It would be fair to say that the term ‘home office’ has well and truly come into its own over the past eighteen months. A couple of years ago, it may have had something of an ‘elite’ feel to it. Now, it’s bordering on normal, and is the thing to do if you are considering starting your own business. After all, now that most of the world is hooked up on Zoom, why on earth would you pay for commercial office space?
Of course, commercial offices do have their place in the world, but more of us are thinking twice about them. Some people might opt to dip their toe in the water and use an office storage facility as they trial the home office method but on the whole, there’s been a huge shift in thinking.
Bearing this in mind, if you are starting a business from home, how can you create your ultimate office space? Let’s take a look at some suggestions to help you on your way.
Location, location, location
You might still be in the same four walls, but that doesn’t mean to say that you shouldn’t give a second thought to the location of your office in your home. If you’re lucky enough to have a spare room, then great. If not, then you’ll need to think about how you can create the right environment for you.
The location of your office will determine how much time you’re going to spend there, and therefore how productive you are likely to be. Make sure that it is a place where you feel comfortable, and that means investing in some decent furniture and lighting. There’s also the famous work-life balance you need to strike. Yes, you need your home office to be productive, but you also don’t want it to be in the middle of your living space. In other words, make sure you can break away from it, as and when.
Start small
It’s not uncommon for people to go overboard with their home office. They want to make sure that they have everything they need to work effectively, but they don’t have the space.
You need to think about what you’re going to use your home office for. If you’re just going to be doing some administrative tasks, then all you really need is a computer, a desk and some storage space. If you’re going to be doing more, then additional equipment such as a second monitor and standing desk might be in order.
Invest in a comfortable chair
If there’s one area where the bulk of your investment should go, it’s in your chair. This is the place you are going to spend the most time and as such, it needs to be comfortable.
It’s not uncommon for people to spend as much as 10 hours a day in their office chair, and this is a long time to be uncomfortable. If you don’t want to end up with back ache, then you need to invest in a decent, ergonomic chair and make sure that you adjust it correctly.
Keep your technology up-to-date
Technology is a funny thing. You can have the most expensive office equipment around, but if it’s out of date, then you’re on a hiding to nothing.
Remember we spoke about efficiency? If you’re running on a Windows XP laptop, well, your efficiency isn’t going to be very high.
There’s also the small matter of security. We all know how vulnerable companies of all sizes can be when it comes to cybersecurity, and not keeping your tech stack up to date is one way to fall foul of this and cost your new business time and potentially, an awful lot of money.