Hoem Office Set-Up Tips - Article by Figen Genco Haigh

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Home Office Set-Up Tips

(By Figen Genco)

Starting your own business is an exciting event but it might also get overwhelming time to time with all the formalities, paperwork, press releases and marketing plans. Many people get so caught up with this preparation stage that they forget about the most important part; setting up your home office. Having a functional and efficient system in your home office is essential to have a right start for your new venture. Starting your business with a customized system prevents you from missing deadlines and opportunities, forgetting appointments and losing papers once your business starts flourishing.

Here some helpful tips for home office owners, some of which could also be applied for offices:

Choose a location that is conducive to managing business. As much as possible, keep this separate from your personal living space. If you are using a part of a room as your office, use a bookcase, a room divider, or screen to separate your workspace.

Establish a clear understanding with your family and friends to respect that zone of privacy, how the space in your home office is to be used, when "business" hours are, etc.

Choose comfortable furnishings and adequate lighting that will reduce fatigue, discomfort, strain and injury. Organize your workspace ergonomically for health and comfort.

Organize yourself. Keep your equipment, files, and any other work materials in a clearly defined work area. Use organizing products that help you stay organized and efficient. Watch for functionality and practicality rather than appearance while choosing a desk, which will fit comfortably in your workspace. Purchase a two or four-drawer lateral file.

Create stacking trays which are labeled for the following uses and place them within easy reach of where you sit: Incoming-- where the mail goes until you open it (once opened it never returns here) Outgoing-- for outgoing mail.

Horizontal space is often limited in a home office. When organizing your home office, think vertically and put your walls to work. Add shelves above or next to your desk to gain more storage space. You can use open shelves, sturdy cabinets or cubicles that attach to your wall.

Avoid posting tasks on bulletin boards. If you are visual, consider using a white board instead of a bulletin board. White boards are available with or without lines dividing various sections of the board. Make sure that you have board markers and a board eraser. At the end of each month, review your board and remove information that is no longer valid.

Attach wall pockets or plastic holders to the wall to hold anything you need to have near your desk, within reach. Wall pockets can hold about 100 sheets of paper or four to five interior folders and are an ideal way to keep papers in sight, yet organized.

If you are constantly pulling the phone off of your desk, attach it to the wall. Also, use an extra long cord to give you the flexibility to reach information or supplies you may need while on the phone. Locate the phone to the opposite side of your writing hand.

Set up an uncomplicated filing system customized for your business for papers to store and create a tickler system for your active paper.

by Figen Genco, Professional Organizer
Author of Organized For Life, Genco Organizes, 215-354-0275, www.organizer4u.com

Editors and publishers are free to reprint this article as long as it's reprinted in its entirety and the signature line remains intact.

Please direct a courtesy copy to Figen or snail mail it to:
Figen Genco
Genco Organizes
PO Box 240398
Langhorne, PA 19047

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