More and more people work from home nowadays. According to the US Census Bureau, over four million Americans worked from home in 2000 and the number is growing fast. Most of the people who work from home are evenly distributed in the 30-59 year old age bracket.
Is everyone who works from home is a self-employed entrepreneur? No, this is not the case in USA, Europe or Australia as a significant number of people working from home are salaried employees, some even being state and federal government employees.
Most of the people working from home are engaged in management, professional and financial occupations with sales and marketing coming next followed by people engaged in personal care and services, office and administrative support services like accounting or training etc. Naturally, it follows that the people working from home have entirely different kinds of needs and requirements for their home offices.
For people who work from home it is obvious that a home office needs to be functional as well as economic. One great mistake people make when designing their home office is to concentrate only on the functionality of the office space itself. Having an office at home means a major disruption of your home life. So even more than before you need to look at the bigger picture of how you balance work routines and pressure with a healthy and sane home life. You need to consider what is required of a home office for you to be effective at work and yet produce a work-life balance.
In addition to the tables, chairs, bookshelves, filing cabinets, lamps, computers, and printers there is one constant in the office and that is you. When designing your home office, you should take into account three factors: the equipment and resources you will need, how you utilize your workspace, and your work style.
Let's start with the ergonomics: Ergonomics studies the interface between humans and equipment in the office. Improper office ergonomic design can have a huge impact on productivity, injury prevention, as well as physical and mental health. Avoid clutter, as they muddle up your mind.
Quick home office ergonomic checklist:
- Eyes about 24-36 inches from the computer screen. Top of your monitor should be below or at your eye-level as you sit.
- Can you place your feet on a footrest or keep them on the floor so that you can move your feet comfortably
- Can you recline your chair posture occasionally? A slightly reclined posture is best to reduce vertebrae pressure and minimize lower back pain. Can you change posture regularly, many times in a day?
- Is your chair solid and supports you well? If your chair is bad, flimsy and wobbly, you'll tire easily. So don't be miser about it. If possible get a good used one.
- Is there good ventilation with no drought and non-glare lighting?
- Do you have the possibility for flexing neck and other muscles regularly and exercising your legs?
Next, consider how you utilize your available workspace. Think of your work as a set of processes. Visualize yourself executing these processes in your office space and check for blocks or inefficient actions. For example, if you need to take down lots of notes as you talk to customers, then process this information on your computer, why not consider getting a hands-free phone set and writing directly with the programme you would use rather than scribble with a pencil and spend long time punching information manually. The work style you had been used to in your earlier job may not be very efficient when working alone from home.
Two things to avoid in your home office are having a bar stocked with alcoholic drinks and possibility of watching daytime TV. A couch is not such a bad idea after all. There are scientifically proven benefits to a quick nap, but then you need self-discipline.
One of the problems in working alone from home is not being in the company of other professionals in the office. Remember to maintain regular human contact with others; otherwise, you might start feeling alienated. Typically an entrepreneur has to work longer and irregular hours than office goers. This places them at the risk of having burnout due to overwork and alienation. In addition to being efficient and functional you need fun and inspiration in the office and in your life to prevent getting burnout.
Making the home office cheerful and a place of joy is the wisest investment towards maintaining your long-term efficiency. Bring some plants or flowers and if you like, music to your office. Get the coffee mug you love and pamper yourself with cookies every now and then. As humans, we are not machines, but animals who need to commune with nature; otherwise we become sick.
When working from home, your work style starts to affect your whole life soon. Harmonize your office with your brand, whether it is a product, service, or expertise. Many successful people working from home have told me that they dress up every morning before entering their workspace. By dressing up, many people put on their professional roles more efficiently than while working in pyjamas. If you are a cross-cultural management consultant, you need to have cross-cultural management books, magazines, and cultural artefacts in your office, if you are a Shiatsu massage therapist you need symbols and ambience associated with Shiatsu. One Shiatsu massage therapist doubled his income by redecorating his clinic space to reflect his working style and philosophy.
Lastly, here is a word of caution for home office start-ups. Many start-ups high on dreams and low on cash will be tempted to spend heavily on office design by acquiring fancy furniture. If you want the fancy new office desk or a 24” iMac, set a revenue goal, and reward yourself when you achieve it rather than renting or taking loans to buy it.
The right home office design can help you reduce stress, improve your productivity, and eventually, enhance profits and help you achieve satisfaction in life.
