Each piece of equipment in your home office plays a huge part in how you perform your tasks, but have you thought about how you've set things up? Is everything within easy reach or are you rummaging about from one place to the next in search of what you need? Applying some basic discipline to how you structure your home office can keep distractions at bay and give you some renewed focus in the work you are doing.
Choose your office equipment and tools wisely - if you're buying home office equipment for the first time, then you have a blank slate with which to work, and an even better chance of getting things set up correctly from the start. But don't despair if you've already set things up and you're not satisfied with how you're working - a few simple pointers can put in place the remedy you need to get your home office running like a well oiled machine:
Upgrade your PC: Technology moves quickly; but this doesn't mean that you have to have state of the art equipment to carry out your home working job. If you're still using an old computer, you may want to think about an upgrade to help you work that bit faster.
Printing and scanning equipment: Using a printer is most likely unavoidable, but think hard about whether or not you need to invest in a scanner. If you do have a printer and a scanner, position these so that they are as easily within reach as possible - getting up and down from your desk every 5 minutes is not conducive to working efficiently.
Choose a desk that you can work at comfortably: Even though you may be stuck for space in your home office setting, buy the biggest desk that will fit - you will never work efficiently on a desk that's too small for your requirements.
Invest in a good chair: You will be spending a good deal of time in your chair, so it's important to get this piece of equipment just right. Choose a chair that you can adjust and make comfortable for you, and talk to a salesperson about an ergonomic chair that's right for your requirements.
Wi-Fi: Whether you have your own home office, or are simply working from your kitchen or dining room table, Wi-fi is the home worker's best friend! It will give you increased flexibility in how you can fit work in throughout your day. For example, if you really must tackle the pile of ironing, you can at least take your laptop with you and keep an eye on your emails.
Telephones and fax machines: Most people use mobile phones these days, but depending on the type of business you are carrying out from home, you could benefit from your own business landline - that way, you can ignore the home phone and not be distracted by calls that aren't related to your work. With regard to fax machines, think about this carefully: many people prefer to use email, or even text messaging instead of faxes. Don't spend money on equipment you don't need.
Other bits and bobs: Keep gadgets to a minimum - we all like a break from work every now and then, but too much distraction will hinder your work schedule. Similarly, you will no doubt wish to work in as pleasant surroundings as you possibly can, but thinking carefully about each piece of equipment you choose, and how you arrange your office, can make all the difference to your productivity. For example, if you must have a plant in your office, then put it somewhere you can't easily knock it over - you don't have time to clear it up!
Working efficiently will help you Earn more money - releasing yourself from the shackles of a 9 - 5 position has most likely come as a godsend so it is well worth the effort of ironing out any niggles you may have right from the start. This applies on a personal level too. Although working from home can prove ideal in many ways, it can also feel lonely on occasions and lacks the buzz of being able to exchange ideas with your colleagues. The trick is to see the office banter you are leaving behind as a way of increasing your productivity overall, thus allowing you more time for leisure and banter outside working hours than you've ever had before. What's more, with increased productivity comes extra income, so by making your home office environment that bit more efficient you'll find you have more in your pocket at the end of each month.
Home workers face challenges too - whether it's the washing up sitting in the sink, the laundry that's piling up, or the lawn that needs mowing, all of these tasks and more can eat away at your productivity if you don't learn to switch off and buckle down to your paying work. The efficiently run home office is designed to keep your concentration solely within your work space, and to not allow your mind the chance the wander over to those tasks.
By taking on board the suggestions above, you could be shaving off a considerable amount of time you'd once spent procrastinating and become more focused on what you need to achieve each day. After all, you don't want to end up feeling hassled because you are juggling things in the wrong way - this entirely defeats the object of home working. In making the changes to your home office efficiency now, you can arrange things with ease and enjoy the flexibility that working from home can bring to your life.
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