Tips for Having a Quiet Home Office

Working at home is becoming an increasingly larger share of the work world. While working at home, sounds like a great idea, changing your ' haven of refuge' into a work environment is easier said than done. however, with a few simple tips, working at home can be as productive as a day at the office.

1) According to the home improvement company Lowes, the first step to having an efficient and productive home office is designating a specific place to work from. in addition, the office equipment should be centrally located and a comfortable, but processional work desk should be in place. Most homes aren't lucky enough to have separate office space, and use a living area. But with a bit of planning, such as installing a movable partition, your work area can be separate from the rest of your home.

2) Another important tip is to have a separate phone line for business only. While this may cost a bit extra on a monthly phone bill, some employers either provide an extra line or will cover the cost. Trying to do business on your home phone while being bothered by personal and marketing calls proves rather difficult. In addition, I even recored a personal message for my home phone during the day saying I am in the home office. I then turn my home phone off, and leave my cell phone on for any emergency calls.

3) As mentioned in the previous tip, turning a home phone off and leaving a cell phone on for emergencies is necessary in order to run a quiet home business. However, many people need to be informed what an emergency is. My family thinks telling me they will be a few minutes late is an emergency. Define with your loved ones who use your cell phone, what you consider to be a true emergency.

4) Buy a sign from a hardware or department store that either mentions office work or is a blank one you can write on. I at first tried writing the note by hand, and it was ignored, with people still knocking on the door. Comments were made such as " This note doesn't apply to today does it? " When I posted a more professional looking note I would hear hurried footsteps, no knocking, and scuffling back down the sidewalk. People seemed to show more respect for the professional note.Do not feel guilty for not getting the door. If you were at a brick and motor job, no one would answer the door while you were away. They would simply be greeted by silence. So treat your home office the same way and ignore the door.

5) Provide yourself with sufficient breaks. At a standard job, breaks occur without us noticing it. Commenting to a co worker, trips to the bathroom, placing a call on hold are all un noticed breaks. At home work seems to be more intense. I have found I work better with frequent breaks. However, this does depend on the type of home job. Some jobs have quotas and frequent breaks can not be negotiated . But for writing from home, I have found this is essential. My work is crisper and clearer if I take frequent breaks.

By using a few of these tips, your home office will be more efficient. and quieter. Working at home is possible with a few alterations.

(http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/Home_Off.html)