Being an "entrepreneur" often entails working from home, and having a dedicated home office to call your own may provide a much-needed sanctuary and quiet area. Since the pandemic began working from home has now extended to far more people beyond just entrepreneurs, but so few know how to properly organize for this shift. Your office desk, as well as your storage cabinets and shelves that accompany it, must be laid out efficiently, or this vital area will become a hotbed of clutter. Or worse yet, it may become a barrier to productivity.

Home office design is not a simple undertaking, but planning out the layout ahead of time and ensuring that it can maximize storage space while allowing you to use your creativity may go a long way toward resolving these concerns.

How to Organize a Productive Home Office?

Everyone has a unique method of keeping themselves organized. Some use the corkboard and whiteboard near your workstation to connect and cooperate with others by posting their high priority items and calendar on them. A pin-able corkboard will also assist you in planning your next project or brainstorming session by providing you with a spot to jot down information, authors, and other notes that will not fit on any other page of your calendar.

Maintaining your house's cleanliness, both inside and outside your workplace, requires proper home office organization. Schedule time each week to work on this project if you want to complete it successfully. If it's a shared space ensure that everyone understands that they are responsible for keeping their area orderly.

It does not need to be challenging to set up a home office. To maximize productivity, make the most of available space, and maintain organization, here are some things you should consider including in your workspace:

1. Choose a Location

Office furniture doesn't need to take up all of your available space. Find a less-used portion of the home, such as a guest room, and commit solely to your job obligations. Place a cabinet at your room's corner with your computer and printer, including all of your files and other items.

 A cabinet may help you arrange your workspace by including hidden drawers and storage into the design to make the office area blend smoothly with the rest of your house.

2. Make a list of everything you'll need.

It will take time and preparation to relocate your home office to a newly renovated portion of your home, but the results will be well worth the effort.

Before beginning your shopping adventure, prepare a list of everything you will need to function comfortably and productively in your new home. Make sure you have the proper temperature control and lighting in place before you start moving things around. In other words, don't pull everything out and then immediately put it all back in.

Because your desk chair will be rolling about the area, it is recommended that the flooring have a firm surface, at least near where the desk will be. If you have carpeting we highly recommend a solid mat for rolling on, as to not destroy your carpet. This Amazon Basic's mat we personally use and have been happy with (click here to check price):

One of the most important things you may do for your work area is to include natural light via windows. Proper lighting can boost your mood but also has the added benefit of increasing your productivity.

If you cannot add windows, you will need to install appropriate lighting that will simulate the effects of natural light coming in from the outside. This floor lamp from Amazon (check pricing here) is one that worked well for us in the past:

3. Have an Area for Writing

A good work environment is ergonomic. If at all feasible, choose a chair with height-adjustable controls so that you can adjust the chair to the most comfortable position for your body type. The armrest should also be adjustable to make it easier to type, write, or use your computer while sitting in your chair.

Your work surface is the main focus of your workplace, and it should be large enough to accommodate huge tasks without becoming overwhelming. Custom-designed desks with built-in storage systems make the most efficient use of available space.

But if space restrictions prevent you from getting custom work done, look for a basic desk that is durable enough to handle the papers and books you'll need to keep organized. Consider adding shelves behind your desk or having a bookshelf built-in for those who like to work in groups.

4. Choose a Comfortable Chair

It is one of the most fundamental decisions you will make as an entrepreneur when selecting a suitable office chair. You want something comfortable, which helps improve posture, but you also wish for something valuable and ideal for your office.

For decades the Herman Miller Aeron chair has been *THE* chair by which all others have been measured. It does come at a price though! But when you do the math that you're likely sitting on this chair over 2,000 hours per year, and divide the price by that, it's a small price to pay to be in comfort!

Whether you're lying on your comfortable sofa browsing the internet searching for free tools to assist you in improving your blog articles or writing the first draft of a new book, pick a place that is both pleasant and productive. A well-designed, efficient workplace cannot be completed without ergonomic office furniture that is comfortable and easy to use.

Look for resources and information regarding ergonomic office furniture before you go shopping for a home office. Don't simply go out and purchase a desk and a chair if you're starting on your home office hunt. Planning can allow you to work comfortably and productively from home while also enjoying your work-from-home lifestyle.

5. Provide Enough Lighting

Ergonomically it is suggested to place your computer screen slightly below eye level. If you lift your computer display to the status of your eyes, you'll actually end up bending your head down to see appropriately. Not ideal!

Installing lights above your reading area, above your computer, and behind you so that there is no reflection of the computer display to help decrease eye strain and fatigue. Ensure that the computer display is at a comfortable distance from your chair so that you don't have to squint or use reading glasses to see what is on the screen. You will be able to work for more extended periods if you minimize eye strain.

6. Minimalism is Good

If you work in a clutter-free environment, you'll be more productive and feel more comfortable in your surroundings. Here's how it's done: Sort through your supplies and get rid of everything that isn't necessary, such as those two extra pens or that DVD player that hasn't been used in years.

A well-organized schedule can help you be more productive, daily routine, and workplace. When organizing your home office space, keep in mind that you want to minimize the number of goods you have to transport, not necessarily the number of locations you utilize.

Rather than cramming all of your power supplies into a single area of your home office, keep them near at hand while making space for storage in other places. Instead of placing wires on the floor, keep them arranged in a bundle that is simple to access.

Even more, clutter may be reduced by grouping wires that are linked to a single computer or printer together. Make sure that you only save necessary items.

7. Your Computer

With a fully-featured laptop computer, you can do much more than get work done on the go. When at work or on the road, you'll want apps that allow you to stay in touch with colleagues, whether through e-mail, instant messaging, online meetings, blogging, or web conferencing.

You can purchase laptops in both desktop and netbook configurations, with the latter being tiny enough to fit into a handbag or briefcase. Check with the manufacturer about software compatibility before purchasing to ensure that you get what you paid for.

8. High-Speed Internet Connection

If you want to work effectively online, you'll need a high-speed Internet connection, such as one provided by DSL or cable. Instead of being slowed down by a poor dial-up connection, a broadband connection allows you to quickly download software updates, access information you've saved on web servers, and do a variety of other tasks that need the use of a fast connection.

9. Landline or Mobile Phone

The use of a telephone or mobile phone is almost required for those who work from home. However, a mobile phone is not the only piece of technology that may be beneficial. Working from home full-time or starting a company from home will need a traditional landline telephone for business calls. 

There are now also "virtual" land lines that can be used through such services as Vonage or Google Voice.

10. Software Access

Some small business owners only want a helpful package of software that allows them to manage their operations from the comfort of their own homes.

Others, on the other hand, demand a customized application that is specialized for their unique industry. Make a list of all the features you want to see in the program you'll be using to accomplish your particular goals, and then research the software you'll be using. Prepare an all-inclusive pricing list (that is not dependent on bids) for services such as drafting, printing, mailing labels, payroll processing, inventory monitoring, and other related services; this will assist you in narrowing down your search results. When you've finished your research and comparisons, you may go on to the next step.

11. Surge Protection Device

Storm-related power outages, lightning strikes, and fires are among the scariest situations for a home office worker's job. Additionally, a surge protector may have a significant impact in terms of protecting your precious equipment from excessive voltage.

Not only will it help protect your devices from harm, but it may also help prevent them from being mistakenly switched on or off when connected to a computer, which is particularly critical in an office situation where computers are often accidentally turned on or off.

12. External Drive for Backup

Keeping a backup of your business data on an external desktop drive or personal server is an excellent way to keep your information safe at home or work. Additionally, these drives are affordably priced and may save you time by allowing you to access your information at any time of day or night.

Put yourself in the driver's seat by regularly backing up your company data, whether you're using an external hard drive, flash drive, or personal server.

13. Fireproof Vault

When you operate a small business, fire safety is very crucial. In the case of a fire, it may be difficult or impossible to recover critical legal papers or firm data on the same day that the fire occurred.

It is possible to prevent personal and commercial information from being destroyed by fire using a portable fire-safe box. These boxes are safe, practical, and reasonably priced, and they may be kept at home or transported anywhere you need them.

14. A Printer

This multipurpose printer is capable of handling both print jobs and scans and copying and scanning a variety of documents. It will save you both time and space, whether you are using it at home or in the workplace since it allows you to do numerous jobs with a single machine.

The task of organizing your home office may seem daunting, but with a bit of work, you will be well on your way to having a well-organized office in no time. Installing shelves on one or two walls of your workplace to give storage space for books and binders might be a starting point for the procedure. A file cabinet should be added at your workplace, and everything should be labelled.

A home is both a place of work and a place of recreation. Make it a location you like by arranging your home office space, organizing it, and decorating it to reflect your personality while still doing your job tasks. You'll find that working from home is more enjoyable. Your work will improve. You'll appreciate being there.