Working from home can be a terrific way to mix family time with work. If you have your own business, then it allows you to choose the times and days you want to work, and potentially the clients you work with. However, whether you are working for yourself or someone else, you need a dedicated space that you can work in without any distractions; somewhere quiet and peaceful, but with all the tools you need to work efficiently.

Choose Your Room

When thinking about creating a home office, it can be logical to consider using the spare room. It is already free, and it means you don’t have to do much work when turning it into a work space. However, you have to consider if the room is in the right location for you when it becomes an office. You want somewhere that gets at least some natural light during the day, or you may start to feel tired. It is also important to consider the noise from other rooms. For instance, if the home office room is next to the kid’s rooms, then it might be too noisy and distracting. The other consideration is clients; if you are going to be holding meetings or having clients visit you at home, you need somewhere that is easy to get to and retains your privacy while still looking professional.

Layout of Your Home Office

Once you have chosen the room, you need to think about where you are going to place the furniture. You want your desk to get some light from outside during the day, but not too much that it blinds you while you’re working. It may be nice to see out of the window from your desk, especially if you have a nice view, though you don’t want it to be too distracting. Make sure all your technology is close enough to a plug socket, or somewhere you can use an extension cable. Be careful about loose wires, as it will need to be safe if you are receiving visitors. Leave the TV downstairs, and if you work well with music, then bring in a sound system.

Decoration

If you want to redecorate your office, then try to choose a color that is calming to you; it will help you to feel relaxed and not over stimulated. You can also have things relating to your work on the walls. It could be your degree or training certificate, or maybe a poster promoting your brand to your visiting customers. You should make them colorful, so they stand out, and you can use flashcards maker software to add information or details about products, which can, in turn, be handed out to clients and customers. You will want to add plenty of storage to your room so that you can store papers and documents. Also, you will need to be able to lock the door if you have sensitive documents held there.

The important thing to remember about creating your home office is that it must be a nice place to work. If your working environment doesn’t agree with you, then try a new layout, location or even different furniture.