When you spend hours at your desk every day, even the smallest features of your workspace, such as monitor position or chair height, can greatly affect your productivity and even your health. Here's what science says about how best to set up your office to be ergonomic and productive. Plan ahead for everything you'll need to work comfortably and efficiently in your home office and keep your project on budget. Start with proper temperature control and lighting.
Install a phone in the space or make sure you have a portable phone available. The desk chair will move around the space, so the floor must be a hard surface, at least close to the desk. If you're lucky enough to have a window nearby, select curtains that allow you to control the light in your area. If you don't have windows, you'll need to find good lighting sources for your area.
Once you have a floor plan, find and determine office space options and design your floor plan accordingly. That's why, while it's slightly more expensive per square meter, it often makes sense for small businesses to opt for co-working spaces or serviced offices, where much of those tasks are taken care of. If your space is limited, draw a floor plan on graph paper and move the shapes around until you find a space where you can work. In that case, it's best to have a virtual office that offers co-working spaces and meeting rooms as the need arises.
If you have doubts between setting up a store in a business district or in a specialized neighborhood, the first factor is always the budget: it's best to buy office space within your means. The IRS often looks at tax deductions related to home offices, and the more you demonstrate that the office is a completely separate and dedicated area, the better you'll be able to meet the IRS's definitions of a home office and avoid an audit. There are more and more spaces that offer a combination of both options, giving you the freedom to create your own brand space with a simple, short-term license. The main options include occupying a section of a co-working space, renting a fully equipped serviced office managed by an office provider, subleasing space to another company, or leasing your own office.
Once everything is fixed, the next phase in setting up an office is to purchase and install the office furniture. With your list of essentials and the office space identified, it's time to consider the design of your office. And it's okay if you have to travel from time to time for work or visit your clients' offices, as long as you run your business effectively from your home office space. Think about your current office configuration to determine how a new space will respond to the deficiencies of your current space.
Make a detailed list of what you need for a home office and set up a space that meets those requirements before arbitrarily occupying a corner in one of your rooms and deciding that it's good enough. Some cost-effective and space-saving alternatives for home offices or business addresses with limited space include using different paint colors or placing dividers or shelves to separate specific areas. There's a saying that the design and quality of office space directly reflect how much a company values its employees.
