How to make a good home office great

It really doesn't take much to make a home office today. Just clear some space, hook up a computer and phone, and—presto—you have your home office.

That may make for a decent home office—even a perfectly good one. But it won't make it into a great office, one that's as comfortable and productive as you can make it.

Here are six ideas to help you make your home office great.

1. Invest in your office.   As mentioned above, it's no great chore to piece together a workable home office. But, to make it a place where you can excel, you need to sink some money and thought into it. For example:
   
   
   • Invest in a chair that's ergonomically correct and comfortable and a desk that's big enough but not oversized.
   • From there, give some thought to the best physical arrangement possible.

    Tip   Kathleen Alessandro, president of Energized Solutions, a Dearborn, Mich., concern that specializes in office arrangement, suggests a "U" shaped setup to promote efficient flow: Keep material coming into the office on the left of the office, keep ongoing work in the middle, and keep items headed out the door on the right.

2. Keep things light.   Naturally, your office shouldn't be a dark, shrouded workspace where you can't see your hand in front of your face. By the same token, people with home offices consistently emphasize the importance of abundant, focused lighting that keeps your office bright and functional. For many, that means more than just a desktop lamp. Notes Stacey Udell, a Dix Hills, N.Y., public relations consultant: "I work from home and could not survive without an abundance of natural daylight."
3. Make it into an inspirational space.   Every person who works from home can occasionally become discouraged due to isolation, technology breakdowns, or simply a rash of unreturned phone calls. Combat that by decorating your office with reminders of why you're there in the first place—awards, certificates of achievement, and other upbeat mementos.

   The home office of freelance publicist Carrol Van Stone, in Shepherdstown, W.Va., is filled with framed cover stories, photos, and other tokens of success. "I've found that setting up a home office must be done in a way that motivates," she says.

4. Got dead space? Use it!   Home offices—particularly those with a modest amount of space—have to make use of every square inch to be as productive as possible. Yanik Silver of SurefireMarketing.com in Potomac, Md., installed a large whiteboard on one wall of his office. "I can brainstorm and plan my projects where I can see them right in front of me."
5. Leverage technology to the max.   A home office usually means someone working solo. That underscores the importance of various kinds of technology to make work more efficient and, ultimately, productive. Some suggestions:
   
   
   • Go wireless.   When possible, maintain wireless connections with all computers, printers, and other gear to afford as much flexibility as possible. "Wireless un-tethers the home officer, and his or her family. I really do work from bed, the kitchen table, the patio, even the hammock," says Fort Lauderdale, Fla., writer and speaker Jeff Zbar.
   • Consider digital storage.   One of the great challenges of a home office is adequate space to store records, notes, and other material. If your files are bulging like an overstuffed briefcase, give some thought to digital storage. This allows off-site storage in a separate location that can be accessed by way of the Internet. It’s not only convenient, but also an added measure of safety if your home office is damaged by fire or other mishap.
6. Make an office great with great work habits.   Making a home office exceptional isn't simply a matter of a great layout and all the latest technical gizmos. Think, too, about how you work within that space. Along those lines:
   
   
   • Be ruthless with paper.   Even the best laid out office can malfunction if you don't maintain efficient paperwork procedures. Try to think carefully about how to handle paperwork in an orderly and, if necessary, cutthroat fashion, says American Fork, Utah-based Christi Youd, author of "Organize Your Office for Success." "As you handle each piece of paper,” she says, "ask yourself: Can I discard this yet? Can I delegate this? Can I handle this in 60 seconds or less? What heading do I want this filed under in my files?"
   • Set rules for others.   Your beautiful, clean, up-to-date office, arranged in the most optimal fashion, is likely not the place for a Schnauzer gnawing on computer paper or your five-year-old screaming about Dora the Explorer. So, one final element to a truly great office is a firm set of guidelines that delineate when you're available and when access is verboten.

     Draft those guidelines and share them with family members and others. This lets you enjoy the best of both worlds: a productive workspace and a proximity to your loved ones—but on your terms.

About the author   Jeff Wuorio is a freelance writer, author, and speaker based in southern Maine. He writes about small-business management, marketing, and technology issues. You can find Jeff's business and finance blog at http://wuorio.blogspot.com.