Office Chaos or Office Calm

Is your home office running as smooth as you hoped? If not, it may be because you're overlooking some essentials that we all take for granted in a corporate office environment. Sometimes, in our earnestness to have a home office, we ignore the basics. First, how do you score on this home office must-have checklist?

___ Do you have a clean, well-lighted place to work that is free from noise and distractions?

___ Do you have a convenient and comfortable place to sit down and work with a workable desk, ergonomic chair and lamp that provides good task lighting?

___ Do you have a place to store information about your customers such as a computer, filing cabinet, electronic organizer or database?

___ Do you have a way to communicate with your customers quickly and efficiently either by phone, fax machine/ software or an Internet connection?

When you can answer 'yes' to these questions, then you're ready to consider other factors that will make your office even more comfortable and efficient.

What's your business address?
If you're running a business from your home, you may not want to use you're your home address, especially if it doesn't sound professional enough. An address at 123 State Street could be a business address as easily as a home address, but an address like 123 Hollyhock Lane is more likely a residential address, which you may want to avoid. You may also prefer not to publicly list your home address.

That leaves you with the option of renting a post office box or you can use a CMRA (commercial mail receiving agency) mailbox service that gives you a corporate-sounding address and a suite number. The downside of each is that you have to go out to get your mail. In addition, you'll have to make alternative arrangements to receive packages if you use a post office box as couriers won't deliver to them. If you use a service that gives your business a suite number (actually, just another name for a box number), you can receive packages. You also have 24-hour access and can request notification when a package has arrived.

Get vertical.
Don't forget your office walls and ceiling as a storage/resource area. Browse kitchen or bathroom magazines or retail display rooms for innovative storage options. For example, racks sold for pot lids can be used for files or magazines; drawer dividers are as useful for paper clips, pens, and glue sticks as they are for knives, forks and spoons.

Think ergonomically.
Pay attention to the relationship between your chair, your computer screen and your keyboard. Rest your palms on a foam pad level with the keyboard, available in many office supply stores. An adjustable chair that lets you adjust its height, the tilt of the seat and the lumbar support is a good investment.

Buy the most memory you can afford, and back up on a regular basis.
Any new computer system you buy for a home office is likely to have a good amount of memory. Back up your disks religiously. Keep data and files that are crucial to your business someplace other than your hard drive. Keep backup disks at your office or off-site somewhere. By following these simple steps, you'll have a home office that will truly work for you while you enjoy working in it.