Guest Post

It’s getting more feasible with every passing day to work from home – the Internet has enabled thousands of entrepreneurs to be successful with home-based businesses.

Creative companies are also finding ways for their employees to telecommute.

Central to a successful work-at-home strategy is getting your home office set up properly.

Following these five rules will get you off to a fast, and productive, start.

Rule #1: Maintain your privacy

Home is where the heart is. Unfortunately it’s also where the distractions are. Choose a space for your home office where you can get some privacy.

It’s a good idea to have some kind of boundary between your living space and your work space.

When you go into your office, you can mentally switch over to work mode.

A spare bedroom is perfect, but if you don’t have an extra room for your office, use something like display shelves to section off an area in your living room.

You’ll get the “boundary” you need, yet not suffer from that “closed in” feeling.

Rule #2: Lighten up

Your office needs good lighting. Be careful how you orient your desk in relationship to windows.

Overly bright natural light can cause eye strain when you’re reading off a computer screen for much of the day.

Also, direct light from a window is a bad source of glare.

Good indirect, natural lighting is best but when it’s in short supply you can go with lensed lights placed to give you even, indirect lighting.

Rule #3: Be comfortable

You’re going to spend a lot of time in your office chair. Don’t run down to Wal-Mart and buy the cheapest chair they have out on the floor.

Take some time comparing ergonomic office chairs in a well stocked specialty store.

Just because a chair claims to be ergonomic, doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Make sure you can adjust the height, back and arm rests.

You should be able to dial in the tilt and height of the back to conform to your body. Take some test drives.

Rule #4: Make a place for everything

Keep your work area de-cluttered. Having to sit down at a cluttered desk erodes enthusiasm for your work and your productivity.

Equip your home office with efficient shelves and bookcases to handle the overflow of seldom-used materials.

Invest in a good quality file cabinet—and use it.

Before long, you’ll have a large cache of office supplies; set aside a closet or storage tub to handle them.

Buy some simple organizers so you can keep your desktop—your real one—clean and uncluttered.

Rule #5: Fail to plan, plan to fail

Sit down with a blank sheet of paper to plan your office layout.

It’s far easier to move desks, cabinets and shelves when they are little slips of paper than it is to push them around your spare bedroom.

The classic L-shaped office desk setup has proven its efficiency over the years.

Items that are less frequently used go along the side.

You’re planning to be successful, right? Then you’ll be spending many hours every week in your home office.

Make that time efficient, productive and pleasant!

This is a guest post by David Ching. David works as a marketing strategist at EQA Office Furniture. EQA offers top quality office furniture and as an added bonus, free 3D virtual design services. Visit their website for prices on cubicles and other office furniture.