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Truth be told I spend most of my working time sitting in a recliner chair in our lounge room with my laptop on my lap. Of course, there are times when this is not practical and I still require and enjoy using my office. Whether you are deciding to work at home as an employee or to go into business for yourself there are many practicalities of business that you need to consider. One of these considerations is the establishment of a home office. Thought should be put into how and where that office will be set up and, for this, there is no fixed answer as to which way is best because office environment is determined. The information provided to you addresses the elements that will influence how you set up a home office environment will help you determine what will, most likely, work best for you.

The first step

Often when I meet with people for the first time to discuss their office layout they walk me through their office or home and proclaim ‘this is where it is going but I just need to work out how’. Can you see the mistake? Often a Director assumes that they will simply take the largest office with the best view and the work at home parent assumes that they will take a space designed to be an office or a smaller bedroom. This, of course, is not always the wisest decision which is why the first step is to always open your mind to the possibilities that exist for you. A home office environment can be in a lounge, kitchen, and even the master bedroom.

Choosing an Office Environment

The first thing to do when establishing an office environment is determining which areas of the house are environmentally conducive to have a healthy and productive work environment. The most obvious consideration is lighting promptly followed ionic state. It is critical to increase the negative ion levels in a work space or you will find yourself feeling fatigued and claustrophobic.

Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge. They are created in nature when air molecules are broken apart by sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water. Examples of places that I love to experience the power of negative ions are when I visit waterfalls or walk on the beach as well as being outdoors enjoying a lightning storm from a sheltered location. While part of the euphoria of this experience is simply being around these wondrous settings and away from the normal pressures of home and work, the air circulating in the mountains and beach is believed to contain tens of thousands of negative ions which is far more than the average home or office building. In fact, d which usually, at most contain hundreds with many registering a flat zero. This, of course, can be counteracted with increased air ventilation and circulation, increased light, only powering essential electrical devices or investing in a particulate air filter with an ioniser unit.

Having appropriate lighting for all times of the day and night that you are at your desk is critical to being effective and maintaining your visual health. With concern for our environmental impact it is firstly important to consider which rooms obtain sufficient natural lighting for you to minimise your need for artificial lighting solutions. Having some light exposure is also good for your skin and sense of wellbeing. Once you have put thought to natural light, you need to plan your artificial lighting, whether it be for those dark winter months, working back late, having personal time online, or in my case being up before dawn to conduct virtual meetings with clients. Give thought to having both overhead lighting that will enable you to move safely throughout the room as well as task lighting from a desk lamp or spotlight that is directed to your work space.

With those two things in mind you should also consider what else happens whilst you are trying to work. You need to be able to create a productive space that enables you to manage those distractions that you need to deal with as well as ignore those that you don’t.

If you have children at home at the time that you are working and no one else to supervise you may want to set up nearby to where they play. An example of this would be Emma Davidson of Brindabella Baby. As a work at home mother who runs an online store selling baby goods she has set up a desk in the corner of her lounge room and has set up stock cupboards in the dining room. Having her desk in the her primary living space is very practical because children often want to be around their parents when at home, it is a space where they are free to play with toys and games as well as make use of electronic entertainment. In Emma’s own words,“..it helps keep the toys and chaos in one room.”

If, however, you need somewhere that you can focus for an extended period without distraction then perhaps a separate work space is better. Often this can be a separate office or even a space right next to the kettle in the kitchen. You may also wish to have your office in or near a larger room or garage especially your office environment is combined with a work area for a craft or trade. Annette Piper is a jeweler who uses a studio to the rear of her home. It has plenty of practical shelving as well as a work bench with her desk adjacent to it. “The room is big and airy and has a good feel about it,” was her own thoughts in her work space.

Choosing Office Furniture

The office furniture that you invest in must always have a balance of personal taste and practicality. For myself I love those large redwood desks with the faux-leather insert. I imagined myself with the large desk with matching storage to one office wall. Just like the library I saw in the estate of South Australia’s governor I would have an entire wall with two rows of filing cabinets at the bottom and on top would be a bookcase to the ceiling. It would be divine but totally impractical to my needs as someone who spends eighty per cent of work hours in front of a computer. In the same way practicality must weigh in on how you set yourself up.

In practicality, your desk top should have sufficient space to enable you to complete the tasks that you need to do on a regular basis. Within close reach of your chair you should be able to access all files that you consistently need access to as well as regularly used stationery. I have found that this can usually be limited to postage stamps, sticky notes, pens, pencil, a highlighter, a pair of scissors and a stapler, Most other items can usually be packed away elsewhere.

Of course, you will need to select your office chair, keyboard, mouse and monitor. I am sure that when you purchase these you will also consider the ergonomics of your selection and be mindful that what suits one body shape does not necessarily suit another. It is important to remain mindful, though, of the space that you have available. Things that will increase the space required by a chair is not just the size of the seat but also it’s footprint. Often, chairs that have four or more coasters require a larger space allowance than a chair with four fixed legs.

When selecting storage look for storage items that will make your office area look tidy. Cupboards and drawer that hide larger items away is a good start followed by storage that is practical and aesthetically pleasing. Make sure before you go hunting for storage that you consider the size and shape of your electronic equipment that you may wish to store as well as any existing storage boxes. You want anything you purchase to not result in these items becoming homeless and creating clutter in a space that is meant to enable you to work. Also consider storage solutions that are not ‘designed’ for the task. My own cupboard houses a printer, scanner, my digital camera connector as well as a facsimile. All of these devices have cords involved and with the savings of hundreds of dollars that we made on the unit we splurged, all of thirty dollars, on a set of circle cutters for our drill to cut in a cable hole to the rear of cupboard as well as in the shelves.

Electronic Equipment

Ten years ago when I was in my first business I found that the only electronic and computer I ever needed was a computer with speakers, a scanner and a printer. Today, however, we are bloated with special camera printers and many desktop accessories including cables and stands for iPods, telephones, digital key rings, headsets through to more ‘out there’ items like USB powers fish bowls and cup warmers. There are several ways to manage these items and you should pull them out and examine them with a serious eye.

The first job is to give away the items you’ll never use. Charity stores may not accept them but a pawn broker, electrical dealer or electronics recycling group often will. Your second task is to isolate out those items that you use rarely. You can place them each in a zip lock bag with their manuals and store them in a box, or drawer out of the way. The third set of items are those that are not needed on the desk. With the use of a USB hub and a USB extension most devices can be moved away from the desk and to a storage cupboard or shelf that is convenient to reach when you require it. Finally, there are those things that you use at least once per week that must reside on your desk. Carefully select their placement so that they do not intrude on your regular workspace.

If you are looking to buy additional equipment then consider your practical requirements for both the item you are looking to purchase and the space where it is required to fit. Ensure that your final purchase meets both requirements and you will never be disappointed.

Administrative Materials

By the time you have taken care of your environment, your furniture and electronic equipment, the administrative materials should be a breeze to take care of. Simply keep all regularly accessed materials. Supplier order forms, details relating to clients and their orders close at hand. Then place other records a little further out of reach where they are accessible when you need them but leave space nearby for all those things you really do need at your finger tips. To keep records under control be sure to archive old files every year and be sure to destroy those boxes when their day is done. The general rule of thumb is to keep them one more year than you are legally required – just in case!

With all these items taken care of you should have established a refreshing and effective workspace. Now with your all new office space it is time to consider your communications systems.

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Source by Kristy A. Bennett