Organizing a Home Office
Rooms devoted to offices are becoming a standard in many homes today. More people are choosing to work from home whether it is a traditional 9-to-5 job or a second job or business to supplement the family’s income. Establishing a home office to help you stay organized and create a professional environment is a must to help ensure your success of working from home. As an added plus, make sure you check with your accountant to see what costs involved in setting up a home office can be used as a tax deduction.
Before you begin setting up your office consider the following:
1. What type of business will you be running? Do you need an office environment that will allow you to meet with clients in your office?
2. Will it be sole your workspace or will you share it with another family member who is also working from home?
3. Will your office be part of a multi-purpose room? If you are running a business that requires you to stock inventory items and shipping supplies, you may need a room that is used exclusively for your business. However, if your business is mainly computer or internet based, you won’t need as much space and may be able to use a dual purpose room such as a dining room.
Now that you know what type of space you will need for your business, start by eliminate anything from the room that isn’t directly connected to your business unless it is a multi-purpose room. The fewer distractions you have, the better. It also helps reduce unnecessary clutter. Store things in boxes or move them to another room.
There are many nice filing systems – from the traditional filing cabinets, to hanging folders that can attach to the back of a door. Sort through all the papers in your office. Decide what you need to keep and what can be thrown away. When in doubt, set up another folder or box for things to look at again later. Once you establish a filing system, keep up with it on a daily basis. It is too easy to become overwhelmed if you don’t. Color-coded systems work nicely. One color for tax-deductible related items, another for invoices to clients, another expenses, and so on. Then you simply place the papers or receipts in the appropriate color folder.
The workspace is often the most difficult to keep organized, but if you have a handle on the paperwork, it helps reduce one area of clutter. Make sure the workspace is large enough, and comfortable. Whether you have to sit or stand do to the work, make sure the surface is at the correct height. This will help reduce back strain and allow you to work for longer periods of time, thereby increasing your productivity.
There are many nice desk organizers that allow you to keep items close at hand but out of the way. If you only keep the items you need most often on the workspace, it will also reduce clutter. Keep the rest tucked away in storage units in your desk drawer, shelf or box. There are drawer organizers that can be customized to meet your needs.
If you use a computer, make sure you have enough space for the computer itself, the monitor, printer and any other hardware you may need, such as scanners and fax machines. Many companies produce multi-purpose units that combine those features into one machine, which takes up much less desk space.
Once your office is all set up, be sure you organize the computer itself. You can find a variety of organizational software programs that can help you track appointments, clients, and your work. By using these programs, you can keep on top of things and waste less time. Set up special folders in your documents folder, so you can file things away for easy retrieval. Databases and spreadsheets are also very helpful tools in tracking your inventory and other business related needs.
Now that you are all organized – get to work! It is easy for home offices to become unorganized and cluttered, so make sure you set aside some time every week to do some organization maintenance.
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