The current situation in the world has forced many people to work from home - something that they may never have done before.
So, whether you work from home on a regular basis, have been working from home due to Covid-19 or if you just need a space to keep your personal affairs in order, there are some basic things that you will need to make your home office a useful space:
Essentials
Space to Work; it doesn’t need to be a huge space, just somewhere that you can use a computer if required or simply view, sign and deal with your paperwork. If you’re going to spend a lot of time in your home office, an ergonomic chair is a good investment. If you’re only an ‘occasional’ user or if you’re short of space, grabbing a chair from elsewhere in the house will probably suffice
Computer Equipment; love them or hate them, computers are part of most people’s everyday life now so having use of a computer with internet access is sure to make life quicker and easier. It also means that the use of online accounts and storing your documentation on your computer, should mean that we have less paperwork to deal with. Whether you have a desktop computer, a laptop or a tablet, a printer will also be a really valuable piece of equipment
Filing; a stack of papers ready to fall over at any time doesn’t really constitute ‘filing’ so you’ll need somewhere that you can keep your paperwork in some kind of order. Depending on how much paperwork you accumulate may mean that you can go from something as small as a folder which can be divided, or something as large as a filing cabinet
Mailing Supplies; in order to deal with correspondence, a basic supply of paper, envelopes and stamps is a must-have.
Desk Supplies; a selection of pens, paper clips, stapler etc are always useful to keep on hand
If you’re looking to set up a home office, or if you need to get your existing office in to some kind of order, making this space as organised as possible will mean saving time and effort in the future.
To keep your home office in good order, here are my top three tips:
1. Try to keep on top of your mail as it comes in. If you spend 5-10 minutes each day sorting out stuff as it comes in, you won’t end up with a huge stack of unopened envelopes – this will definitely end up being a daunting task to wade through and one which you’ll keep putting off
2. Don’t keep hold of paperwork you don’t need. Before you know it, you’ll be drowning in paper and won’t have anywhere to keep the things you do need. Identify any papers you don’t need and shred them
3. However you prefer to file your documents, setting up a simple filing system will make easy work of keeping on top of things
Whether you have just a small desk or an entire room to dedicate to your home office, keeping it in good order will make your life so much easier.