A great home office is a key to success
These days, approximately 37 million households have active home offices. If you’re poised to become home-based, here are some things to consider as you’re putting your home office in order:
Location is key
Where your office is located in your home can affect your productivity and even your personal life. Choose a room that’s in your home’s heavy traffic lanes, and you could face frequent interruptions. Park your desk in the game room over the garage and you may feel isolated from the rest of the house.
Try to stuff a desk in a corner of your bedroom and you’ll spend most of your life stuck in the same room – you may even feel less inclined to sleep there if you’re always working in your bedroom. You’ll need to balance personal and professional priorities in order to decide which room in the house makes the most sense for your home office.
Good lighting sets the stage
The harshness of artificial lighting is a common complaint among people working in offices outside the home. A window in one’s office has long been a sign of prestige in cities across the country, and having abundant natural light in a home office is one of the many advantages of working from home.
Natural lighting has a mood-boosting impact that’s been well-documented, making office workers feel happier, healthier and more productive. What’s more, use of natural light can help reduce reliance on artificial lighting and trim utility bills accordingly.
If the space you’ve chosen for your home office is short on windows, skylights can be a good alternative, not only for lighting but also to save valuable wall space for other uses. Adding Energy Star-qualified skylights, like those manufactured by VELUX America, can be as cost-effective as installing quality vertical windows, without creating the hassle of opening a wall.
Skylights can also be a good investment for your home-based business. Adding no-leak solar-powered fresh-air skylights and energy-efficient solar-powered blinds to your home office can qualify for a 30-percent federal tax credit on both products, including the installation costs.
Furnishings create a foundation
Considering how much time you’ll spend in your home office, it’s important to invest in furnishings that will be functional, comfortable, inspiring and in step with your lifestyle. If you prefer to sit while you work on a computer, the comfort of your office chair will be key.
Prefer to get in a bit of healthful exercise while you work? Consider an ergonomic desk such as an Electronic Standing desk
that allows you to stand while you type. Many versions of standing desks also can be lowered for use while seated.
Desks should incorporate storage and easy access to electronic components. Office chairs should be comfortable and ergonomically correct. Be sure your furniture choices not only fit your needs, but the room’s, too. It’s also important to keep office furniture appropriate to the scale of the room you’ll be working in.
This article is courtesy of Brandpoint.