Maintaining Efficiency in a Home Office

Filed in archive home office tools on March 30, 2007

The home office is where more and more Americans are building their careers and many have found success operating their business from a room in their home. The challenge usually is how to maintain efficiency in a home office when there are other things going on and other concerns that are totally unrelated to work appear at unexpected moments. Here are some of the ways successful home office professionals have maneuvered their businesses:

Separate the home office.
Everything that has to do with the home office should be separated from the home environment and that includes space. Bedrooms and living rooms are usually the first choice, but they are hardly ideal because of their association to sleep and relaxation. Work is work. Use separators or build a wall to separate a home office area and make sure no family member goes in without your permission.

Plan everything.
The home office should be treated in the same way as a conventional office space since all of the work that is usually performed in a traditional office is completed there. People who maintain an efficient work office have their day planned out in advance - the time they start work, the list of things they have to accomplish, the list of people they need to call and the number of hours they will put in.

File Management.
Clutter can be managed with a simple but efficient action tray and filing system. Follow a procedure as to how to handle priorities and perform checks and follow-ups. Focus on a project that needs immediate attention. At the end of each day, try to clear your desk from post-it notes, booklets and documents. When you turn off the light in your home office, a few pens, a writing pad and your notebook computer should be the only items left on your table.