CREATING HOME OFFICE SPACE
Creating a home office space you can
use...
 My
Space
By Kelly Land, © 2005-2008, All rights reserved.
For two
years my "home office" space was a corner of my dining room.
Thank goodness we had a small table to eat at in our
kitchen, because the dining room became buried in my work.
It was rendered unusable for all purposes intended, but
became MY home office space instead. I was thrilled to have
ANY space, so I did not complain. My husband ran phone and
computer cable up through the basement into the dining room.
Yep, we drilled holes right through the floor so that I
could have what I needed. I was happy in that sunny, cramped
little spot. Eventually we finished our basement and I moved
down there. Which is where I sit today. I'm under a small
window, and the basement door lets light in as well. I have
more space than I need, but I miss my little corner at
times. I was upstairs, with a great view, lots of sunshine
and just a step away from the kitchen and bathroom. Good
side.... I'm away from the hustle and the bustle of my
family, the TV and the distractions that come with sitting
at a full window at the front of my house.
I guess what I'm trying to say is it doesn't matter where
you make your space -- just make it. There will be good and
bad to any spot you pick. If you're not a gazzillionaire,
then you'll need to make do. We'd all love to have the "home
office" that's built by our home. We walked down a small,
woodland path to this magnificent little home office we've
had built. The creek runs near by, we have a full kitchen,
couch and bathroom! But....lets get back to reality. The
basic home is 2000 square feet -- so carving out a spot can
be tricky.
Many women I have talked to have set-up home office shop at
their kitchen counter. Many have converted linen closets
into home business supply closets. Keeping your home office
items, products, supplies etc together is important. Even if
you have to do it in your garage, keep you overstock etc
organized, protected from the elements and together. Your
desk, phone and computer can be elsewhere if need be.
If you're single, then turn a spot in your bedroom into your
home office space. I have two very good friends that do just
that. They have a spot to put their laptop, phone and
essentials and that's where they work. My friend Emily is an
Avon rep making $25,000 a year, all from a corner in her
bedroom. She tells me..."It's not about having this huge,
spacious, swanky office. It's what you do with the time you
have to do business. Many people have these great home
offices, but they never do any work in them. They 'play'
home office and get nowhere. I don't mind having a tiny
space. It's mine, cost efficient, and my home business is
consistently growing!"
The bottom line is having a space you CAN work in. When
picking out your space make sure you have access to a phone
(if you need it), plug-ins for your computer and modem, and
decent lighting. Try to keep it away from others in the
home, especially kids. If you work late, you won't want to
keep them up with your lights, talking and typing. My
husband would go bonkers if I worked in our bedroom. He has
to be up at 6:30am, my schedule is more flexible -- so try
to take into consideration others in the home.
At first, don't go crazy with buying tons of home office
"stuff". Pace yourself. Make sure you're loving what you do
before you dump money into it.
It took me three years of working to save up the money to
finish our basement. Even then it was hard, and we did a lot
of the work ourselves. If you have unfinished area in your
home, or space to add on in the future, keep that in mind as
you move ahead with your business. Get estimates and create
a goal.
Do not be discouraged if you're having to work from your
couch, a large bathroom or even a hallway cove. Listen, I
talk to fabulous, successful work at home moms and women
every day. Some of them are working out of areas just like
those in their homes. Some work with a laptop in their bed
and products shoved in boxes under their beds. It's
fulfilling your dream of working at home that matters.
Finding some space to make that dream come true can take on
many forms. Just be consistent, keep everything together and
organized and tell your family that this space is OFF LIMITS
to them. Tell them plainly...."Don't touch the pens,
pencils, papers, notepads etc!" My kids and husband know
that they are not allowed to rummage my desk or lay their
things on my desk. Because my desk sits right at the
basement and garage door they had a tendency at first to lay
their book bags, coats, toys, mail, newspapers and even the
dog food bowl on my desk or in my office! I laid down the
law, and now everyone in my house knows --- "Mom's office is
off limits to us and our friends!" (I'm really not as mean
as it sounds, but I had to make rules for my sanity's sake!)
Start thinking about YOUR home office space today. Take a
good look around at where you can create it. Carve it out of
your home and make it your own spot. Creating home office
space is a necessity in my opinion if you want to win at the
work at home game.
Copyright 2005 - 2008. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of this article in whole
or in part without written or verbal permission is strictly prohibited.
 Fabulous
book. The one I used when finishing my basement! Many ideas
for all types of work at home office spaces. -Kelly Land
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