Work at Home: Equipping the Space

When you work in a corporate setting, often the equipment and other accouterments of the work space are regulated by law to some extent. When you work at home, you will want to make sure the setting is appropriate to the work you will be doing. Your comfort and efficiency will be important whether you are doing creative work or data manipulation work. Even though many individuals who start a home business simply carve a working area out of a corner of the den or in an unused bedroom, there are several things you should be aware of in equipping the space in which you work:

Lighting

Lighting is critically important when you work at home. Not only do you need adequate artificial light for dark and cloudy days, but you must have natural light in order to feel your best. Use appropriate lighting in the number of watts recommended to brighten areas where you are reading, working at a computer, or creating a product for customers. Be aware of the illumination level of the lighting that you use. You should also consider the level of lighting and contrast on your computer monitor, particularly if much of your work involves staring at a monitor screen.

Furniture

The furniture you use will depend upon the type of work at home that you do. If you are using a computer, you will want an appropriate system for the record keeping or for the work using the computer that you plan to accomplish. In most instances, purchasing a computer thinking that you can use it for work and for your teenagers to play games on simply won't work. It takes strength of will to maintain a separation between work equipment and personal equipment, but it's worth the effort. If you are sitting at a desk or computer for extended periods, make sure you have a good quality chair that's ergonomically designed and adjusted to your height.

Privacy

Another adjust that you should consider when you plan to work at home is the concept of privacy and security. If you have toddlers who are going to stay at home instead of going to nursery school, or you have teenagers who want to use the computer for homework in the evening, you'll need to install a way to keep unwanted guests out of your work space and out of your computer files. A locking office door will keep children from raiding the desk drawer for paper and pens or your last CDs

Time

Related to the issue of privacy is the issue of time. You cannot complete your work at home successfully if your time is being commandeered by spouse, children, chatty neighbor's or your daughter's teacher. Neither should you expect to do your best work only after anyone else in the household has gone to sleep. Set up a regular work schedule for job related activities and stick to it and you will find you need less time to accomplish the work than would have been required in a corporate setting.