The majority of those I know working freelance choose to work from the home.

It saves on commercial rent, saves on parking fees, can save you from the distraction of ducking to the nearby pub or restaurant at lunchtime as you “just happen to be” in town. You can also write portions of your home electricity, rent, telephone charges etc. off against tax.

However, there’s more to a home office than just the kitchen table. I had mentioned last week about technology in the home of a freelancer, but are there certain things to watch out for when setting up a home office?

I had a discussion with a freelance journalist recently who was considering converting a spare bedroom in the house to a working office, something I’ve semi-attempted. I say “semi-attempted” as I wanted to have that professional feel, but didn’t want to have that stuffy, office-like feel either.

Powerhomebiz.com has seven simple rules for setting up a home office.

1. Establish your home office in a part of the house that has lots of light and air
   In choosing to convert a bedroom myself, I have two desks at opposite ends of a room with a large window in between. Plenty of natural light during the day and two small window panes that can be opened out be each desk. I don’t go for overhead lighting, preferring localised desk lighting and a standing lamp in the corner of the room, much nicer when working late at night.
2. Set-up shop away from the busy areas in your home
   With the possibility of people dropping in or the door bell ringing, I’m away from the busy areas in the house. No distractions in the kitchen, no distractions in the sitting room or from the TV and if the door rings, at least I have to get up out of the room and down a flight of stairs to get to it. The movement helps!
3. Organise your supplies
   This is something I do at regular intervals during the year. Online suppliers like Viking Direct will ship large boxes of pens, paper, refill pads, post-its, CDRs - whatever you need. Keep your regularly used office supplies to hand and tidy away everything else. With next-day delivery from most office supply companies you need not worry about getting caught short on supplies. I tend to buy own-brand pens, paper - they do the same job and keep my wallet happy.
4. Set up things so they function smoothly
   This relates to maximising your office space. Avoid clutter on the floor, avoid those piles of books, avoid moving one pile of papers off the desk to the floor - get a press for yourself or a filing cabinet. A clean desk for me is a must, the clear space around my immediate working area can have such a calming effect at times, try it for yourself!
5. Limit the things in your home office to items that you need for your business
   There is a temptation, I feel, to add a lot of “officey” things to your office. Some people I know have gone down the mini-fridge route, added a kettle, (when they already have a kitchen in the house) a mini TV, new stereo, a five-door filing cabinet instead of a 3-door… As their own post says “It is difficult to work in a place filled with stuffs irrelevant to your business”.
6. A home office does not need to be a separate room
   If you’re lacking on space, you can choose to establish your working area in the corner of another room. I’ve chosen to convert part of a room, lucky enough to have the space to set up clear working areas, but in converting a bedroom I chose to leave the bed there (it’s nice to be able to offer a visitor a place to sleep!) However, I’m comfortable knowing I have more than enough room to work in. Keeping the distractions to a minimum if working in other rooms is key.
7. Have a dedicated work area
   It goes without saying and should really be point number one. When the weekend hits, I tend to ramble around the house (wifi is a great thing). I could be blogging in the kitchen, emailing in the garden, browsing in the sitting room, but when it comes to work, I will return to my desk and get myself in “work mode”. While you don’t have to have a separate room in order to work, having a dedicated work area will add to that sense of purpose, increase your focus and productivity.

You can see the full post here.

If Feng Shui is your thing, then you might want to check this quick guide on eHow.com on using Feng Shui to set up your home office. I also have a post this year on “Are you using the right chair?”

Have you had any success or horror stories with your home office? Any photos you would like to share? Leave a comment or drop me an email.

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