2007年12月17日星期一

Designing Your Home Office

If you are planning to set up a home based office, then you need to plan well because you are going to spend a lot of your time in your office and it is really important to feel comfortable within the space. There is not anything worse than working in a frustrating environment. You dont have to work 9-5 in a crummy office, when you can design your own office space. Your home office space should reflect your taste and imagination.

You dont have to spend your entire budget designing your office or giving it a new look. Simply placing a table or chair does not serve the purpose; you need to plan your home business very seriously. This is so important especially if you have clients visiting your office.

Most people spend very little time designing their office and they take it very lightly. Setting a home office is not an easy task; you need to design your business area very professionally.

Some easy tips:

Decorating using Mother Nature- If you are a person who loves working and spends the whole day in the home office, try bringing the outdoor beauty inside the office. If you have wide windows then you can keep them open and enjoy the breeze, sounds and fresh air, but if they are small, you can consider some beautiful scenic wallpaper.

You can also add fragrance to your office by arranging fresh flowers daily or you can even add elegance by keeping some greenery around the room. This will really pump in some fresh air that will stimulate you to work. You can consider the calming sound of cascading waters by adding a small tabletop sized water fountain.

Avoid distractions- Design your home office in such a way that you are not distracted by the outdoor commotion. For example, the sound of your favorite serial on the Television or the smell of brownies being made in your kitchen can be enough to distract you and break your concentration.

Space for movement- When you design your office leave some space for easy movement. Reserve a spot where you can relax and easily stretch yourself.

Volume control- High volumes trigger stress levels and increase stress hormones, while on the other hand low volumes soothe the nerves. Hence, take precautionary steps to keep the sounds within the office environment very low. Move away any office equipment that squeaks and consider carpets, curtains and dividers to reduce the noise.

Check Ergonomics- Improper ergonomics can have an enormous impact on productivity as well as health. Consider some easy quick ways to mend the problem.

Many start-up home based business owners have high hopes, but insufficient funds and end up using all the capital in designing the home office. So think before you do invest and adopt a penny-pinching mentality. If you identify a fancy table, set a revenue goal and award yourself once you are able to buy it.

The right home office furniture and setting can reduce your stress and improve profitability. So design wisely and keep smiling.