It really has never been easier to set up your own business. Thanks to the internet, running a business from home is simpler, more accessible and more profitable than ever. But running a business from home does come with one important thing to consider: how do you keep your work life and your personal life separate? There are a lot of ways to tackle this problem, but one of the most effective is to make sure that you have a dedicated office space set aside for your work and your work alone. But if you’re going to do that you’ve got to make sure it’s the kind of space that’s set up to be as usable as possible. You can’t just set aside a corner of your living room with a desk in it and assume that’s going to be enough. Here are some things that you need to do to create the perfect home office.
Keep it separate
Maintaining a work-life balance is the number one concern for a lot of people who run their business from home. If you’re not careful, you can end up finding yourself spending more and more time working, even when you’re supposed to be doing something else. This can put a lot of strain on personal relationships, lead to exhaustion and even make you resent your business for the amount of time it’s taking up in your life. Being able to keep your home office as a dedicated space is so important. Don’t use it for anything but work and, at the end of the work day, close the door and forget about it. This might not be the easiest thing to do at first, but it’s an important level of discipline to develop that you will be grateful for in the long run.
Get the right furniture
Just because your office is at home doesn’t mean you can just use the same kind of furniture. Your furniture needs in your office are going to be completely different from your needs for the rest of your house. The chairs that you sit in need to provide as much support as possible as you could end up sitting and working in them for as much as eight or nine hours a day. Bad posture is the most common cause of workplace discomfort and injury, and the wrong choice of furniture is one of the main reasons behind that. Sites like arnoldsofficefurniture.com Offer fantastic options to accommodate just about every home office requirement.
Storage
If your desk is cluttered with files and documents, then you’re never going to be able to focus properly. Like the old saying goes: tidy house, tidy mind. Nowhere is this truer than in your office. You need to make sure that you have storage solutions set up for both physical and digital documents. A sturdy filing cabinet will do wonders for keeping the space in your office organized, and cloud storage is a fantastic option for those with limited server space.
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
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I’m currently job hunting and treating my space and time as a job is crucial.
I can imagine it is. I make a point of hanging an sign saying that I am working so the family knows not to bother me unless it is important. If not I will never get anything done.
I love the idea of totally separating your personal space and your office space in your home. I have thought long and hard about blogging full time, but I would want to sit up a separate computer, files, printer, desk, etc. from my personal space. It gets pricey getting started though. Thanks for the tips.
You are welcome. While it can be pricey I say get started with what you can afford. Trust me I started out blogging on a free platform and then worked my way up. In fact when I first started I was using the internet on my phone and now have an office area and everything I need.
This is helpful, many days I don’t even want to leave the bed
I have days like that. I’m glad you found the article helpful.
Im just about to start my own home business. This was super helpful to read. I think keeping it separate is the biggest thing for me.
It’s important to keep it separate. I started out with everything all together and I can tell you that it doesn’t work at all. I have a laptop in my bedroom where I do work early mornings or late nights if I have a deadline but other than that all of my work in done in my office area.
I have enormous trouble keeping my desktop cleaned off. Working on it…
These are really good tips. I hear from people who work from home that it’s hard to keep personal and work separate so I can see that different furniture and a totally separate space is important.