LifeHow Do I Set Up My Home Office?
America’s No. 1 organizing expert answers life’s most pressing – and sometimes simplest – questions.
Working from home brings with it a lot of freedom – the freedom to make decisions, to set hours and to determine your own workplace culture. Yet the home-based office has its share of challenges. Space is limited. It’s hard to stay organized when the lines blur between home and work.
Wireless technology has made it possible to work in any room of the house, which is great — but it can also be part of the problem. Just because you can work anywhere doesn’t mean you should. The key to setting up a successful home office is to designate a specific location and clearly define the boundaries of your work space.
Ask yourself the following questions to help you decide where to locate your office, based on your individual needs, family patterns and personal preferences.
• Full or part time? Home offices used full time require more work and storage space whereas part-time ones can usually afford to be smaller and tucked away (beneath a stairwell, perhaps).
• Compact or spacious? How much space you need also depends on the type of work you do and your preferred style of working. For example, a writer who does all his/her work by computer and phone requires less space than an artist or craftsperson who needs and wants to have much elbow room to spread things out.
• Remote or central? If noise and activity will disturb your concentration, select the quietest, most private location in the house – the basement or a guest room upstairs, perhaps. But if you can block out such distractions, or thrive on them because they make you feel stimulated and connected, select a more public location – a breakfast nook near the dining room, perhaps.
• Multi-use? If the space will be used for a dual purpose — e.g., home office by day, guest room by night — be sure to store papers and supplies in file drawers or containers for quick cleanup when others come in to use it. When sharing your home office with other family members, find a way to separate your files, records and supplies, with designated drawers, cabinets and shelves for your work only.
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I have a home office that I’ve had about three years now. Before that I had to GO TO the office. We have a family owned business that we’ve had for 25 years. I work from 8 -3 and no later (except for emergency situations) That is how I keep work and home separate. I still get up and get dressed before I sit at my desk, just as if I was leaving.
Our business is a service business, so I have a pc, a printer w/ fax, I have two file cabinets, and then all the usual things like a Rolodex, calculator, phone, stapler, tape dispenser, etc.
My Rolodex no longer stores info like name, add, ph #, I keep all that in my pc., It stores websites w/ id’s and passwords.
It was interesting to see the desks of some of our WoW founders….I loved Mary Wells desk.
I have always believed you can tell a lot about a person from their work space and how they keep it. Just like with their cars. People who have cluttered offices and cars tend to have junkie and cluttered homes. I would go crazy if I had a desk filled with stuff. I prefer clean, sparse work environments. It’s why my heart goes out to those who have hoarding issues, I would probably commit suicide if I had stuff everywhere.
My office desk and work environment fits my personality to the letter. People who know me well are never surprised when they see my desk. The rich mahogany of the wood, jewel encrusted desk accessories and over-sized flat monitor. A bit of the glitz, a bit of the traditional, a water fountain for nature and a smattering of new technology….that’s Belinda Joy.
I use a spare bedroom for my home office. It is more of a computer lab than office. I have an Uninterruptable Power Supply and air cleaner to protect the equipment.
I turned the closet into a work library.
As a programmer, I find two sets of keyboard/monitor/mouse to be the most productive. Because all the equipment is in the same place, it was easy to wire them together instead of wireless – and a gigabit transfer rate is great.
If you go wireless, remember to secure access or you will be inviting the entire neighborhood to the party.
Do not forget ergonomics! I have a very comfortable high-back chair that supports my back. The top of the monitor should be at eye level. If you use florescent lighting, keep the monitor refresh rate above 60hz to avoid eyestrain. The keyboard and mouse should also be at the proper height to avoid joint stress.
I also find it helpful to have psychological cues in the space, that you associate with switching off ‘home’ and switching on ‘office’ – like classical music or essential oils. I have a whole productivity ritual to help flick the switch when it’s time for ‘serious’ work.
filing & Storage
breakfast nook, elbow room, storage space