Working IN Your Home Office- Tips? Ideas??

It seems I am going to be working almost exclusively IN my home from now on. While this might sounds great to some, I’m dreading it. Being a real “people person” is going to get in the way of sitting alone in my office ( My Office. My Prison Cell? My Creative Oasis? My Trap? ) hour after hour, delving into editing projects.

In all likelihood, gone forever are the days of being on a set, surrounded by colleagues.

Anyone work in their home? How did you go about arranging a work space that was palatable? Should I buy a Feng Shui book? Paint the walls in here pastel blue? Get an air filter?

I am likely going to put in a small air conditioner, but aside from that I am wide open on suggestions. The office space is wicked small, only about,hmm,9 feet by 12 feet. People have done time for homicide in such spaces. It does have two windows that open. Since I’m in the basement, I get to look up and out the windows at the trees and shrubs.

Yipes !!! :eek:

Cartooniverse

Definitely make sure the temperature is right. If that means airconditioning, get that airconditioning.
Look into different kinds of desk - get something that gives you enough space to spread stuff out. GET A GOOD CHAIR. Be prepared to spend the $$ on a good chair.
Colours and the like? I don’t know what you like. Make it how you like it (duh).

I work at home (freelance editing, proofreading and writing for educational publishers). This room is the computer room/studion, and it’s in the same dark blue that it was when we moved in. My SO was in here so fast setting up the computers, keyboard and four-track that I didn’t have time to decorate - and I was working at an office at that time. The chair is comfortable, there’s enough room to spread out up to a point, and if I’m doing mainly pen and paper work, I move to the dining room table.

Take time out to peruse the SDMB (and any other boards) so you get some semblance of human interaction, but keep a check on the time you spend. Hmmn, I should follow my own advice here :wink:

ROFL Thanks, Tensu. I have been turning to my friends here, as well as a close Travel Companion for mental stimulii ( :smiley: ).

Yes, the desk is the same it’s been since I got here too. Cluttered !!! And, immense. I’m wondering as much about creating a new environment as I am about creature comforts.

My desk chair rocks. :wink: I am considering clearing out a LOT of desk materials, including piles of videotapes etc, so that it’s not as visually distracting. ADD means that anything that draws my eye away from the monitor will do so…

perhaps a fish and a plant?

here are some tips according to “complete idiot’s guide to decorating your home.”

add more electrical outlets than you think you will need.
use over-scaled cork bulletin boards or cork tiles on walls.
use cool and pastel colours to make a small room grow larger.
place a lamp at each area where you work.
adjustable architect lamps are useful due to lamp movement and they can clamp anywhere.
create a small kitchen center in a corner, with a dorm size fridge, tea or coffe maker.

according to my feng shui book:

have your desk face the office door, you should sit far enough inside the office to see the whole room from your desk. kitty corner to the door is best for financial success.

placing a crystal ball over the phone will cause it to ring often. placing a heavy stone next to the phone will reduce calls.

place floor plants in frount of angled walls that face you.

an office facing south will bring fame, fortune and sincerity. if the office can’t face south place the desk in the southern corner.

red will enhance the south, red candles or a picture of a red phoenix.

metal equipment should go on the west wall. with a light and plant.

windows should be to the side of your desk. avoid glare at all costs, or place multifaceted crystal in the glare’s path.

be sure that any bookshelf corners do not face you. if it is unavoidable place a plant at the corner that faces you.

place a water element (fountain, or fishtank) on the north side of the office.

avoid clutter at all costs.

was this any help at all?

I worked at home for nearly three years (editing & graphic design) and was pretty much oblivious to my environment while I was working, but I do have this to suggest: if your work involves a combination of computers and looking at papers, have your computer desk configured “cockpit” style, or at least “L” shape, so that your papers are right beside you rather than in front of you. I used TV trays - not aesthetically pleasing, but got the job done.

Also, and this was an effort for me as I am all too comfortable walling up at home, be sure to have at least weekend activities outside your home and see other people as much and as often as you can.

rocking chair had great ideas, except that I don’t like the cork tiles, myself. They smell funny and they gather dust that you can’t get rid of no matter what you do. We removed some from a wall of a rental house one time, and I never saw so much dirt indoors in my life, and never want to again!

I have nothing to say about a home office, but did wanted to point something out:

I believe in your thread title, the capitilization (and subsequent emaphasis) of ‘IN’ was misplaced, I think the ‘YOUR’ should have been the word of emphasis in the title, and in the first sentance of the OP, ‘MY’ would have been my word of choice. Just my $0.02.

~bouv, who is, in fact, the master of all that is word emphasis

bouv, I did agonize over the emphasis there for a bit. I felt it meant, " working in your home office, instead of working OUT of a home office". N’est pas? Many people use a home office as a base of operations, but in fact generate income by taking their skills/ sales materials/whatever, and LEAVING their home office to do most of their work. In my case, I will be IN a Home Office, doing the work. I was hoping that would be conveyed there. I’m sorry it didn’t read correctly. >grin< I bow before your mastery.

Rocking Chair, I must tell you that I laughed softly through your entire post. I can just see the headlines now…

:smiley: :stuck_out_tongue:

You really got me with it, but the truth is that I’ve never had a houseplant in my office and it’s a heck of a great idea, thank you. I will find one in the next few days. As for the rest of Feng Shui, I have to tailor most of the ideas to fit the space.

Pencepon, I’m with you. I used that cork tile a long time ago in another home. EEEEECCCHHHHH.

Keep those suggestions comin’ ! Thanks to you all. :slight_smile:

Only one suggestion - you need a photo of ME! No particular business-related reason. I just like the idea of people having pictures of me in their offices. Makes me feel loved.

:smiley:

OK, to be a bit more serious, I like plants - I have them all over the house and I have 2 in my cubicle. Pothos is good because they don’t require a lot of care - just an occasional drink. Spider plants also - they seem to tolerate a lot of neglect, should you miss watering them regularly. That little patch of living green always seems to be the right touch. And if you arrange them around my picture, all the better!!

No need to thank me - that’s what friends are for! :wink:

Hi ya Cartooniverse. Welcome to the world of working at home from your own home office. I’ve been doing this for about 5 years. I don’t suffer from ‘cabin fever’ like you do, but I can understand that at first you might seem a bit bereft of company and the stimulation people provide. Here’s my 2 cents. Make that two pennies’ worth (I’m a Brit).

  1. Let’s start with a bit of outlook refreshment. You’re already tossing words like ‘prison’ around, and this is going to colour your outlook. This is your home, your castle, you can have everything just the way you want it! No more commuting! There is an upside to all this, so try to stay positive.

  2. Music! Having some Bach or Chopin playing softly in the background can utterly transform your environment and your mental attitude. Of course, you choose the music to suit your own tastes and preferences, but embrace the freedom to play whatever music you want in your ‘work’ environment and realise its potential. With my CDs, or my computer’s library of mp3s, I have music on the go almost all the time and I find it a great boost to productvity. I have ‘Uplifting’ playlists for the mornings, to get myself firing on al cylinders, and ‘Quiet’ playlists for the late nights. Music helps govern mood, helps govern productivity.

  3. Breaks! Plenty of them, and preferably involving getting outside and meeting people - even a passing friendly ‘Hi!’ at the nearest deli or newsagent is better than nothing.

  4. Nature! Got any greenery near you? Go visit. Have lunch there. It’s always good and refreshing and stimulating to be close to nature. I’m smack in the middle of a concrete jungle, and it’s 20 minutes walk to the nearest ‘park’, but it’s always worth the journey.

  5. Exercise! I visit the gym three times a week. Gets me out of the house. Gets me meeting other people. Offers some resistance to the totally sedentary lifestyle. Of course this isn’t for everyone. Pick and choose some form of exercise to suit yourself, but nonetheless it’s a good idea.

  6. Time shift! I don’t know precisely what kind of work you do, and YMMV, but I found one of the benefits of working for myself from home was that I could work when I wanted to, and when I felt like it, rather than the broadly 9-5 regime which most jobs require. When I’m ‘on a roll’ and things are going well, I often work until 2 or 3am if I feel like it. Conversely, if I’ve put in a heavy session, I don’t mind lying in bed until 11 in the morning. The details may vary in your case, and in your situation, but embrace this freedom as far as you can.

  7. Make specfic plans to overcome whatever ‘people time’ deficiency you’re concerned about! For many in Dilbertland, a social life happens spontaenously because, at the very least, you can always hang out with the work gang. Ths isn’t going to happen any more, but if you want you can compensate. Put extra effort into phoning friends, with diary to hand, and fixing up shared time. Make this part of your weekly To Do list!

  8. Use aromas. Fragrant flowers, incense, whatver works for you, just make your environment a pleasant one to work in.

  9. Network with other work-at-homers. Take every chance you can to let people know you work from home. Always mention it, never hide it. You’ll get to know other people who do the same. Contact, connect, offer mutual support.

  10. Get yourself BIG waste-paper baskets and make sure you have a good supply of bin liners, refuse sacks, trash sacks or whatever you want to call them. Fact is, when people work in an office, they don’t realise how much waste there is and it’s usually someone else’s job to cart it all away. When you work from home, you’ll realise how much work-related trash you generate, and it will be your job to dispose of it.

i was laughing when i posted it. fung shui can be very confusing. after i checked home office for you, i checked out the bedroom, living room, chapters for me. oh my, have i got to move things around! my bed is in the wrong place, i have water pictures on the fire wall, metal on the wood wall, and a cleaver blade wall! i’m going to have to have crystals hanging all over the ceiling.

your news article was very funny.

don’t forget that star wars action figures are very important in office decor!

What do I do with my life-size cardboard-mounted photograph of Sting from the movie “Dune” ???

:eek:

Um… I think the main thing you do with that is… you keep very, very [sub]quiet[/sub] about it.

Hey Toonie!

I’ve worked in and out of my home for over 17 years now and absolutely love it.

I too am a people person and have found other ways to get out of the house to communicate/commiserate with other humans. Go work out or whatever. You may find that the guy at the dry cleaners is your new best friend. :smiley:

All of ianzin’s advise is sound. I would also add “balance” has been the key to my success. Since there is no physical barrier between work and home, you have to create a mental one. At times, I may need to work 60 hours a week to keep my head above water, and at other times, I’m lucky to give my employer 30 hours. This give me time to run errands, “do” lunch with friends, catch a movie, whatever.

You must have discipline to stay in the office when the work needs to be done, but you also have to have the good sense to know when to get the hell out of there to save your sanity!

Good luck and remember that all of us are here for you when you need a reality check.

I work at home and I second the good chair.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that you blew off my suggestion. That’s fine. If you don’t want my photo framed and hanging in a place of honor, that’s your business. Whatever…

[sub]grumble grumble try to help a guy out mumble grumble last time I make any effort for him sniffle sniffle old poopyhead…[/sub]

:smiley:

Having seen photographic proof of the clutter on and around your desk, I’d say clearing the clutter and getting organized should be a priority. Please feel free to mail me the Tootsie Rolls and Starbursts if you need a place to “store” them. :cool:

It might be a good idea to erase the white board calendar and reprioritize, I don’t think your family schedule from 1997 is going to help you much with editing deadlines. :eek:

Would you consider sharpening a few of the pencils the kids gave you last year for Father’s Day? :slight_smile:

How about fixing the chimes that have been there waiting to be mended since last December, that’ll give you a little more working space? :smiley:

Oh and how about setting the portable fan upright. I promise it will work more efficiently that way. :stuck_out_tongue:

I disagree with rocking chair in that I do not think you should set up a small kitchen area in your office. You don’t have much space to begin with and it’s already mighty full. I have found that for me, having snacks and sodas handy is not a good idea. They foster a sit at your desk and munch all day attitude that is habit forming and less than healthy. If I get hungry during the day, I get up and leave the office and go to the kitchen to prepare something and eat. It makes me get up from the desk and get moving, which helps battle the fatigue that comes from sitting at a desk all day and it gives me a “break” from the “office” and it keeps me from nibbling all day long. Bring a bottle of water with you, but leave the food in the kitchen.

ianzin posted great advice. I would like to add that while setting your own hours (and going to work in your jammies) is a huge perk, it’s a good idea to make a committment to yourself to be “in the office” between set hours and stick to it. The working when you “feel like it” stuff can be the ruin of you if you don’t “feel like” it regularly enough. I have found that a combination of set hours and then keeping on working when I feel like it late evenings or nights works well for me. You’re a perky early bird, so I’d imagine you’ll find the wee early hours of the morning productive, before the start of the “traditional” workday.

One other thing to beware of, my family tends to “forget” that I am working and tend to want to interrupt a call with a client to consult with me on some household business. (Something like, "Mom where are my swim goggles, not the practice ones, but the racing ones?) I wanted to be home to be available to them when I was needed, but families still need to learn to be considerate of your working space and time. You’ll have to figure out what works for you. I suggest something between constantly having kids wanting to use the copier, borrow the office stapler or kiss or vampire bite Daddy, and not disturbing unless there’s profuse amounts of bleeding involved.

Good Luck on this new pursuit, I wish you enough.

You send the picture of Mr Sting to me. Immediately you hear?

My office is tiny and open to the world which sucks because it means I cannot hide in here and pretend to work. My dear wee offspring can find me and I can see the housework. Mr P has a large office but he still found it hard to set it up properly. In fact if he woudl just listen to me his office would be much nicer ;).

But I’m glad you’ve found some worthwhile work again. You get used to working from home and it is much easier now with the web. Used to be that one was truly isolated at home. Of course Mr P still is because he ain’t got an internet connection and he is not going to get one in the near future. Heh.

FairyChatMom I work in an office but I would love a picture of you to pin on wall. It would be a great torment for my boss who loves to know who everyone is :smiley:

leechbabe, with pleasure. I can e-mail you one that you can print out, or I can print it out myself and snail mail it to ya! You’re obviously more discriminating than Cartooniverse, [sub]that old poopyhead[/sub]

Drop me a line!

FairyChatMom I can be reached at leechbabe at hotmail dot com (insert relevant symbols for at and dot).

I do so love the chance to screw with my bosses mind. :smiley: