The daily commute is becoming less affordable, more time consuming and is causing employers and employees to be more creative about when and where they work. Many have made the decision to work from home or at home for their mainstream job or they embark on their own enterprise and find that a home workspace is necessary for them.
Each person has an individual personality, likes, dislikes and preferences and a home office will reflect these. Some offices deserve a condemn order and others are practical and pristine. However, those spaces may be functional for the person working there. If this is so, then that person has their ideal home office space.
1. Location Makes the Difference:
* You need a place where you can arrange an ideal home workspace. You need privacy to work effectively, which means that a separate room may be necessary. Many people convert a closet into a workspace, but this is not always the best solution.
* Other less than perfect solutions include corners of another room, a kitchen table or a room where the family gathers to watch television. A separate room has benefits ranging from privacy and safety to income tax deduction benefits. When you arrange an ideal home workspace, light is important. It should be bright enough to eliminate the use of a lamp.
2. Colorize With Stimulating Calmness:
* Stimulating calmness seems like an enigma, but if you have the funds available to decorate your new digs, you should take on the project. A decorator might be a good investment for the project. You may need guidance when it comes to choosing colors or live plants.
* The important point here is that you need to arrange an ideal home workspace. One way to achieve this is to make it different from the rest of the house. Your choice of color with live plantings helps with focus and functionality.
3. Organizing Your New Space:
* You must be able to see the big picture of your work project as well as individual tasks that form that big picture. You are working at home alone where your expertise in delegating is not necessary. That Year-At-A-View wall planner should occupy a spot on the wall facing your work area. Small tasks need a folder for each – either physical folders or virtual folders.
* At the end of a workday, be sure to make a “to-do” list for the next day. An easel, post-it-notes or a spreadsheet online will be fine for this type of activity. In order to avoid daydreaming during work time, pick up a kitchen timer to set for the completion of a task. At the end of that time, you should STOP, STAND and STRETCH.
4. Make Supplies Convenient:
* Be sure that traditional supplies are available at your desk. You might be working online, but staples, pencils, sharpeners, printer paper, envelopes, printing toner, tape, letter stack file and your phone with Rolodex are still a vital part of your workspace. When everything is readily available , productivity skyrockets.
* Most important is a spreadsheet to list office supplies and keep inventory stocked for use. Complete an inventory check every couple of weeks to
keep supplies fully stocked. Another item is just as important as these work supplies and that is a small snack-o-rama: an individual refrigerator with a small office coffee machine and cookies or crackers.
5. Spit-spot Tidy and Clean:
* You can work more efficiently when the items you need are in the place you expect to find them. Develop a filing system and use it daily. Help yourself stay organized by investing in some cabinets.
* When you arrange an ideal home workspace for yourself, half of the task is complete. The other half is keeping it tidy and clean. This is easy to do if you pick one day each week that will be clean-up day and make it part of your schedule by marking your calendar. This goes a long way toward keeping you and your space functional.
Anna K is an interior designer and a seasoned blogger. Her fields of expertise are interior design, work space optimization(including drink vending machines installation), serviced offices basics, and many more.
Image: Flickr.com/TranceMist
