Chances are if you work at home you have a small home office. It may be a computer in the corner of a bedroom or an entire office outfitted with all the latest gadgets and gizmos to hlep you get everything done. With today’s technology, a home office is a very simple thing to create. Just hook up a computer and a telephone and you’re done. I have come up with a few great ideas to make your home office a better and more productive place for you to conduct business. Try implementing these tips in your home office and you will see the difference immediately. 

• Invest in your office equipment and technology. Sure, creating a home office is easy and can be very cheap but you should probably take a little bit of extra money and invest in comfort and productivity tools. First, the computer, it is the single most important piece of office equipment. Make sure yours is up to date with the latest virus protection software, accounting software, memory, hard drive space and anything else you use in your line of business. Next, concentrate on comfort; buy an ergonomic chair, gel wrist pads for the mouse and keyboard and a shoulder rest for the phone. This is your office and place of business it should be as comfortable as possible. 
• Keep your office organized. This tip is one of the hardest for me. I use my office for more than just work and it usually gets very messy, very quickly. So I developed a system that has worked for me. Whenever something goes into my office whether it is work related or not I put it on the left side of the desk and I slowly move it to the right side and out the door or into the filing cabinet. This keeps everything moving. At the end of the day I clean off my desk so it is ready for the next day. It is important to develop a system that not only works for you but also works for everyone in your household if more than one person uses the office they should all follow the same guidelines.
• Décor is very important for a great office. Your office should be bright and cheerful. Fill it with things that you find inspirational and appealing. I have a poster board above my desk that I keep full of my favorite vacation pictures so I know what I’m working for. You can include awards, certificates or anything that you find motivating. I cannot work without natural daylight. When I’m working I always make sure that I have both windows open. It makes me feel more awake and energized.
• I mentioned before that I have a poster board above my desk. This is also a great place to hang reminders, to do lists, motivating quotes, and all my ideas. I use this board constantly. If a poster board is not your style why not go digital? Digital storage is a wonderful thing and will keep your office and your life free of so many unnecessary documents and notes. You still have access to all of your important documents but instead of being stored in a filing cabinet at your desk all of your documents are stored at an off-site location and are accessible on the computer, through the Internet. This means your documents are safe from fire, tornadoes and just about any other disaster you can think of.
• The best thing I ever did for my home office was going wireless. Wireless networks allow you to work from anywhere in your home not just the home office. Wireless networks and computers are the reason why I can sit outside on the patio and enjoy a glass of lemonade while I’m writing this. I cannot stress enough how productive going wireless has made me and my home office.

   So here is the recap: invest, organize, decorate, go digital and go wireless. These five things should make your home office a happier, healthier and more productive space to get things done.

   Got another great idea? Share them with me!