House & Home

Consider the best room in your house for a home office
Remember that everyday items can double as storage containers
A quality chair is a good investment

Home Is Where the Office Is

It’s easy to create a place to work – it just takes a little planning.

A home office can help you stay organized or serve as a place to operate a home-based business.
Photo by Todd Bennett

Whether you work from home or just need a space dedicated to keeping up with bills and school papers, having a home office can make life – and your home – a lot less cluttered.

The first step is to choose a place for your office. If you can’t devote an entire room to an office, consider setting one up in a walk-in closet or as part of another room, and partition it off with some sort of room divider. Choose an area that has plenty of electrical and phone outlets, or plan to have them installed.

Next, determine where you’ll keep files, office supplies, reference books and important papers. A well-equipped office requires lots of storage space.

A bedroom closet outfitted with a combination of drawers and shelves works nicely, or you may want to build floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. You’ll also need filing cabinets and a fireproof storage safe for important documents.

Keep in mind that everyday items can double as storage containers. Shoeboxes, jars and inexpensive drawer dividers used for silverware can come in handy.

Lighting is also very important. A room with windows provides energizing natural light, though you’ll want to supplement it with adjustable lights for evening work.

When choosing equipment and furniture, think about the environments in which you’ve worked best in the past. Maybe you need a large table to spread out paperwork, or perhaps you spend most of your time on a computer and need little desk space.

A quality chair is a good investment, too. Consider buying one with adjustable height and tilt, and make sure it provides good lumbar support.

An up-to-date computer and quality printer are a must. You’ll also need a backup system to save computer documents. If your work requires faxing and copying,
you may want to choose a printer that combines several functions to maximize your space.

A voice-mail system and cordless phone are other necessities. Keep a trash can nearby to keep clutter at bay.

Once you’ve got everything you need, the final – and perhaps most critical – step is organization. If you can’t find what you need, you can’t use it.

For easy bill-paying, keep your checkbook, stamps and calculator in the same place where you stack bills as they come in.

Other tips for organizing your office include placing the phone on the opposite side of your writing hand and putting pens and pencils on the same side of the desk as your writing hand.

Put the items that you use most often closest to you. Label files and arrange them alphabetically. Lastly, hang a wall-mounted rack next to the door so when you leave the room, outgoing mail and other parcels leave with you.

Story By Jessica Mozo

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