10 Ways to Maximize Your Home Office for Productivity
VIPbizsupport
03/27/2014 03:43PM
If you run one of the 14+ million home-based small businesses in the United States, congratulations. You’ve got lower overhead, a shorter commute and the opportunity to be more productive than your office-based competitors.
Still, working from home isn’t all eating peanut butter out of the jar and wearing your fuzzy slippers. There are plenty of pitfalls that can distract you from getting your work done. Here we look at 10 ways to ensure you’re set up for success in your home office.
1. Carve Out a Workspace
Not every entrepreneur is fortunate enough to have a spare room to turn into an office. That’s okay. You can use part of a room separated by a curtain or even a closet. The point here is to ensure you have a dedicated space that is only for work.
2. Set Up Your Day
The more routines you have, the more you’ll get done. If you have small children at home with you while you work, plan to work when they nap or when they’re quiet; otherwise you won’t be productive. Plan out your work hours; they don’t have to be 9 to 5, but they should be fairly consistent. Also, consider your attire. Some people love working in pajamas or sweats. Other people (like me) get more done by getting dressed in “business casual” – for some reason getting dressed to be seen by the world makes me feel more professional, even if it’s just me.
3. Figure Out When You Work Best
Part of those routines you need to set up involve determining when you’re most productive. Some people are night owls, and some are early birds. Some need quiet time without phones and instant messages, so getting up early avoids that. You might need complete quiet in your home office. Whatever your needs, don’t fight against them.
4. Have an Ergonomic Set Up
You need a comfortable chair with good back support, a decent computer monitor you can easily see and a keyboard at the right height to avoid awkward pressure on arms and wrists. Don’t forget your eyes. Your computer should be at the right distance to see without strain; if necessary, see your eye doctor for “computer glasses” that are made for viewing a computer properly. Two monitors also can help productivity (less time spent jumping between applications), so if you can afford an extra monitor, by all means try it out.
6. Remove Distractions
It can be tempting to fold the laundry that’s in the middle of the floor, but pretend you’re at an office and ignore it. It’s important to designate certain hours for work, and certain hours for home life. Occasionally, it’s fine to take a break and run an errand, but don’t let it encourage you to procrastinate on a project.
7. Get Out of the House
Many people can’t bear being alone all the time in their home offices. Fortunately, we’ve become a mobile society, and you’ll always see plenty of people at your local coffee shop working on their laptops. Get a change of environment. Try working from a park or restaurant, if you can be productive there.
9. Keep Learning
Find as many opportunities as you can to develop your business and industry knowledge. This can come in the form of online webinars, Twitter chats, in-person conferences, seminars, books, blogs and magazines.
About the Author: Anita Campbell runs online communities and information websites reaching over 4 million small business owners, stakeholders and entrepreneurs annually, including Small Business Trends, a daily publication about small business issues, and BizSugar.com, a small business social media site.
Comments
Finding a good "flow" for a home-based business can be challenging. I own a massage therapy practice that allows me to work outside of the home for events and client care; however, the administrative functions are normally addressed from my home office.
The dual nature of the work demands that I make [more] time to organize my schedule for the administrative aspects of the practice. Seeking to grow the vision this year demands much more efficient time management - and technology. My home office appears to be moving into my car... my lunch breaks... and my happen-stance meetings more often. As such, I incorporate more 'smart' devices to keep information and business tools accessible.
Despite all else, the home office has the best feel. It sits in the midst of my sanctuary (i.e. my home); it offers the creature comforts that make it easy for me to work (i.e. attire, decor, etc.); and it reminds me daily of the joy that entrepreneurship brings!
Since operating my social media marketing company, 29Eleven Consulting, from my home full time I'm enjoying the perks of home based entrepreneurship. It takes much discipline and assessment to be effective.
The consulting business varies and there is much growth in this industry. What works in our favor as a social media marketing & web design company is that there will forever be a learning curve as more and more social media platforms and techniques are introduced. While some business owners have a working knowledge of the medium, they don’t have the time to keep up with growing trends and most importantly how to make them work for their particular business.
That’s where 29Eleven Consulting comes in.
Our eyes are forever peeled looking for opportunities to connect our clients with as they operate their business or organization. We work alongside our clients to get a true idea of their businesses identity and the statement that defines them in their industry. As that is established we educate the client on the services we offer and how the online tools we use supports their goals. We review analytics and are realistic with our analysis. We are mindful of factors such as time frames, deadlines and approach in determining the validity of the date provided.
Overall, we put things in perspective for our clients. We don’t drum up ideas and concepts for the sake of attaining business. We gather information that will aid them in realizing their purpose.
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