Setting Up Your Home Office


Location, location, location
Have you ever known anyone who had a beautifully set up home office, and then ended up working on the couch or the bed? Think back to your student days: did you have a desk in your room that collected laundry and toiletries while you worked on the floor or kitchen table? There are many factors to consider when deciding where to put your home office.

1. Will clients be coming to your office? If so, you won't want to put it in a corner of a bedroom. You will want to find some space close to the entrance of your home and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This factor will affect your choices, so it should be considered first.

2. If you do not need to base your choice upon client visits, you should then consider your work/learning style. Are you primarily a visual, kinesthetic or auditory learner?

• A visual learner prefers to take information in visually and says things like "I see what you mean". This is a person who would rather read an article for himself than to be read to. A visual learner needs good lighting, comfortable seating etc. and doesn't mind some background music. Auditory stimuli are NOT distracting because it doesn't interfere with a visual learner's primary channel. A visual learner could have their computer sitting in the living room and wouldn't be distracted by everday noise of children, appliances and pets. A television set could pose a real problem though, because a visual learner would want to LOOK at it, not just listen! 

• An auditory learner, on the other hand, would find it difficult to work in a noisy environment, because the noise would interfere with her concentration too much. This person would be better off in a quiet space somewhere, even if it isn't very spacious. 

• A kinesthetic learner likes to move around. This person can be quite fidgety, and needs the freedom to change positions and locations fairly often, ie. At a desk, on the couch, at the table, while pacing, sitting on the floor etc. 

Sometimes what appears to be the "ideal" space for a home office, just doesn't "fit" somehow. Don't waste time worrying about that, simply decide where you find it easiest to concentrate. You may discover that you are much happier with a banker's box in the living room, than tucked away by yourself in a cramped spare bedroom. Do you like being around people, or prefer to be alone? This is somewhat related to learning style, and is also important to consider. The isolation of being in a home-based business can be both peaceful and lonely. You need to work in an environment that is pleasant, and a social person may be better able to concentrate where there are other people. There are many mothers who seem to have no difficulty concentrating with small children underfoot, but a few seconds of silence will put them on full alert!

3. You will need to make sure that the location you choose is suitable for the equipment you require. Computers, fax machines, telephones etc. will all require the appropriate wiring, and this is not the time to try to cut costs by using lots of extension cords. Not only will they frustrate you, they can be a safety hazard. Take your business seriously and invest in the tools that you will need to be successful.

4. If your office will be in an area used for other activities, you will need to be creative in finding ways to keep your tools and files accessible. Good quality filing cabinets can be attractive enough to be in the main living areas. Plastic file boxes that hold hanging folders can easily be hidden when you need the space, and yet are portable and well-organized. Keep files that you are using on a daily basis handy, but place other files into less accessible reference files. Information that you may need to look up, but don't use on a weekly or monthly basis can be filed in archive files. If you would like to learn about an excellent system on organizing files, Barbara Hemphill has written two books: "Taming the Paper Tiger" and "Taming the Office Tiger". These books will tell you everything you will ever need to know about fighting the war against paper clutter. Her computer program "Taming the Paper Tiger" will help you to file information in such a way that you can retrieve any document in seconds. You won't feel a need to have everything close at hand, when you always know exactly where to find it if you need it. Speaking of sharing space with other activities, if you have internet access and teenagers in the house, it is wise to have the computer in a central area. Teenagers are less likely to be surfing forbidden sites, if anyone can come into the room at any time without warning. Something to consider….

5. Finally, check your lighting, temperature of the room (is it a hot, stuffy room in the summer or too cold in the winter? You will find all sorts of ways to procrastinate if your work space is physically uncomfortable!) Are you close enough to the fridge? (Or far away enough, depending on your perspective!) One last check of your space. Considering all the other factors, have you found the spot that you will enjoy working in? Sometimes we need to listen to our "gut feeling", rather than logic. If you feel that this is the best solution (and most of us don't have the luxury of finding that "perfect" space) then get ready to get to work!