Welcome back to the series, Things You Should Consider Before Starting To Work At Home. Today we will be discussing what you need to have in your office to start working.
Have you considered what you need in your office yet? If you had visions of you sitting on your bed with a laptop typing away or sitting on the couch while you worked in the living room, you might want to rethink that. One of the key things to working at home and making it a success is to have a separate designated area for you to work. I, also, suggest that you do not put your desk in front of a window that is just asking for trouble.
Things that I suggest that you have in your office are:
- A Door – this is one of the most important things to me. When my office door is closed, my kids and family know that I am “working” in which case they don’t open the door.
- Desk
- Comfortable ergonomic chair
- Computer
- Fax machine
- Printer
- Phone
- Answering machine
- File cabinet
Business supplies (that you might want to have on hand)
- Pens
- Paper
- Printer supplies
- Paper – Notebooks, paper for the printer
- File folders
- Three ring binders
- Planner
- Stapler and staples
- Business cards
- Envelopes
Software:
- Depending on what you are going to do you need to have up to date software programs.
If you are thinking about telework, you might also want:
- A dedicated phone line
- A headset
Other things that you might want to consider:
- A separate checking account (if you are going to freelance or be a subcontractor)
- Bookkeeping books
I know this sounds like a lot of things to get. I suggest that you watch for sales throughout the year and purchase them as you go. Buy things as you can afford them by doing it this way you will not feel the financial crunch as much. For instance, school supplies go on sale every year before the school starts.
Please stop by tomorrow for the third installment where we talk about if you are an employee or independent contractor.
photo credit: Vagabond Shutterbug
Thu, Jul 22, 2010
Working at Home