Many businesses found their beginnings in a home office. Reckon for one started its journey in founder Greg Wilkinson’s second bedroom in Rose Bay. For many start-ups, the home office serves as the headquarters for their first few years of operation and is integral to the business.
Today we look at 5 ways you can make your home office space a thriving workspace where you can get stuff done!
1. Embrace your space
Use the space you have more effectively by considering the potential in each surface. Instead of placing your monitor on your desk, consider mounting it on the wall or placing a wifi printer in a hideaway cupboard. If you’re looking for more desk space, try fitting wireless keyboard and mouse caddies on the wall next door for ease of access. If all that sounds too fiddley, just investing in a good desk organiser could make all the difference.
2. Reduce clutter
De-cluttering doesn’t have to mean throwing things out, especially when it comes to piles of dog-eared papers. Finding a good document management system (DMS) is a great way to reduce paper build up and find a safe and secure spot for important documents. When it comes to accounting and tax documents, ensure your chosen DMS meets legal standards before you shred the originals, to avoid making an irreversible mistake. You could also look at purchasing furniture with built-in storage options to maximise your space before you set it up.
3. Banish post-it notes to the past
Paint your walls with whiteboard paint to reduce your dependence on notes. Scrawl important phone numbers, to-do lists and targets directly on to your walls and erase with ease when you’re done. This suggestion was inspired by the walls of our office at Reckon, where event dates, memo’s, stats and news adorn the surfaces of our space. This is a cost effective solution that can brighten a small home office and is great for occupying the younger entrepreneurs in the family who may pop by to ‘help’. If painting proves difficult, mount a roll of butcher’s paper high on a favoured wall and use as you need.
4. Avoid the electrical octopus
Tangled cords and cables are not only be messy but dangerous too. Stores like IKEA and Officeworks provide plenty of solutions for out of control cables at relatively budget-friendly prices. Clips can be attached to the underside of your desk or cable ties used to train wires into the right spot. However if you’re after an even cheaper solution, consider the humblebinder clip. Simply attach the clip to the edge of your desk and feed the cables through the handle.
5. Lighten your lighting
Do you find yourself squinting at your screen as the day goes on? It may be due to the light changing throughout the day. Just as any regular office would abide by OH&S rules, your home office should meet health standards to ensure you’re doing the right thing by your body. Avoid using fluorescent lighting, or positioning yourself in front of a window where direct sunlight might cause squinting or a glare to fall across your screen. To find out how to light your home office correctly head to the Lighting Research Centre where you can simulate the circumstances of your space and pick the right lighting solution for you.
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Getting the right solution for your home office may take a few attempts but you should aim to make the space a place where you feel comfortable and energised, that way you’ll be best place to promote the growth of your vision. If you have any tips on organising your home office, let us know in the comments.
