| Setting up a home office can be a tremendous | | | | takes forever; however it is critical to the future of |
| challenge. How do you separate your work life from | | | | your business and your sanity that you back up. Stop |
| your home life when they occupy the same space? | | | | for a moment and consider what would happen if |
| Here are 10 tips to create a home office designed | | | | everything on your computer suddenly vanished. |
| for maximum productivity. | | | | For many, it might mean the end of their business, |
| 1. Know yourself. | | | | which is why it is critical that you not only back up |
| Think about your perfect working conditions. Short | | | | regularly - weekly isn't too frequent - you will also |
| of a lounge chair at the edge of the ocean on a | | | | want to make sure your backup is working. Backup |
| warm sunny day, what do you see? Do you have a | | | | and then go through the process of retrieving your |
| large conference table and plenty of room to spread | | | | information to make sure your backup is working the |
| out? Do you have a large recliner and a laptop desk? | | | | way it is supposed to. |
| What are your ideal working conditions? Don't just | | | | 7. Set up your office to function smoothly. |
| think about comfort. What conditions do you work | | | | This means comfortable equipment, and processes |
| best in? Is there music playing? Is there a phone in | | | | that make sense for you. Is your chair comfortable? |
| your office? What is on your desk? In and out | | | | How about your keyboard and your desk positioning? |
| boxes? Is there a place for everything or are you | | | | The more comfortable you are in your office, the |
| more of a scattered creative type? Do you have | | | | more productive you'll be. If your wrist is hurting and |
| pictures? Plants? A fountain? The key is to envision | | | | your back is stiff, you're going to work slower and |
| your perfect productive space, not what you think | | | | chances are you're going to be distracted. |
| should be your perfect productive space. | | | | What about the system you have set up. Is |
| 2. Don't forget wall space. | | | | everything you use frequently within easy reach? Is |
| What is on the walls of your office space right now? | | | | your phone close by? What about your files? Take a |
| Are they blank? Are they covered with family | | | | minute and look around your home office. Is it set up |
| photos? What about inspirational prints with | | | | optimally for you? |
| motivational sayings? Do you have a large writing | | | | 8. Organization and storage. |
| surface on your wall or a cork board? Planning boards | | | | Do you have a place for everything? Storage and |
| are fantastic if you're a visual person. You can use a | | | | organization is extremely important when creating |
| whiteboard to draft the navigation of your website | | | | your home office. If you skip this step you'll spend |
| or create long range plans and a timeline. Corkboards | | | | much of your time trying to find things instead of |
| are excellent for posting notes, tasks, and ideas you | | | | getting them done. Create a paper organization and |
| don't want to lose. | | | | storage system - file cabinet. Also create an |
| What about shelving? Use your vertical space, your | | | | effective storage system on your computer. For |
| wall space, to optimize your home office. Shelves are | | | | paper files, it is recommended that you have a file |
| an excellent way to store items you frequently need | | | | for every bank account, taxes, receipts, expenses, |
| while saving space on your desk and conserving | | | | payables, receivables, marketing and sub folders for |
| valuable floor space. An office that feels roomy and | | | | each marketing project. |
| clutter free is often much more productive than an | | | | Also consider keeping your copywriting ideas in a file. |
| office that feels cluttered and disorganized. | | | | On your computer the system will work much the |
| 3. Let there be light. | | | | same way. You'll likely have major folders for each |
| Natural light is best for productivity and feelings of | | | | category and sub folders contained within. For |
| well being. However, natural light isn't always an | | | | example you might have a category labeled |
| option. Quite often home offices are built into the | | | | Marketing, and sub categories labeled SEO, PPC, |
| center of a home or worse...the basement. Uniform | | | | Direct Mail etc... |
| ambient light is better for productivity than task | | | | 9. Do you need an address? |
| lighting and it is better on your eyes. For an | | | | When you have a home address, it is tempting to |
| expensive uniform lighting set up, consider natural | | | | have your business address be the same. However, |
| spectrum fluorescent bulbs. They last a long time and | | | | take a moment and step back. There are distinct |
| are good for your mood and the environment. | | | | advantages to having a separate business address. |
| In addition to natural light, it is helpful to have a bit of | | | | You are able to keep your home address private. |
| ventilation. If you can open a window from time to | | | | You are able to separate your work from your home |
| time and get some fresh air, by all means do! If there | | | | legally. Having a business address looks a little more |
| are no windows available in your home office, | | | | professional than 1015 Butternut Circle on your |
| consider air purifiers, fans or some sort of ventilation | | | | business correspondence. Additionally, having to go |
| system. | | | | pick up the mail gets you out of your house on a |
| 4. Don't sit at the kitchen table! | | | | regular basis! |
| Placing yourself right in the middle of the house and | | | | 10. Modems, and phones, and faxes oh my. |
| all of its activity is a certain time stealer. How can | | | | Do you need all of these fixtures cluttering your |
| you avoid distractions from chores, people, pets, and | | | | office? There are numerous electronic devices |
| folks knocking at your door trying to sell you | | | | available now like e-fax, wireless internet, and 800 |
| magazines or financial services? While the kitchen | | | | numbers that are economical and can be forwarded |
| table is great because it enables you to spread out | | | | to your cell phone eliminating the need for a separate |
| and work in a comfortable location - there are | | | | office phone and line. |
| probably plenty of windows and sunlight there too - | | | | In fact, there are automated attendants that will |
| there are no doors to keep out the distractions. | | | | answer your phone for you during your off hours, |
| 5. How much memory do you think you'll need? | | | | send them into your 'business' voice mail and actually |
| The basic rule of thumb when setting up a home | | | | email the message to you or forward it to your |
| office is to buy as large of a computer as you can | | | | personal voice mail system. All for less than $20 a |
| afford. You might be surprised at how quickly your | | | | month. |
| memory and storage will be used up. If you don't | | | | When it comes to working out of a home office, |
| buy a big enough computer, you'll end up having to | | | | you make the rules. What works for the masses in |
| buy a new one anyway. If you already have a | | | | terms of organization, hours, processes and so on |
| computer and a larger capacity computer isn't in your | | | | are not necessarily what will work for you. Develop a |
| budget, consider an external storage drive. | | | | system that works for you and stick to it. When you |
| 6. Backup regularly. | | | | design a system and space that work for you, and |
| Speaking of external storage drives...it is imperative | | | | stick to it, your productivity will increase ten fold and |
| that you back your equipment up regularly. I know | | | | so will your profits. |
| that backing up takes time, sometimes it feels like it | | | | |