We just moved into our next “forever” home. Seems like the only “forever” is the moving part. But that’s not the point of this missive. The point here is to describe THE three characteristics every home office should possess to be highly effective.
The background on this is that I work from home when I’m not on the road. In the last seven years of working from home, my “office” address has changed five times. Thus, I’ve become quite an expert at setting up home offices. Here are the three characteristics I found to be crucial to creating and working effectively in a home office.
1. There is a Door
There are three reasons for this requirement. First, if there is a door, the office has a defined space. It’s not in the living room or the kitchen or wherever. It’s actually an office. It can be a den or a spare bedroom, but once you move your work environment into it, it’s an “office” – into which you go to work. Second, if there’s a door, you can close it. Closed doors are a great way to segregate yourself from all the other things you could be doing, as well as distancing yourself from all those who might pull you into doing those other things throughout the day. Finally, it affords much greater privacy – something people on the other end of the phone will appreciate, as will those in the house who don’t need to hear everything going on in your work world.
2. You Face Away from the Door
Workspaces should be arranged so that you don’t face out the door (when it’s open) into the rest of the house. The human eye has a peripheral vision range of 120 degrees. Consequently, if you are facing towards the door and looking down at something on your desk, your eye will detect the movement of something outside your office. This will result in your looking up. Ping! Self-imposed distraction and corresponding loss of focus. Face the workspaces anyway you like, just not at the door.
3. You Invest in Good Office Equipment/Furniture
One of the frequent miscues that I’ve made and I’ve seen others make is to not invest in good office equipment and/or furniture. The tendency is to cheap-out when it comes to the furniture and the technology for home offices. This is your business! You don’t need to go over the top with Herman this and Herman Miller that, but spend the money to create a good workspace and get the best equipment (computers, Internet connection speeds, printers, etc.) you can afford. We all spend a lot time in our home offices, so it might as well be pleasant and productive time.
Well, having core dumped these thoughts on you for the last fifteen minutes it’s time for me to jump on a conference call with two people who are sitting in their respective cubicles in suburban Class A office buildings in different parts of the world. I, on the other hand, am in my jammies nestled comfortably into my welcoming home office.
Life is good!
Article Source:
http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Three-Uber-Effective-Tips-For-Home-Offices/243606
Three Uber-Effective Tips For Home Offices Posted By : Paul H. Burton