As a home-based business owner, most of your working time is spent in your office. More precisely, in your home office. The fact that this room, dedicated for business endeavors, is situated in your home – your safe and relaxing nest – can lead to loss of productivity. Why? Because it is very hard to make a clear delimitation between your work area and the rest of the house.
After all, why is it so bad to have a music station handy, just to relax listening to your favorite tracks when you are taking a break? And a TV set, too – why waste time going to the living room between two projects to take a quick peek at the afternoon news? This line of thinking leads to low productivity. The more you invite your personal life in your home office, the less you will be able to focus on your tasks and finish them in time.
And it is not just the distractions which kill productivity, but the layout and furnishing of the office itself. This is why today we will try to help you arrange a highly productive workspace. We have gathered the best tips from other entrepreneurs and we will share them with you.
1. Remove Clutter
A cluttered room is the outward sign of a cluttered mind. Too much furniture and too many decorations will distract you just as the TV set and the game console. Your eyes will be wandering around, you will have to cut your path through the clutter and you will end up hating your home office.
Even if you do not believe in concepts such as feng shui, you must believe in the fact that a professional looking office will induce in you a state of mind bent on productive work. And who knows, you may have to invite prospective clients or partners for a meeting in your office or chat with them by video call. Will they believe you trustworthy if they see the clutter around you?
2. Find a Quiet Place
It is hard to find a quiet place in a family home with children, but once you decide to open a home-based business, then you have to sit down with them and establish some rules. One of these must be that your home office is off limits for running around, playing, speaking loudly or walking in to interrupt you from your work.
If it is necessary, find ways to soundproof your room (at a reasonable cost, of course) and even hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door handle when you are in the middle of an important telephone call or video conference.
3. Have Lots of Light
The ideal home office is the room with most natural light all day. This is not just to help you save on the electricity bill; it is well known that artificial light is tiring for the eyes and the nervous system. It is preferable to be able to work all day long without having to switch on lamps.
Speaking of lamps, you should place them in such a way that the light is around your desk in abundance, without casting shadows or shining straight into your eyes.
4. Invest in a Good Chair
A professional office chair may look expensive, but your whole body will thank you for this investment. Sitting in an incorrect position will lead to neck and lower back pains, which will become chronic in time. An ergonomic office chair offers you optimal support and allows you to sit and work in a natural position, without cramping your muscles. Your work can only be productive if you are comfortable and relaxed and able to focus on tasks without having to shuffle in your chair looking for a less painful and cramped position.
5. Arrange Your Equipment and Supplies in an Ergonomic Manner
Do you print lots of documents in your work? Then the printer should be right by your computer, within reach. The same goes for paper, desk supplies and any other item which you may need from time to time during the day. Having to stand up and walk around the room, bend over or stand on your toes to reach for something are sure killers of your productivity. Plus, a wrong move may lead to a muscle cramp and the inability to work for a few hours (if not days!).