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Having a Home Office in the
21st Century

Gone are the days of everyone vying for expensive, elaborate, incredibly attractive home offices. As the Internet boom subsided, people realized that the idea of telecommuting from home offices was not as ideal or practical or realistic as it was being made out.

Enter the 21st century, an age of reason, or at least, more reason than the 90s. Home offices today tend to take two forms, either someone who really does work from home, every day, or the person who just brings work home occasionally. Most of us fall into this latter category, and therefore, all we really need is some space that we can use practically.

What you need to decide now is whether you are someone who is bringing work home in order to be with your family, or you are someone who needs some quiet space to get some things done away from the office. Either way, here are some rules that will help get your office nicely off the ground!

• Focus on making your office space practical and comfortable, rather than funky and attractive. Be willing to spend your money on storage units rather than a giant lava lamp.
• Think about what space will provide you with the best working environment. A coffee table may get you closest to your family, but it is unlikely to provide you with the essentials you need.
• Despite focusing on the practical, you don’t want your home office to be a dingy place you dread going to. Aim for a happy medium, and you’ll maximize your effectiveness.

Once you have selected your ideal location, you can think about what additional items your new office will need. By all means, recycle. Use as much stuff as you can. Sometimes, an old desk can be revamped by replacing the top, or an old bookcase can be given new life with some fresh paint. Here are the most essential of the items you will need:

• A desk or table to work on. The more drawers, the better.
• Decent lighting. Again, coming into a dark and dingy room is not a pleasant thought. Ideally, you would want a ceiling light and maybe a desk lamp.
• Electrical outlets are always essential. Power strips are extremely useful, but make sure they have surge protectors.
• An additional phone line, or broadband Internet, is important for most home offices. The need to be connected yet contactable is normally a prerequisite.
• A telephone, whether it is a land line or your mobile phone. You will normally end up making and taking more calls than you anticipated.
• A decent chair. This is especially true if you are planning on spending more than an hour working in the same place. Ergonomically designed chairs will no longer cost you an arm and a leg to buy.
• Finally, you need plenty of storage. Having every piece of paper you could possibly need stacked up in a big box is not good organization. Having plenty of drawer and cabinet space means being able to easily organize everything you need.

Sometimes a little radio or television can be useful to have, especially if you will be working there for a significant amount of time. Above all, try to achieve a balance between having a practical office that contains everything you need to be effective with your time, but is attractive enough that you do not dread pulling up a chair and sitting down.

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