While some people have the luxury of an extra room in their home where they can create an office, others will likely need to use a corner of the living room or other room to work in. The important part is whatever space you have to work with, that you create an organized and clean environment for yourself.
This means to remove everything else from the immediate area that is not related to business. (Coffee cups are excluded from this rule as long as it’s todays). Put all your papers and bills, newspapers, etc. that are not related to your business away somewhere – even if you have to find a cardboard box to put them in.
A certain, at least minimal amount of organization can really help you. The idea to be clean and clear in that area where you work is so that you are better able to focus only on the task(s) at hand. You do need to treat your home business just like a job in most respects. That means setting parameters. Treat it like a commitment even if the only one you are accountable to is yourself.
Although much of your information that you need to keep track of will be digital, you should think in terms of a business and have an organized filing system. That just means creating folders or labels in your email account where you can save important login information, links, etc. in a place where you can readily access them.
It is also a good idea to have a hard copy back up in place for important things like your usernames and passwords – ‘just in case’ of a computer meltdown, it will help you to recover if you have something tangible to refer to. Also, add ‘favorites’ where you save your frequently visited links (sites).
Because you will likely be spending many hours at your PC, a very important consideration is ergonomic. You need a decent chair that supports your back, and a footstool to make the pressure on your lower back less – even if you have to use the phonebook for this purpose.
You need decent lighting – not too dim and not to bright. Your monitor should be at eye level – not above and not below, straight ahead. Ideally your monitor and mouse should be level with your wrists and elbows, again, straight in a line, not above or below. These things will reduce the strain on your body and allow you to focus on the work without feeling tired or uncomfortable. (No excuse to ‘knock off’ early!)
One of the beautiful things about working from home is you can take breaks whenever you want to – and even if you don’t want to, you should take breaks frequently. Your brain, your eyes, your back and arms are only human. They can only absorb so much at a time. You will really be much more efficient and retain information better, if you allow yourself time to rest. At least every hour or so, get up and stretch – focus your eyes on something as far away as you can see – or even close them for 5 minutes. Don’t feel like you are slacking – it is a proven fact that people that take ‘cat naps’ are more efficient.
There are many ads about working in your pajamas and etc. and in fact you can work any time when you work at home. However, it is still a good idea to get up and get dressed – it is just psychological. After a while of nothing but sweat suits or pajamas, it can get depressing. Of course wear something
comfortable and shoes are optional!
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