Set Up Your Home Office for Success
If you work remotely and want to remain professional, a distraction-free, well-organized, clean, and visitors-friendly home office is a new must-have at your home.
Although working from home seemed to be a temporary situation not long ago, by now it looks like one of the ways to stay. And while pajama pants became with that the official office wardrobe option the space you use for work requires planning and preparation.
Isolation is key. Find a corner in your home that you can claim as your own workstation. A good spot should have:
- good source of light (if possible, natural light throughout the day)
- electrical outlets
- a place to sit and place your tools (Could you use more than one monitor with your laptop?)
You might be lucky to have a separate room for your office with doors to close, but for all stuck in a bedroom corner or at a dining room table there are few helpful options:
- A related to your work display could be pulled up at your work time.
- Small file cabinet that can be rolled out separating you from the rest of the room.
- A special lamp can be turned on. It will brighten your work area but can also serve as a signal for your family that you are busy. Like the “on-air” sign at a recording studio.
- You may even have a special jacket or another piece of clothing you’d always wear for “the office”.
Your family is there to stay, but they can be taught to respect that these visual signals mean “do not disturb”. For you, creating a little ritual of setting up the workstation, and/or sticking to a specific time of day – will help to focus and fully engage in your tasks.
Shall you need more than just electronics in your station? Maybe the file cabinet mentioned above, or a set of work samples? It is good to make a list, gather everything you’ll need, and then decide how to store or display it in your workspace. Leaving the space to search for something around the house could signal to your family you are on break – hence invite interruptions.
If Zoom or other on-screen meetings are in your schedule, a right arrangement of your job paraphernalia along with the special jacket mentioned before could also serve as a part of your branding – something people will easy recognize you by. Get creative – a good display will endorse your work and yourself.
Clean and well-organized workplaces not only promote your work but also enhance your productivity. The time and effort spent on them is certainly a good investment.
The Great Touch Cleaning Inc. teams work flexible schedules, clean thoroughly, respect the confidentiality of your documents, and fragility of your electronics. So please, consider our help on a regular basis. In addition to clear enhancement to your immediate work area, we will make sure your entire home is neat and sanitary.
Is there a chance, especially now when the pandemic restrictions have begun to ease, that a co-worker or customer may stop by at your new office? Be prepared.
You may not always be the first to answer the doorbell. Teach your family members to answer the door in a professional manner. (And call you as soon as possible.) Establish a “reception area”: a coat hanger, a chair to sit, maybe a little table with hand sanitizer, and to place a drink. In addition to having this area professionally cleaned on regular basis, you could also “hire” a young family member to assure that the visual aesthetics of such a spot will also reflect the professionalism you want to convey.
When after such an entrance you will lead your visitor to a clean and well-organized workspace – any visit will be set for success. And so, will you!
The Great Touch Cleaning, Inc. team wishes you the best in our new reality!