1. Where do you set up?
Everyone has different needs when it comes to choosing a place to work. Some can work in high traffic areas without issue, while others may need to tuck themselves away in a quiet corner of the house. Only you know what the correct answer is, and we suggest you take your time with this question. However, if the kitchen table is making you nostalgic for your boring, musty cubicle, then it’s time to do some reorganizing.
If you’re lucky enough to be designing or repurposing a quiet space for yourself, are you choosing a quiet part of your house? Will noise from the street seep into your room? Is your backyard-facing office too close to your neighbour’s barking dog? Is your office door in a high-traffic area where you’ll hear roommates or family members walking around?
So, take your time and consider what’s best for your circumstances.
2. Where do you store things in your home office?
You need: pens, paper, a printer, books, and who knows what else in order to fulfill your work obligations—the question is where do you put it all? Build vertically, and if you don’t have space, like in a kitchen, we suggest using dead space. Do you have room under a countertop, in a cupboard? Maybe you have a shelf for cookbooks that you can repurpose.
If you’re working with a dedicated space, building storage vertically will allow you to maximize it without stealing any space from the office itself. Shelving units are a great way to accomplish this, as are closets, bookshelves, and built-in cabinetry.
3. Okay, but where do I plug everything in?
If you’re like me, you need at least three monitors to even be half useful at work. Then you add your printer, your shredder, your laptop or computer, desk lamp, USB hub, coffee warmer—if you’re lucky, an espresso machine—and whatever other modern comforts you’ve convinced yourself you need. Now where do you plug it all in?
If you’re dedicating a room in your home to be your home office, make sure you have enough receptacles to plug everything in. If you’re designing a new office space, or extension onto your home, including this in the design is imperative. You can never have enough electrical outlets!
However, if you’re stuck with too few outlets, the easiest solution is to buy yourself some multi-plug outlet extenders—preferably ones with surge protection and if it’s hooked to your computer, battery backup.