Fast – Office!
Let’s explore the
essentials of designing your home office… everything from finding the best
space, to buying the right supplies. You’ll spend a lot of time in your office,
so let’s make sure you design it right!
Find
The Room
Sometimes it’s hard to
find the right room in which to locate your home office. After all, when you
moved into your house you probably didn’t know you’d end up working from home.
Look for a room in your house that meets these criteria:
- Separate from household members and distractions
- Enough room for a desk, chair, equipment, office supplies, and space to think and move around
- Enough electrical outlets and power for all your equipment
- Phone line(s) available
- Enough heating and cooling
- Windows for sunlight and fresh air
- Good ventilation
In an ideal situation, all
of the above elements will be present.
If you choose a room
that’s completely separate from other rooms, "defined work space used
exclusively for your business" (as defined by the IRS Tax Code), you can
deduct your home office at tax time. So it might be better for your pocket to
choose an enclosed space that isn’t used in day to day family life.
But what if you can’t find
any space for your home office? Try to use your imagination before you call an
architect to start renovations! Are there any walk-in closets in your home? How
about your basement? You can clean up your garage and park cars on the street.
Maybe separating some space in an existing room with bookshelves might do the
trick.
If you still can’t figure
out a way to make space for your home office, maybe you should consider hiring
an architect or general contractor to add on to your house, or build an office
in your basement etc. This might be an easy job… just adding a wall to make one
room into two. Or you might end up spending quite a bit of money. But I’d
recommend that you don’t get too carried away until your business has run
smoothly for at least 6 months, and you’re sure you’re committed to working
from home.
Office
Layout Plan
It isn’t time to go
shopping yet; rather it’s time to get out the graph paper, rulers, and pencils.
Before we buy furniture and equipment we will need to map out our office, or in
other words make a layout plan. Have a family member help you measure the
length and width of the room and the height and width of the doorway. On your
piece of graph paper draw the room to the right proportions. Then consider all
of the equipment and supplies that you’ll need to run your business. Here are
my suggestions:
- Chair
- Desk
- Filing Cabinet
- Bookshelves
- Telephone(s)
- Computer
- Fax Machine / Copier / Scanner
- Storage Bins
- Pens / Pencils
- Paper
- Binders
- Folders
- Staples, Binder Clips, Paper Clips
- Envelopes
- Media Storage Devices (Zip Disks, Floppy Discs, CDs, etc)
Think ahead: is there
anything else you might need? Now, map out on the graph paper where you want to
place each of these items… design away! Remember, you’ll spend much of your
time in your office, so try to make it a place that you will enjoy being in, or
you might wind up dreading your work. The way you design your home office can
make or break your freelance business, so keep the following in mind:
- Only paint with neutral colors, or the paint will overpower your furniture and you’ll be distracted.
- Don’t jam tons of furniture and equipment into your office unless it’s totally necessary. You’ll be less likely to want to visit a cluttered office.
- If you’re easily distracted, don’t put your desk in front of a window.
- Place your bookshelf, filing cabinet, and telephone within arms’ reach.
- Place your desk near the electrical supply and phone lines.
- Add your personal touch to everything. This will create a more inviting atmosphere.
- If there’s enough room, add a reading chair for those times when you need a change of scene.
Let’s
Go Shopping
Now to the fun part…
shopping! Whether you decide to shop online or in a conventional store, don’t
forget your list and layout plan. As you shop for items, take their
measurements and draw them on your plan to make sure they fit. A few online
stores that you might visit are:
What
to Look For
…in a Desk or Workstation
Since the advent of the
computer, one small desk is often no longer enough: a workstation is a more
appropriate item now. Depending on what your profession is, you’ll need desk
space for your computer, and then more desk space for administrative work.
Think about what type of equipment you will need, and where it will go.
How much room do you have
for a desk? Usually your best option is to get an "L" desk. What I
mean by this is choose your favorite desk, and then choose a smaller desk that
can be placed perpendicular to the main desk (or, if you can, buy a desk with a
‘return’). The big desk is perfect for your computer equipment, and the smaller
desk can be kept clear as a writing surface.
Be sure to choose a sturdy
desk that you can keep for a long time. It’s better to fork out a few more
bucks now than to have to replace your desk in a year or so. Also, find a desk
that’s at a height that is comfortable for you. And if you don’t have enough
money to buy a new desk, try visiting the Salvation Army or a used furniture
store to save money.
…in a Chair
You chair is one of the
most important items in your office. If you purchase a cheap chair, you could
hurt yourself and/or hate working in your office. A good chair reduces fatigue
and other pains that occur when posture is bad for long periods of time. Buy an
adjustable chair (height, armrests, back angle, and lumbar support) so you can
enjoy your office and avoid pain and injuries.
…in a Bookshelf
The size of the bookshelf
will probably depend on how much room you have left in your office after your
workstation and chair are in place. My suggestion is to install your bookshelf
right behind and above your desk. This way books are always at arms’ reach and
you save yourself a lot of room. Purchase as big a bookshelf as you can —
you’ll be surprised how fast it fills up!
…in a Filing Cabinet
At the very least, you’ll
want to buy a four-drawer filing cabinet. It’s crucial that your filing system
is organized and easily accessible.
…in a Telephone
It’s important to get a
telephone that has a hold and speaker button. It’s also a good idea to get a
separate line for the telephone and fax / modem.
…in a Computer
The computer will most
often be the most expensive piece of equipment you purchase for your office.
Because of the large number of variables involved, let’s look at this in
detail.
Operating System
Your first decision is
going to be the operating system for the computer. Unless you have a reason to
choose otherwise, you are going to be looking at a Mac or a Windows machine. If
you have experience on one platform you might want to stick with it. When you
work on your own without any kind of system support, you’ll want to use a
computer that you’re comfortable with. All things being equal, if you are a
graphic designer, desktop publisher, you work with digital video or need to mix
audio, use a Mac. For anything else, buy a PC.
Vendor
The second decision is who
to buy the machine from. The keyword here is reliable, reliable, reliable. If
you buy a Mac, purchase straight from Apple. If you purchase a PC, make your
purchase from Dell or one of the other big names in the business. You may be
tempted to buy from a no-name supplier because the price is mouth watering. But
it’s your eyes that will be watering when your computer breaks down at 1am when
you’re at work on a project with a looming deadline. You want good support, and
Dell has been rated as the best on this front many times.
Support
As we’re on the topic of
support: buy the service contract. If you buy a Mac, that support contract is
currently for three years of "Applecare". If you don’t buy straight
from Apple, your reseller may try to convince you that their private support is
as good as, or even better than Apple’s. To keep it short, they’re wrong! I am
yet to find third party support that beats Apple’s: I’ve always found their
support to be worth the money. As for a name brand PC, purchase three years of
onsite support. If you can afford to be without your computer for a few days,
you can save a little by opting for mail in support… but who can really afford
to lose those days?
Configuration
Finally we’re left with
the computer’s configuration. This was probably your first question, but for
most of you it is probably the least important. For the most part computer
power is far superior to the software that can run on it right now. Since new
systems are constantly brought to the fore we can’t give specific numbers here.
The best buy for your money is usually going to be a based on the supplier’s
mid-level offering. The cheapest way to increase power in your system is to add
RAM, but make sure the computer you purchase has at least 256mb to begin with.
If you are a designer that minimum jumps to 512mb.
Your
New Office
Once you’ve purchased all
necessary items, move them on in and start your freelance business. I hope this
article has helped you plan out and design your office. Good Luck!
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