Small Business Revitalization Blog

We welcome Kerri Rodley from Domestic Downsizing as our guest blogger today... Kerri is sharing the secrets of a productive home office (I know these tips work because Kerri helped me fix up my office earlier this year!)

Making the decision to set up a business working from home is daunting enough without complicating matters with the stresses of making the perfecting work space. Here are my 7 secrets on setting up your home office to create a space that ensures you are encouraged to start work each morning!

Secret 1 - The Space
The first and most important step before you even think about setting up a home office is: location, location, location! I have spent many an hour setting up the perfect space with the PC just so, shelves and supplies close to hand only to find the room too cold and dark. I ended up working on my laptop in the sunroom.

You have to be drawn to your space and encouraged to spend many an hour working there otherwise you may find other tasks to do rather than concentrating on your work. Make sure the natural light is good or you have good task lighting (lamps) and that you aren’t distracted by outside noise.

Hint: Make sure if you are working on the dining room table that you have a super quick pack up system so the table can be used for it’s original purpose – family meals! Have a storage box or cupboard near by to stow the office materials – easy to set up, easy to pack up is the key. For other areas you could invest in an attractive room dividing screen, this way when the work day is over, pull the screen around your table and voila – the office is shut for the day!

Secret 2 – Your Style
The second most important step - find out what sort of organising style you have. Do you like your current projects on show so you can easily put your hand on them, or do you prefer to have everything out of site so it looks neat and tidy?

If you are a visual person and like piles of papers or files on your desk that you can see, but instead have filed them away out of sight to make the office look tidy, you will find this system won’t work as “out of sight” can become “out of mind” and you may overlook tasks.

Remember, your work space doesn’t have to look perfectly tidy to be organised. Many people have home offices that look more like a disaster zone, but if you ask them for a particular piece of paper, they can put their hand straight on it.

On the other hand, if you have the style “a place for everything and everything in its place” and you find your workspace covered with papers, this will also cause you unnecessary stress. Set up systems where you can easily locate files or papers but that are just as easy to put back (and make sure you do!). “Toaster” file racks are the perfect example, they sit on your desk so your files are readily accessible but they keep clutter to a minimum (and you can easily pick up the rack at the end of the day and put away if you need to).

Secret 3 – The Systems
Don’t rush out and buy up all sorts of expensive organising in-trays, storage boxes and the like until you have used your office for a week or two. Chances are what looks great in the store may not work for your particular system (as per your style) and you don’t want to waste your money.

As you work, keep a shopping list handy and write things down that you find will make your office organised and easy to
use. You may already have suitable things in the house that will work just as well. Shop at stores such as Big W or discount chains so if your purchases aren’t suitable you haven’t spent a fortune.

(see the blog tomorrow for the next 4 secrets!!)

Kerri Rodley is sharing her secrets to creating a dream life this Saturday afternoon in Brisbane - 4 hours of expertise & ideas on style, organisation, design & life with fabulous food & new friends!  Bookings close Friday!