area should be pleasant, well lighted, comfortable, and organized.
You spend time in your home based business, there’s no reason where you work can’t be pleasant. Add accessories, your favorite colors, perhaps even a fresh flower or two to your desk. Spray paint is the best friend of the budget decorator. A couple of cans in your favorite color and that mismatched set of furniture can be like new again.
Don’t overlook lighting. It’s best to have lighting from several sources to help eliminate glare and shadows. Position the lights so they don’t reflect off the computer screen when you’re sitting in front of it.
An important piece of office equipment is your chair. You might think that borrowing a chair from the dining room would be adequate, but if you spend any length of time at all in front of your computer you need a chair with back support. A comfortable, adjustable, office chair can be found for under $100 and is money well spent.
An organized office leads to higher productivity and less stress. Organization is even more important if your office space is tiny. Keep only what you use every day in your office. For example if you have to shred documents for security purposes but only do it once a month or so, keep the paper shredder in the garage not taking up valuable space in your office.
Use these home office ideas for your home based business.