DESIGNING
YOUR HOME OFFICE
by
Rachel Goldstein
owner
of Allfreelancework.com -
1000s of freelance jobs
So
you have finally decided to work from home and set up your home office?
Setting up your home office is one of the best parts of working from home.
For the first time in your life, YOU get to choose your desk and where
it goes. YOU get to choose the equipment and the supplies. YOU get to choose
the chairs and the lamps. This is going to be fun for you. This article
will explore the essentials of designing your home office … everything
from finding the space to buying the right supplies. You will be spending
a lot of time in your office, lets make sure that you design it right.
FINDING
THE ROOM
Sometimes
it is hard to find the right room to place your home office. After all,
when you bought your house you probably didn't know that you would be working
from home. Look for a room in your house that has the following elements:
1.
Separate from household members and distractions
2.
Enough room for a desk, chair, equipment, office supplies, and space to
think and move around.
3.
Enough electrical outlets and power for all of your equipment
4.
Phone line (s) available
5.
Enough heating and cooling
6.
(opt) Windows for sunlight and fresh air
7.
(opt) An air vent for good ventilation
In
an ideal situation, all of the above elements will be present.
If
you choose a room completely separate from other rooms, "defined work space
used exclusively for your business" (IRS Tax Code), you can deduct your
home office. So it would be better for your pockets to choose an enclosed
space of your house that isn't used for family life.
Can't
find an open space for your house? Try to use your imagination before you
call an architect to renovate or add on to your house. Are there any walk-in
closets in your house? How about your basement? You can clean up your garage
and park cars on the street. Maybe separating another room with bookshelves
might do the trick. If you still can't figure out a way to make space for
your home office, maybe you should consider hiring an architect or general
contractor to add on to your house or to build an office in your basement
or other room. This might be an easy job … just adding a wall to make one
room into two. Or you might land up spending quite a bit of money. I recommend
not getting carried away until your business is running smoothly for at
least 6 months.
LAYOUT
PLAN
It isn't
time to go shopping yet; rather it is time to get out the graph paper,
rulers, and pencils. Before we buy furniture and equipment we will need
to map out our office, in other words make a layout plans. Have a family
member help you measure the length and width of the room and the height
and width of the doorway. On your piece of graph paper draw the room in
the right proportion. Then consider all of the equipment and supplies that
you will need to run your business. Here are my suggestions:
1.
Chair
2.
Desk
3.
Filing Cabinet
4.
Bookshelves
5.
Telephone(s)
6.
Computer
7.
Fax Machine / Copier / Scanner
8.
Storage Bins
9.
Pens / Pencils
10.
Paper
11.
Binders
12.
Folders
13.
Staples, Binder Clips, Paper Clips
14.
Envelopes
15.
Media Storage Devices (Zip Disks, Floppy Discs, CDs, etc)
Think
ahead, is there anything else that you might need? Now, map out on the
graph paper where you want to place each of these items … design away!
Remember, you will be spending much of your time in your office, try to
make it a place that you will enjoy visiting or you might dread working.
For this reason, the way that you design your home office can make or break
your freelance business. Keep the following in mind when designing your
home office.
1.
Only paint with neutral colors, or the paint will overpower your furniture
and you will become distracted
2.
Don't jam tons of furniture and equipment into your office unless totally
necessary. Having too much clutter is one reason you might not want to
visit your office.
3.
If you are easily distracted, don't put your desk in front of a window.
4.
Place your bookshelf, filing cabinet, and telephone at arms reach
5.
Place your desk near the electrical supply and phone lines
6.
Get personal and add your personal touch to everything. This will create
a more inviting atmosphere for you.
7.
If there is enough room, add a love seat or reading chair for you when
you need a change of scene.
GO
SHOPPING
Now the
fun part … shopping! Whether you decide to shop online or in a conventional
store, don't forget your items list and layout plan. As you shop for items,
take their measurements and draw them on your plan to make sure that they
fit. A few online stores that you can look at are:
OfficeSupplies.com
OnlineOfficeSupplies.com
TotalOfficeSupply.com
Staples.com
FurnitureFind.com
WHAT
TO LOOK FOR IN EACH ITEM
1. Desk
/ Workstation - Since the invent of the computer, one small desk is
no longer enough. A workstation is a more appropriate term now. Depending
on what your profession is, you will need desk space for your computer,
and then more desk space for administrative work. Think about what type
of equipment you will need are where it will go. How much room do you have
for a desk? Usually your best option is to get an "L" desk. What I mean
by this is choose your favorite desk, and then choose a smaller desk that
can be placed perpendicular to the main desk. The big desk is perfect for
your computer equipment, and the smaller desk can be kept clear for your
writing surface.
Make
sure that you choose a sturdy desk that you can keep for a long time. It
is better to dish out a few more bucks now then to have to replace your
desk in a year. Also, find a desk that is at a height that is comfortable
for you.
If
you don't have enough money to buy a new desk, try visiting the Salvation
Army or a used furniture store to save money. You might also try building
a desk from items you already have or need. You can use a door on top of
filing cabinets, bookcases, milk crates, or another item.
2.
Chair
-
You chair is one of the most important items in your office. If you purchase
a cheap chair, you could hurt yourself or hate working in your office.
Choosing a good chair reduces fatigue and other pains that occur when posture
is bad for long periods of time. Buy an adjustable chair (height, armrests,
back angle, and lumbar support) so you can enjoy your office and avoid
pain and injuries.
3.
Bookshelf
- How big your bookshelf needs to be depends on how much room you have
left in your office after your workstation and chair are in place. My suggestion
is to install your bookshelf right behind and above your desk. This way
books are always at arms reach and you saved yourself a lot of room. Purchase
as big of a bookshelf as you can. You will be surprised how fast it fills
up.
4.Filing
Cabinets - You will want to purchase at least a four-drawer filing
cabinet. It is crucial that your filing system is organized and easily
available
5.
Telephone
- It is important to get a telephone that has a hold and speaker button.
It is a good idea to get a separate line for the telephone and fax / modem.
6.
Computer
-
The computer will most often be the most expensive piece of equipment you
purchase for your office. Because of the large amount of variables involved
we have devoted a whole separate articles just on this topic. Briefly,
however, here are a few suggestions. These are broad strokes, read the
full article for specifics.
Your
first decision is going to be the operating system for the computer. Unless
you have a reason to choose otherwise, you are going to be looking at a
Mac or a Windows machine. If you have experience on one platform you should
stick with it. When you are working on your own without any kind of system
support you want to use a computer you are comfortable with. All things
being equal, if you are a graphic designer or desktop publisher use a Mac,
anything else get a PC.
The
second decision is who to buy the machine from. Keywords here are reliable,
reliable, reliable. If you are buying a Mac purchase straight from Apple.
If you are buying a PC make your purchase from Dell. You may be tempted
to buy from a no-name or even somewhere with a good reputation because
the price is mouth watering. It's your eyes that will be watering when
your computer stops working at one A.M. with a looming deadline. You want
good support; Dell is rated as the best over and over by all the publications
that count.
Since
we are on the topic of support … buy the service contract. If you are buying
a Mac, that support is three years of "Applecare". If you don't buy straight
from Apple your reseller may try to convince you their private support
is as good, or even better. To keep it short, THEY ARE WRONG! I am yet
to find third party support that beats Apple's. I have always found it
to be worth the money. As for Dell, purchase the three years of onsite
support. If you can afford to be without your computer for a few days you
can save a bit by using their mail in service, but who can afford to lose
those days.
Finally
we are left with the computer's configuration. This was probably your first
question, but for most of you it is probably the least important. For the
most part computer power is far superior to the software that can run on
it right now. Since new systems are constantly brought to the fore we can't
give specific numbers. The best buy for the money is usually going to be
a based on the company's mid-level offering. The cheapest way to increase
power in your system is by adding RAM, make sure the computer you purchase
has at least 128 mb. If you are a designer that minimum is 256 mb.
I hope
this article has helped you plan out and design your office. Once you have
purchased all necessary items, move them on in and start your freelance
business. Good Luck
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