Hello, everyone!

I recently resigned from an office job. I will now be working from home on a full-time basis. Since the nature of my job involves creativity and concentration, I believe I need an office at home in which to do my work. The office would be a separate room in our new apartment.

I have never worked from home, so I have no desk, no extra furniture, for such a set-up. All I have is my laptop, on which I do most of my work. I would like to know how best to set up a simple home office for my freelance writing work and online selling gigs. What would I need in order to get organized from the get-go?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome, dainty_mom!

Part of this depends on knowing in what kind of environment you work best. A separate room, allowing you to keep work and home separate, is a good start. I say this because when I work from home, there are so many "home" distractions. I allow myself to, for example, continue running loads of laundry throughout the day, but I need to be very disciplined to go right back to our office space and not get sucked in by all of the other "house" stuff.

If your best working environment includes being able to look out a window, then a desk positioned in front of the window is ideal. Do you need pictures or inspirational sayings on the wall? Fresh flowers on your desk? Brainstorm what items you might need to help the creativity flow!

At the same time, don't have so many things around that it impedes the concentration part of your question! Pick your inspirations carefully!

I think your first step would be to find a desk or table that meets your needs. In my case, I needed something with a lot of storage space, so we got a desk that has 7 drawers, three of which can be used with hanging files.

Gotta run, I will finish my thoughts later!

I've sent a personal message as links aren't allowed. I suggest waiting to buy items to be certain you need them. I work from home and my most valued items are laptop, wheeled, comfortable, supportive chair, good lighting and lg. wall calendar to prevent missing deadlines. I tried out various configurations for existing desk, bookcase/credenza and 2 drawer, lateral file cabinet which holds the printer x 3 unit. I'm currently searching for a gently used 3 section, glass top computer desk.

Will the room have any other purpose? My office has a daybed, 3 drawer bureau and small chair since we downsized to condo from house.

You absolutely should have a desk and a file cabinet. If you don't expect to have lots of files, a two-drawer cabinet instead of a four-drawer one might suffice.

If you must keep personal papers, etc. in the same office, by all means, SEPARATE THE BUSINESS/JOB-RELATED MATERIAL. This is very important for taxes, but also makes it easier not to get confused, and to operate more efficiently. You might decide, if you have a desk with a drawer, to use that for you personal files (say bills), and to have a two-drawer cabinet for your job (clients, etc.)

Strive to keep the area decluttered. You should have a tray into which any papers to be filed are put until you can take care of them. I recommend filing often; if not daily, then weekly, because it will help you find things. You might look in a folder and wonder where a contract or something is. If it's still in the filing tray, you will have to sift through everything there to find it.

I suggest creating folders for obvious needs, as they arise. For instance, if you have clients, have a "CLIENTS" section, and within it, a folder for each one. You might have an "OPERATING EXPENSES" section, into which would go costs of supplies, any consulting needed, computer technician, etc. The idea is to be able to find things quickly. If your business involves deposits and withdrawals, I recommend having a separate bank account, and you could have a "Bank" folder for statements.

A wall or other calendar is essential, and possibly a bulletin board or dry-erase board for notes. Keep it up to date.

Have other folders and/or computer files to hold information, so you don't have sticky notes all over the place.

ENSURE COMPUTER BACKUP! Either copy files to CDs or flash drives, have an external hard drive, or use a backup service (Mozy is one). You must be sure not to lose your work or your records.

Consider a separate phone/phone number. Otherwise, be sure that only YOU answer the phone so callers will hear a professional and not, say, a child who happened to pick it up.

Set "office hours" for the job. This will help enable you to work without interruption, and on the other hand, that you don't wind up spending what should be personal or family time on work.

Keep us informed of your progress. I wish you success in your new endeavor!

For freelance writing, I'm guessing that a simple desk, the previously suggested filing cabinet, computer back-up system, and typical office supplies (paper, pens, stapler) are all that is required. How do you keep track of projects and track info for taxes? You'd need set-up for that as well.

For online selling, do you have inventory? If so, you would need to set up a packaging station, and some shelves for vertical storage of the inventory.

One thing to consider, make sure the table or desk top you use is low enough to type on your laptop without making you hunch up your shoulders. The standard height is too high.

Look at local used furniture stores and on-line sales ads for furniture prospects; you can always freshen something with paint if you want a little different look.

In setting up the actual room, pay attention to light and air; you need sufficient artificial and natural light, and good air circulation, to be able to stay awake and focused!

Oh, btw, if you find a perfect work table except for it being too high - if the legs are wood, just cut a couple of inches off them.

Speaking as someone who had to go to the chiropractor this week, believe me, you don't want to spend long hours at the laptop at a too-high work space.

Carolyn

I'm building my home office bit by bit. It is a separate room with desk big enough to have my two monitors there. I'm planning of buying a printer soon, which I find to be essential in my work (I read a lot).

Something else that is on my wish list is:

- flipchart
- some plants for making the room comfortable
- wall calendar

So nothing huge, just some essential stuff that I think that are needed to get my work done

my only suggestions is to not run out and buy everything you think you will need as it will change. Operate on a minimalist scale right now, go to office supply stores to look at furniture, go to other places to look at furniture, look online and in magazines, and know that whatever you pick out now, will change as your business evolves.