Secrets for Successful Home Office

Introduction

Whether you own a home-based business or you telecommute, there are tricks to making the work-from-home scenario successful. It is not as simple as plodding your way through the workday in your pajamas and bunny slippers. There is an extra level of responsibility inherent in managing your own time in your own environment.

7 Tips for Successful Home Office

Tip 1: Create a Permanent Workspace for Yourself

To begin with, Create a permanent workspace for yourself. If no one wants to give up their bedroom in favor of a home office for you, then look for other creative spaces. How about mounting a wall desk in an alcove under some stairs? Wherever you find yourself make it your own space.

Tip 2: Be Clear About Setting Boundaries 

If there are children in the house, be clear about setting boundaries when it comes to your office space. If your coworkers and clients know you work from home, make sure they understand your work hours. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you are always ‘at work’.

Tip 3: Supply Yourself With Good Equipment

When you are setting up your home office, supply yourself with good equipment. Save money by getting a second-hand filing cabinet or office chair, but don’t cheat yourself out of good technological equipment. Have a reliable computer, with a warranty. There is nothing worse than having a non-functional computer when there is work to be done.

Tip 4: Get a Good Quality Monitor and Adequate Lighting

Get a good quality monitor and adequate lighting. Printers are quite cheap nowadays. Get yourself one that can photocopy, scan, and fax. Always have a supply of ink and paper on hand. Whatever else will make your office comfortable, get it.

A fan- if it is too hot, a space heater- if it’s too cold. Radio if you need background noise, art on the walls so you don’t feel like you are staring at bare walls all alone all day long. It is surprising how much of a difference a properly decorated space will make to your comfort level and in turn, increase your productivity. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just pleasing to your eye.

Tip 5: It’s All About the Mindset

When the workday begins, go to work. That may sound a little odd, but it is really about creating a state of mind. When you sit down at your desk, you are at work. Some people go for a quick walk and then return to their home office as a daily ‘going to work’ ritual. Later on, they take another quick stroll to end their day. Engaging in a start and end of the day ritual is important in creating a concrete break between off time and on time.

Tip 6: Work Ethic

There is one common denominator among successful people who work from home: they all have a good old-fashioned work ethic. When there are tasks to be completed, customers to service, or sales to be made, then they get the job done regardless of who is watching them and where they are located. Many workers who choose to have a home office like it for the flexibility. Medical appointments can be fit in, and work time can be made up in the evening. That is a great benefit, just be rigid about making up the time.

Tip 7: Plan your Work Hours Carefully

Create adequate distraction-free periods of time for you to work. If the kids get home from school just after 3 pm, shift your work hours to start a little earlier so you can be off when they get home. If your spouse or partner is also home during the day, be clear about needing to be left alone to work.

Be flexible. If there is a child homesick and you need to care for them, move your work hours to a time with someone else who can be around to look after the sick child.

Conclusion of the Article:

Have your office in an area that will not be needed for other purposes, you will be less likely to be distracted if your space isn’t in the kitchen or television room.
Finally, adequate communication is key to a successful experience working from home. If your business is based at home, be sure to regularly communicate with members of your network. It is very easy to become stagnant when working on your own from home. Keep the lines of communication open, have regular face-to-face meetings with customers and colleagues. If you telecommute, the rule is the same: have regular face-to-face interaction with your coworkers and clients. This is very important to help prevent being left out of the cycle of information flow and decision-making processes. If you do start to feel left out, tell your supervisor. Discuss ways everyone can communicate better. Consider more teleconferencing or videoconferencing.
Having a successful home office is possible and the secrets for doing so are fairly simple. Create definitive work hours and rituals for transitioning between home and work. Have a proper dedicated space away from the other activities of the home. Supply yourself with good reliable equipment and supplies. Ensure you have enough distraction-free periods of time to work. Communicate with everyone in your working world on a regular basis, both verbally and in person. Then, enjoy the flexibility that comes with working from home!