Despite the mistaken belief that working at home will be a smooth transition from the traditional 9-5 office job, the reality is there are many obstacles that can put a wrench into the mix.
Unless these issues are recognized, acknowledged, addressed and handled with firmness, and diplomacy, it can wreak havoc on your dream of living the ideal lifestyle of working from home on your business. It may be as simple as buying an ergonomic task chair to as complex as the change in family dynamics. The downside of not following these simple guidelines is poor productivity, lack of focus, concentration, diminished creativity and minimal, if any, profits.
It just takes commitment and dedication to get in the right mindset and adjust to changes as well as get others, friends, family and neighbors on board and recognize the boundaries you must establish.
Whether you are just starting a new home based business or decided to have a home office for your existing business, here are some essential issues you must be aware of.
1. Start With a Blank Canvas
Before you outfit your office make a list of everything, and I mean everything (furniture, equipment, storage, filing space) you feel you will need before you buy anything.
2. Atmosphere
You should feel relaxed and the room should flow and be filled with things you love and feel comfortable around. Still it should be professional looking-it is your profit center. Whether it is a separate room, separate space made with a room divider or office work station that can close up, setting aside this separate area creates an office environment more conducive to productivity.
3. Comfort
Seating is crucial when spending hours on end at a desk or computer. The benefits of investing in an ergonomic work chair more than outweigh the cost. These chairs cradle your body while supporting your back and spine, as well as reduce muscle aches, pain and tension. This leaves you feeling less fatigued when you end your work day.
Room temperature is also important for comfort. Make sure you have enough ventilation and the room remains cool or warm enough. Some options may be ceiling fans to cool or space heater to warm if the temperature can’t be regulated. If closing the door creates an uncomfortable temperature consider using a folding screen across the doorway or change the door to a louvered slat door for better air circulation
4. Accessibility
If you are shut off from the family and that concerns you make necessary accommodations or changes. I you want to keep an eye on the children but need quiet, a glass insert in the door to see out and they can see in is an option. If you don’t want constant view, a glass door with an attractive curtain where you can peek out but don’t have to open door works well.
5. Determine work style
Experiment and see what works best for you –everyone has a different rhythm and styles of work flow. Do you like to walk around when on the phone (make sure there is room for that- don’t put in so much furniture and office equipment that you are cramped. Do you prefer sitting in a comfortable lounge chair? Do you like to recline in your office chair? Is it leather executive ergo chair or a mesh task office chair? If you are a work at home parent hire someone to watch the children during your work hours. There are a number of alternatives, part-time a few hours a day, perhaps a few days of the week, a college student, a retired neighbor or friend. Think out of the box.
6. Not treating your home business like a Business
This is a huge mistakes many home business professional make. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you never have to make any hard decisions or choices. This includes creating a business plan, organizing and scheduling your day, setting goals and deadlines for projects and tasks and considering yourself a professional.
7. Isolation
The good news is that you don’t have to deal with “office politics” and all that goes along with that life. But what you may miss is the camaraderie and company.
Set aside time for lunch dates with friends. Go to a coffee shop, library, park to work for awhile. Arrange a weekly breakfast meeting with others that work at home, colleagues or business acquaintances. Breakfast is great as it is early; usually it takes much less time therefore leaving plenty of time to get your work done. If you make these consistent it becomes a ritual that allows a feeling of belonging as well as networking.
8. Stress
This is an issue that can arise from guilt, working too much or not enough. Set aside time through out your work day to take breaks. Set an alarm after a desinated period of time and make sure you get a change of scenery or take a mental break. Maybe it’s a walk outside, playing with your pet, having a cup of coffee and sitting on the porch listening to some music or practicing some yoga moves.. Whatever relaxes you or takes you “away” is ideal.
A common problem is that you never end your work day. Beware of the trap of working too much. At the end of the day leave work “at the office”. Close up shop whether by closing the door, putting up the room divider screen or shutting the office armoire doors. The steps out of your office are the transition commute from work life to home life. Remove any concern (if your not you should be) over lost computer files and data by making sure you have a computer data backup recovery plan. This can either be an online service or a manual process you do yourself.
9. Separate Home From Business
Make sure whatever sign you give family for the do not disturb signal; you commit to. If you don’t respect your time, they won’t respect it either.
Don’t answer personal calls when working. The same rules of do not disturb should be observed by friends and other family members. They wouldn’t be calling you at the office if you worked outside the home during business hours to chat would they? Nor would they drop in and start using your computer for their personal use .
10. Being Taken Seriously
Lots of people who work in a traditional or “normal” work environment don’t think it’s a real business if you work from home. There’s not much you can do to change the opinion of others but what you can do it take yourself and your business seriously and treat it as you would if you worked outside of the home.
A well designed, functional home office space is key. It will help you feel professional yet reflect your personality. You get the best of both worlds. Although the desire to work in your PJ’s is alluring-keep in mind your outward appearance does influence you mood, confidence and morale. This doesn’t mean you have to be decked out, it just means business casual comfortable can have many meanings. Plus if you have to run out to the post office or banking-your appearance will speak volumes about how you think of your business and as a result the way others do.
Being productive in your home office may take some time, effort and planning but think of the rewards you’ll reap; freedom, flexibility and independence. Keep in mind distractions; disorganization, lack of comfortable seating and not treating your home based venture as a business are all detrimental to productivity and ultimately profits.
About the Author
Denise Zangoglia is a home office professional who has been working from home since 1999. She is the publisher of TheHomeOfficeCafe.com, a website devoted to helping entrepreneurs and work at home professionals with resources for creating an ideally designed ergonomic work space along with tools to support and grow their business. This lifestyle allows her enjoy her family, pursue her love of horseback riding and experience life at its best. She writes on a variety of topics ranging from office setup/design and productivity to home based business resources such as on line data backup, website creation and marketing strategies.
