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Want to Set Up Your Own Home Office? Here Are Some Tips

After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, working from home became pretty popular among professionals from different industries. It comes with numerous advantages, including the flexibility of planning an individual schedule, saving both time and money since workers do not have to commute to and from their workplace, and providing an opportunity to start and grow a business with reduced overhead.

Succeeding while working from a home office requires creating a professional workspace totally separated from personal lives, whether they run their personal businesses from home or work full time. But how do you set up your own home office to maximize productivity and convenience? Below are a couple of tips on how to set up a home office for maximum professionalism and productivity.

1. Know What You Need

The features that are needed in a home office vary depending on the type of work one does. Some professionals, like designers, effectively get work done with ergonomic desks or a large workspace on the table. On the other hand, professionals working as consultants may require extra space for filing and a different section to organize meetings with clients. A photographer may have to set up in-home storage space for lighting equipment and props or studio. Create a list of everything you need in a home office and set up an office space that adheres to the requirements.

2. Find a Dedicated Area

A home office should be in an area that offers privacy and quietness, especially if workers share the living space with their family or roommates. An extra room fitted with a door can go a long way in limiting noise from the other occupants, especially for professionals who need to spend most of their working time on the phone. For those that regularly meet clients in a home office, a room closer to the front entrance works like a charm.

3. Create a Separate Section for Gadgets

People working from home quickly get distracted since there is no supervision. This mostly happens with people that take their gadgets with them into the office. Having access to smartphones while working significantly reduces the productivity of an employee. The situation worsens for workers that cannot go a few hours without using their phones. People often find themselves checking their smartphones even when there are no notifications or the power is off. For people running their businesses from home, wasting a few hours on the phone every day can cause the company’s downfall. Employers may carefully scrutinize employed workers to ensure that they do not get paid for working while you telecommute. Workers may have to use a phone or other devices every once in a while, but they can improve productivity if they set up a different spot in the office to store their gadgets while working.

4. Create a Clear Boundary

The biggest challenge for people working from home is separating their personal lives from tampering with their professional lives. Some people also have difficulty making sure that their professional life does not affect their personal life.

Workers should create a business bank account to ensure that personal expenses do not get mixed up with the business expenses if they run their own business from a home office. They should also find a dedicated spot in the office to store mail, financial records, client records, and personal checks. Work documents should have a different storage point from personal documents. Having business documents separated from personal records also helps people working from home when filing taxes. Often, the IRS subjects businesses operated from home offices to more scrutiny concerning tax deductions. The better one can prove that the office operates as a completely separate area, the easier it can meet the IRS requirements of a home office.

5. Lighting

Just like in a traditional office, a home office should have sufficient light. Home workers can maximize their efficiency and productivity by allowing plenty of natural light into the work area. Warm light can help enhance relaxation, while cold light improves alertness and productivity. Anyone setting up a home office can add a couple of plants into the workspace to improve the general surrounding even further. Research findings indicate that having plants in an office can help enhance productivity and happiness during work.

In summary, setting up a home office requires a dedicated workspace fully separated from your personal life. Sufficient lighting and knowing the features needed for an effective workspace also help maximize productivity. Workers should find the perfect balance between work and personal life.

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