Setting Up Your Home Office

Location, hardware, design, and lifestyle

Flexibility, autonomy, freedom: these are the benefits that working from a home office provides. When setting up your home office, take advantage of those qualities to create a work atmosphere that is creative and relaxing and reflects the life balance you can achieve when working from home.

Location

Location is the most important consideration when setting up your home office. There’s no need to confine your workspace to a dingy windowless room, or an area the size of a corporate cubicle. Using an Internet router and laptop can even allow you to set up your home office in a new place every day, including an outdoor patio or balcony.

If your work can’t be confined to a laptop but you don’t have a room that can be transformed into a home office, try using an attractive room divider to create a dedicated work area. Choose a spot that is close to electrical outlets and phone lines, and if possible, a large window.

Hardware

The location you choose when setting up your home office should also be a reflection of the hardware you need. Filing cabinets, computer desks, home office chairs, fax machines, multi-line telephones, and personal computers all require space if you want an ergonomically designed office.

These days, electronics are a major component of setting up a home office. Surge protectors are essential home office accessories for protecting your equipment. If you’re interacting frequently with clients, getting a dedicated phone line for business will keep your work life from blurring too far into your private life.

Design

Design is usually the most enjoyable part of setting up a home office. The reason goes far beyond your ability to replace those banal motivational posters with something more personal and idiosyncratic. The pleasure we take from our surroundings has an enormous influence on our happiness and satisfaction. For many people, that’s the whole purpose of setting up a home office: the chance to work where you want, when you want.

Home office design should be about color and beauty. Paint the walls of your home office in warm and bright tones, and choose home office furniture items that are style-oriented rather than function-oriented.

Lifestyle

Setting up a home office is a major lifestyle decision. Not everyone can handle the self-motivation and solitude required to make it work. Establishing a familiar work routine will help you make the adjustment. When you feel yourself getting distracted, take a break away from your work area. Go for a quick walk, or stare at the trees in your backyard. Taking breaks outside of your home office will help you keep that space dedicated to work, and enable you to fully enjoy the benefits that working at home offers.

More information on Home Offices