What Are Your Needs?
Before you begin to design and organize your home-office environment, create a detailed list of the types of work you'll be doing there. Keep in mind that you'll want to create a space where you'll want to be. For example, will the work require silence or should your office be located near the front door because of work-related visitors?
Those who work from home (and even those who simply pay bills and sort records there) know that it can be hard enough to motivate yourself to meet your goals. Don't add an extra reason to dread your job by placing your office in a dingy basement. Or if your job requires silence, don't place your desk in a household hub.
After you determine what tasks you hope to accomplish on an ongoing basis in the home office, develop a detailed list of furniture, equipment, and supplies required to achieve your objective. As you determine what's needed, think about ways you can reduce clutter in your workspace. For example, select furniture with plenty of drawers and filing cabinets with extra storage space. You should also position equipment close to electrical outlets and phone jacks, so you won't have lots of unsightly and disorganized cords running throughout the room.
Because your desk is the central and most integral part of your home office, decide on its location first. Then determine what other furniture and equipment needs to be nearby and what can be placed elsewhere in the room. This will help you create the most functional design and layout for your work environment.
Julie Morgenstern suggests that if you generate your income through a variety of different types of home-based work, think in terms of creating activity hubs within your office. That way, you'll be better able to assign “homes” to the items associated with your different jobs, and you'll also increase your productivity by “visiting” each area daily.
Once you have a basic idea of what you hope to accomplish in your home workspace and what equipment you'll need in order to achieve your objectives, design and lay out your home office so that it will maximize your productivity and be a comfortable place to work. Issues such as lighting, color schemes, ergonomics, and functionality all need to be addressed. As with any organizational task, planning is crucial, so put some thought into your needs and wants, and then address each issue individually.
A typical office arrangement.
Before making a major financial investment in remodeling an area of your home to transform it into a home office, try working in the area for a while to ensure that the environment and surroundings will help you maximize your productivity. Certain problems, such as noise, traffic, or lack of natural light, could remain even if you remodel, so take care to select an area that you like being in.
A home office with an L-shaped desk for more workspace.
Remember, you need to pinpoint an area of your home that will provide ample space and the best possible environment (in terms of lighting, temperature, privacy, and sound) for you to be productive. After you know what furniture you'll need, take measurements to make sure that the furniture you're planning to use will fit properly in your current or proposed home office.
