In the Zone - Your Own, Private, Dedicated Home Office

Perhaps you are a work-at-home mom or dad, a student between jobs, newly unemployed, or even retired. In tough economic times, many turn to home business for either complete self-sufficiency or to generate additional income. Regardless of whether you are currently self-employed or contemplating taking that next step, one thing you will absolutely need is a dedicated space for your home business office.

A home business office is essential whether you live in a one room dorm, a tiny studio, or a family residence. Ideally, you would have a separate room to dedicate for office space. But if not, then at the very minimum set aside the kitchen table at least a special corner and outfit it with table or desk. This dedicated space will be your office and unless it really is the kitchen table, should only be used for home office tasks. When you are at work, even if you don't have the help of physical walls, this will be your zone of focus. When you are in the zone, you are at work.

If you have a spare room, then you can outfit it with additional shelving and file space and give consideration to how it will look. Set it up for comfort, but not for leisure. I personally prefer a sort of cozy austerity. Sparely and functionally decorated but welcoming and comfortable for long periods of work. Depending on the nature of your work and resources, you may want to dedicate a separate building for your work space, such as a garage or shed. This would be particularly on point for your business requires a workshop or a larger design area.

My list of home essentials includes a file cabinet (at least 3 drawers), calculator, computer, printer/scanner/fax, and phone terminal. If your business involves heavy phone use, then invest in a versatile phone system and be sure to get a headset so that your hands are left free. I would suggest you include a desk top organizer or papers, such as three or four tier tray system, a stapler, paperclips, and a fist full of pens. Except for the computer and printer/fax, I'd suggest getting all of your office stuff from a surplus store if possible. If you don't have a spare room, then you may even want to further define your space using folding screens. These usually come with three or four folding panels, stands about six feet tall and are light and portable. Good lighting is also essential. While you are at the surplus shop or Goodwill, look for lamps that will give you plenty of bright coverage.

I would also suggest that you either have a dedicated phone line, or a DSL or cable subscription for online connectivity. Minimally, your computer should have word processing and spreadsheet software installed. Microsoft Office has been the standard for office software for PCs, but Open Office is a free, open source software suite that is considered to on par with MS Word. Open Office includes a suite of programs that allow you to make text documents, presentations, diagrams, data bases, and spreadsheets. You can even save documents in XML, HTML, and PDF format.

Keep in mind that even though your office space is your sanctuary of sorts, its prime function is to allow you to focus and accomplish work. As such, how you appoint it-everything from the stapler and bookends on your desk to the pictures of your kids or friends-should give you that gut feeling that this is your special place. Ideally, your office will allow you access and reach to the essential tools of your home business as well as help channel your efforts towards completion of your targets and goals.

Resources

Simpleocity.com

Proproductsourcing.com

Sba.gov