A
good home office desk is a basic requirement and should
be quite basic. Avoid desks with keyboard trays and
nooks and crannies spread all over it - this just gives
you more places to lose things. The ideal home office
desk will have a large, flat working area, at least
one deep drawer for files and preferrably be L-shaped
to allow for a more ergonomic home working environment.
Chair
Anybody
running an online or other business from home is going to
spend a considerable amount of time sitting down. It's absolutely
critical that you have a good office chair. Many people
make the mistake of using a kitchen or spare household chair
as the chair for their home office. This is a bad idea because
using an insufficient chair can and will lead to lower back
and shoulder pain and also looks unprofessional. The ideal
home office chair has the following features:
-
Adjustable
backrest
-
Swivel
base
-
Adjustable
armrest
-
Deep
cushioned seat
A great home office chair can be purchased for as little
as $60 brand new. The moral of the story is - don't skimp
on your home office chair.
Environment
There
are 3 key factors to having a suitable home working environment.
Noise, Light and Heat.
Noise
- excessive noise (above say 45 decibels or a really loud
office fan) is counter productive to your work. You'll have
trouble focusing on anything or thinking clearly for more
than a few minutes. Your home office space needs to be as
quiet as you need it to be. So avoid using laundry rooms
or other areas with excessively noisy equipment.
Light
- the light in your home office needs to be controlled.
Too bright and it will produce glare on computer screens
and documents. Too dim and it will cause eyestrain. Natural
light is ideal because it gives diffuse (soft) light. To
achieve diffuse lighting at nighttime set up your desk lamp
off to one side of your desk. Adjust it until you have enough
light to read conformtably.
Heat
- this is simple. Your work space should be neither too
hot nor too cold. Any extremes of temperature in your
home office will lead to decreased work performance. Room
temperature is 37 degrees celsius so aim for something
in that region.
Decoration
There's
no need for your home office to be sterile and boring. Plants
are one healthy addition. The colour green has a positive
affect on our way of thinking and the fact that plants will
filter out the toxins in the air around you is another plus.
Also
consider using some motivational posters in your home office.
This might seem a bit cheesy but if you choose a message
that inspires you personally it can be very effective.
Last
but not least consider having your mission statement printed
out, framed and on your desk in front of you. Your mission
statement is the reason you started your home business
- make sure you are reminded of this every single day.
Computer
equipment
This
is where you need to be very honest with yourself because
of the potential expense involved. A home office does not
need an all singing all dancing computer and printer. You
need functionality and not tons of features.
Buy
what you need for your business. Do not buy what you want
for yourself.
When
buying your home office computer take these tips into consideration:
-
Mid-range
processor power.
-
512MB
of RAM.
-
20GB+
hard disk.
-
Advanced
3D graphical capabilities are not essential.
-
CDR
or DVDR backup (must have).
-
Avoid
extended warranties - sales people make large commissions
from offering these.
-
Generic
brands use the same components as and are therefore
equally as reliable as the big name brands.
-
Consider
buying a refurbished system if you're on a tight budget.
-
Check
with friends who have purchased computers recently.
What problems did they encounter when buying their PC?
Who did they buy from? What was the aftersales service
like?
Printer
- you don't need a top of the range color laserjet printer
for your home office do you? I didn't think so.
Questions
you should ask yourself when buying a printer:
-
Do
you need color printing capabilities?
-
How
many pages per minute do you actually need to print?
-
What
is the cost per page for color and black printing?
-
How
much does replacement ink cost?
-
How
many pages of black text can you get from each cartridge?
-
How
much desktop space will the printer require?
-
Are
updated drivers for this model readily available?
These
are just some basic hints and tips. If you want more comprehensive
information on setting up your home office drop by Affiliate-Advocate.com
and check out our guide to home offices.
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