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Setting up an effective home office

Guest post by: Sue Stockdale

Article Overview: When you are starting out in business one of the first decisions that you will have to take is where to locate your business – in your home or in office premises? If you choose your home, it is useful to take some time to plan how you will set it up before you begin, as it will make life much easier in the long run. Sue Stockdale offers some tips to help you set up an effective home office.

Setting up an effective home office

Tips for setting up your home office

Think about what are your needs at work. Many people underestimate the need for being around others and it’s not until they are sitting at home on their own day after day that they realise it. Are you the type of person that is a social animal, and enjoys being with people at work and having a social life around your friends at work? If so, then think carefully before setting up an office on your own, because without that human contact you could be very unproductive.

Set rules for you and your family. Even though you are working from home, its useful to set some rules for you and your family to live by. Set yourself some office hours and stick to them. It doesn’t have to be nine till five, but whatever you decide, make sure any other family members know too. That way they shouldn’t come to disturb you or seek your attention during that time. Sometimes easier said than done with children – so invest in a childminder or nursery for a few hours each week, so that you can really get stuck into your work.

Invest in a separate telephone line for business so that you (and your children) know not to answer it inappropriately. It means you can display a professional image for your business and you might even decide on using a telephone answering service to divert your calls to when you are not around. It gives callers the impression that you are a larger business and most people don’t like to leave messages on answer phones.

Think about an appropriate meeting area If you are meeting customers or suppliers at home, then create a meeting area appropriate to your needs. Remember to be wary of callers coming to your home if you are there alone, so it’s a good idea to meet in a mutually convenient location. Suss out the local coffee shops, hotel lobbies and meeting rooms available for rent that might give a better impression for your business.

Build your own office. If you want to create an office space well away from your home and you have a large garden, you might even consider buying a self build home office. They are available to buy for less than £5000 and will give you a completely separate space. Don’t forget about electrics though, as you will need to have access to lighting, phone and computer!

Virtual assistant If you need some additional admin support then think about using a virtual assistant to help you. They can do most things from typing reports to preparing powrepoint presentations and everything in between. It means you don’t have to find extra office space and they work remotely from you but are part of your team.

Think about your environment – Consider the set up of your office in terms of where you will locate your computer, printer, storage, desk etc. Most people don’t use vertical height effectively and if you plan it carefully you might be surprised just how organised you can be. You can even use Feng Shui principles to add to your thinking about use of colour, plants, images etc. It’s amazing how often people just “make do” and yet they are spending most of their day in their working environment, so take time to plan it carefully. If you plan out where fixtures are going to go in your work environment, remember to consider things like lighting, electric power, sockets, ventilation etc.

How you dress The clothes you wear in your home office will impact on how you feel. Whilst its nice to slob around in your dressing gown for most of the day because you are not meeting anyone, does it help you get into the mindset for work? Dress to impress yourself!

Stationery orders Whilst you may not have a large stationery cupboard in your home, it can make good financial sense to order quantities in bulk as you will usually save money. There are companies like Euroffice or Viking Direct that provide next day delivery, so if you are limited on space, team up with another home based person to buy stationery and you can both save money.

Used office furniture If you are watching the pennies in the early stages of start-up, think about getting used office furniture for your home office. Look on ebay or speak to your local business contacts to find out if any companies are selling their furniture due to an office move. However, NEVER scrimp on a comfortable chair. It is the one thing that you should invest in as you will notice the difference immediately.

Get some exercise. It can be easy to spend all day in your home working and never go out and its not good for your motivation. Take a brisk walk sometime during the day (maybe to the post box) or go to the gym before you start work so that you have managed to get some exercise and fresh air. It can make all the difference and revitalise your thinking.

Invest in technology Your computer is likely to be one of the most important tools of your business and working from home you don’t have that technical support on hand that you may have in a large office. So think about how you will back up your files so that you are not left high and dry when the hard disk crashes. Also invest in a large monitor as it will make all the difference if you are likely to be staring at your screen all day.

Ergomonics is a big word for thinking about comfort at your work space. Are you constantly turning your head to look at your computer screen, or straining your arm using your mouse? If you are not comfortable where you work, then take action to make it better for you. If you have a chronic back problem, then think about getting a standing desk.

Noises and distractions Whilst your street may be quiet in the evenings, whats it like during the day? Maybe there are kids playing in the school playground round the corner that you never knew about when you worked in an office, or maybe its your neighbours loud TV that is distracting. Think about what might get annoying after a while if you are based from home.

Filing and minimising chaos people can spend lots of time searching for documents when they are not organised and misfile things or don’t label files. If you have minimum space available for storage at home, then think carefully about what you will keep and where it will be kept. Remember if you are a limited company or VAT registered you need to keep your files for 7 years legally.

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  Advantages of a Virtual Office for Entrepreneurs
  Online Home Based Business: Essential Steps To Take
  Home-based Business Opportunity: Interior Designer

Article Tags: answer phones, childminder, coffee shops, family members, hotel lobbies, human contact, meeting rooms, office space, professional image, social animal, suss out, telephone answering service, telephone line, working from home



Related Forum Posts
Home Office vs Rented Office - Another advantage to having a home office is the low overhead expenses. My monthly office costs would be increased by 300-400% if I had to rent an office. THis allows me to pass those savings on to my clients and also decreases the financial stress of being in business. I appreciate the savings that a home office gives me and none of my clients mind. Its not for everyone and I understand that. I have friends who work from home and they have lots of distractions. I get far more work done since I work from home, although I do work much longer hours, but that's my choice at this point. I wouldn't want to work until 10 or 11 pm and then have to travel home, but this arrangement makes it work for me. Shri
Office vs Home office - [quote:jmbfd61m]You should not make your home place also an office place. [/quote:jmbfd61m] I have to disagree. It all comes down to a couple of things. If you have the type of business that can be run out of your home, and a large enough home to accommodate a properly-set up office... there's no reason not to do it! For Moms with kids there might be some boundary/daycare issues, but other than that... If yours is the type of business where you have to have clients in your office, then yes, I think you should have an office in a building - you don't really want clients to know your home address - but for all those businesses that don't require that... go for it!
Thanks so much for the link Evan!! - Thanks so much for the link, Evan!! It's a really cool post. I tend to be more... manly, though, with everything but the home office -- my husband and I live in a fairly small apartment, and if I had a home office area he wouldn't have his tv/games area, as everything would be shoved in the corner/closet to make room, and I would never do that to him. However, a woman I know who also has her own internet business has a home office fully equiped with inspirational quotes on the walls and pictures her daughter took to keep her spirits on those long working days.
What’s your opinion about working form home - In my opinion doing a full time job from your home sounds pretty cool but does not have a good credibility. I feel that doing a job in an office or working in a specific office place is the real thing. You should not make your home place also an office place. You may share your thought of view on the above mentioned topic.
Re: Balancing Marketing and Holidays - Hi GT, I think you have hit the nail on the head there. I have a friend who decided for financial reasons to close his small office and transfer all his business to home. He then proceeded to change his spare bedroom into an office and disciplined himself to ‘work’. The problem then was and in some ways still is that because he is at home he is deemed to be ‘available’ for pick ups and drop offs or doing messages because he can be contacted easily. This is where we get this continual work/life conflict because friends and family sometimes need to understand that even though you are physically at home; you are at work and therefore not available unless it is urgent. regards, Mal.


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