Most Common Mistakes Made When Setting Up a Home Office

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The joys you get from working from home (aff) are unbelievable to say the least. Not only don’t you have to worry about reporting to a boss, you’re also able to be there for your family in a way that most jobs won’t allow you to. However, in order to be successful in working from home (aff), you must have a dedicated space in which you can work from. While you might think that using the laptop (aff) while sitting on the couch in front of the television screen would work just fine, you’ll soon find out that it’s more of a distraction. Setting up a home office should be a breeze; however, there are some things you’ll want to avoid along the way.

  1. Not Designating an Area

At the top of the list of course is failing to set up an area exclusively for work. You need a space, whether it’s a corner in your dining room, or a spare room on the second floor of your home. When you don’t have a space of any kind, it can be easy to get distracted, and fall behind in your daily responsibilities. Children screaming in the background, televisions turned up too loud, and even the foot traffic of passersby can be enough to distract you and annoy your clients or customers. Look around your home and really assess the best place to set up your home office that’s as far away from distractions and noises as possible.

  1. Not Investing in Standard Equipment

One would like to think that once they start earning money from their stay at home job that they’ll begin to invest in necessary equipment and resources. Well, in the world of business it is always best to be prepared before your first client ever reaches out to you. Why? Well because in this day and age, if you’re not prepared to fully accommodate a client, they can easily search online and find another freelance or virtual worker to get the job done for you. While you don’t have to break the bank when investing in office furniture and equipment, you don’t want to be caught out there without important things like a fax machine, copier, or landline.

  1. Failing to Get Organized

“I’ll get to it when I have some down time.” While this might seem like a feasible plan, this is not usually what happens. Once the customers start showing interest, the business will begin to take off at speeds you didn’t realize were possible. Between running the business and caring for your family, there is never time to get organized. However, being disorganized when it comes to working for yourself is a big no no. That’s how things get misplaced and out of order, leaving your reputation hanging on by a thread. Organize your office in a manner that will be most functional to you. Whether this means investing in filing cabinets and other organizational containers, or simply organizing all of your online files into a cloud storage account, get it done before you start taking customer requests.

  1. Choosing the Wrong Internet Service Provider

No matter what type of job you do from home, you can rest assure that you’re going to need to utilize the internet in some capacity. The internet provider you choose is ultimately very important. You don’t want to select a provider that does not provide high processing speeds, or else you’ll get left in the dust. You need to be able to easily access the internet, download files, and process any online transactions accordingly without any errors.

For that reason, take your time in selecting an internet service provider that offers services in your area along with adequate features that will suit your business needs. For example, if your business requires that you meet with your clients on the regular basis, investing in an internet service that offers video chat might be ideal. Fiberinternetproviders.com displays how users can get u-verse in Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and other qualifying states and regions. It also discusses various features that can be included with the internet package to provide the optimum user experience.

  1. Failing to Personalize Their Space

Working at home is going to require a lot of motivation. Since you don’t have the motivation of a boss who requires you to be at work, or co-workers you might be interested in socializing with, you’ll have to find little ways to motivate and inspire yourself. By creating an office space that you enjoy coming into each day, this alone can be motivation enough to get through each working day no matter how long or tedious it might turn out to be. Personalize your space so that the design includes things that you’re interested in. You could maybe add pictures of your family, nice pieces of artwork, or even by painting the office your favorite color.

Setting up your home office requires some serious thought and planning. You’ll need to designate an area of your own, invest in the right furniture and equipment, get organized, invest in the right internet service providers, and personalize your space for inspiration. However, if you can avoid the above mentioned mistakes, you’re one step closer to creating a home office that you’ll enjoy working in on the regular basis. Hopefully these mistakes have given you something to think about so that you don’t make the same mistakes as other work from home moms have before you.

Lisa Martin

In April 2006, Lisa began blogging to stay connected with distant relatives and friends. As she delved into blogging, she discovered the potential to assist others by sharing her experiences. Lisa has actively engaged in numerous exclusive media ventures. Notable among these are her participation in events such as the Sony Mommy Bloggers Event, the Pampers Mommy Bloggers Event, the Epson Event in Chicago, the Stouffers Event, a memorable yacht excursion with Lands End, collaborations with 1-800-Baskets, an exclusive tour for bloggers by Mrs. Prindable’s, partnerships with Hallmark, PopCap games, Chicago Cubs Mastercard Priceless Events, and Rug Doctor. In addition, she has collaborated with Nutrisystem on a weight loss initiative, teamed up with Buick and Chevy, and served as a brand ambassador for Sprint. Lisa's collaboration portfolio also extends to Disney, where she has participated in press trips for significant movies such as Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, McFarland USA, The Good Dinosaur, The BFG, and Cars 3. Notably, for projects like Frozen, The BFG, and Cars 3, she was granted the privilege of walking the red carpet and conducting interviews with celebrities. The impact of Lisa's blog has gained recognition, with The New York Times referencing her content. Moreover, she has been featured in interviews by respected publications such as the Southtown Star, The Chicago Sun Times, and inside.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. nicole dziedzic

    These are some awesome pointers and tips for setting up a home office, very important to make your office your own to reflect your personality, makes it have more character and enjoyable to come to daily. Best tip!

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