Having the flexibility to work from home is not only a business trend but a viable way of working. How you set up your home office is just as important as your regular office space. Create an environment that will keep you organized and ready for success regardless of where you are working.
Tweak Your Home
Making sure your house is updated and ready for business starts with reliable high-speed internet. A fast speed is 25 Mbps for downloading and 3Mbps for uploading. Depending on your business needs, you can decide if you need speeds higher than that. Consider updating your home phone lines by going to VoIP that uses your internet. This saves on phone company expenses and still gives you features you can utilize for business, such as:
- Free long-distance and less costly international calls
- 3-way conference calls
- Voicemail
- Call logs
- Caller ID
- Call forwarding to your cell phone if you need to step away
Create Your Space
Have a specified place in your home where you are free of noise and interruption. You need enough space to meet your needs, including the ability to spread out, organize materials, and room for storage of important papers. Verticle shelving is popular for remote workers utilizing small areas as it takes up little floor space.
Make sure your desk, work area, equipment, and office chair are comfortable. Utilize natural light to enhance the environment to keep you from feeling confined. Add task lighting to light up your paperwork and computer area.
Take time to decorate your space. It needs to be inviting and a place where you want to spend time. It should make you feel happy and reduce stress. Add items you love, like family photos and plants, just as you would your other office space. Include a chalkboard or corkboard for brainstorming and posting notes.
Post Your Hours
Whether you are using your office every day or not, it should be a non-interruption zone in your home to keep business items safe. When you are there, you need to set specific rules for its use. Have a door you can shut when you need privacy for phone calls or post hours on your door that indicate you cannot be interrupted until the end of that time frame.
When working from home, having a defined area that promotes a comfortable work environment with technology that keeps you productive can be a nice change to the regular office. With a few tweaks and updates, you can set the stage to be successful regardless of where you are working.
