FREE GIFT - HOME OFFICE BOOK

PREFACE

So you need to set up an office in your house, apartment, condo, mobile home, et cetera?
In my opinion, whether you are a student or a working professional, your home office
setup should be similar.
For purposes here, we will assume that you can actually find a private space to
accommodate your needs, although I realize there are situations where you may have no
choice but a kitchen nook, bedroom corner, or wedged into a laundry room!
Over the years, having literally tried dozens of home office configurations -- plugging,
unplugging, snapping, zipping, crawling under tables -- I want to share what works best
for me.

Linda Wilson, CCR-MS 1314

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CONTENTS 2
3
Preface 4
Table of Contents 5
Privacy, Room Size, Door Placement, Outlets 6
Natural Light 7
Children and Pets 8
Desk 9
Chair 10
Cushions 11
Folding Tables 12
Organizational Gadgets 13
File Cabinet 14
Bookcase and Dry-Erase Board 15
Proofing Chair 16
Lamps
Conclusion

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PRIVACY

Whether you have teenagers, toddlers, a spouse, live with your parents, or
live alone -- it doesn't matter. For your home office to be effective and
efficient, you need a DESIGNATED SPACE.

ROOM SIZE

An average-sized spare bedroom of 10 x 10, or around 100 square feet, will
be just about right for a one-person home office.

DOOR PLACEMENT

Decide if you want to be facing the door to see when someone comes in,
have the door to your side, or to your back. I personally don't like my back
to the door because I don't want someone walking up behind me and scaring
me. Remember, most of the time, you will be wearing your headphones so
you may not hear the person. My favorite position is to have the door to my
side.

ELECTRICAL OUTLETS

Before placing your desk, be sure to check to see where all electrical outlets
are located so that you are not covering them up with furniture. Cords
running across the floor are a safety hazard and can overload circuits, also.

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NATURAL LIGHT

Some people like to face a window to see the world outside, the weather,
squirrels jumping in a tree, spy on a neighbor, see the UPS guy coming to
the front porch, keep an eye on their vehicle, or they just like some light in
the room.
On the other hand, others like a window in the room but do not want to face
a window. Then some do not care for the light at all. Facing a window,
although not necessarily feng shui, is by far my favorite.

GLARE - Before placing your furniture, remember that if your back is to

the window, oftentimes the sun can stream through the window, creating a
terrible glare on your computer screen, so I would not recommend having
your back to a window.

SAFETY - Realizing homes around the world may not always be safe

utopias, you may want to consider the safety factor, as well. You certainly
would not want someone peeping, climbing, or shooting into the window
behind your back!

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CHILDREN AND PETS

The home office is really not the most ideal place for small children or pets
unless they are extremely well behaved. Even then, accidents can happen;
everything from Popsicle juice dripped onto your paperwork to your new
puppy chewing your printer cord.
Some people would argue for a door gate; others would argue against it. My
own experience was that no matter how much I tried to ask my children,
when very young, to please stay out of my office, they would cry until
permitted to enter and sit at my feet. I was not nearly as productive, but a
lot of crying and tantrums were eliminated. I never wanted my children to
think my work or my papers were more important than them.
So this will be a personal decision and a trial-and-error exercise regarding
children and pets in the home office. But just know that you may not be as
focused and productive unless you are in your home office totally alone.

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DESK

While a nice, professional desk is great, it is not absolutely necessary. If on
a budget, folding tables work just fine or an old kitchen table picked up at a
yard sale. Just measure the space and be sure it will fit the spot and still
leave walking room. I have tried numerous desks and configurations of
desks, and my favorite is the curved secretarial workstation, shaped sort of
like a sectional sofa, starting on one wall curving around the corner of the
room where I am facing the window.

My second favorite configuration is a U-shaped arrangement. This can also
be accomplished on a budget with three folding tables.

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CHAIR

To me, having the right chair is more important than a swanky desk. Try out
several chairs to find one that fits your body correctly. Some people cannot
work as efficiently sitting in chairs with arms, and some people love chairs
with arms. Always use a swivel chair if you can. Again, depending on your
body size, you may prefer a tall back, a short back, a small chair, or a large
chair.
Unless you are very small, I would not recommend getting a light-weight
chair because you could easily flip over.
Make sure the chair has a height adjustment bar and set it so that your feet
are flat on the floor when your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. You
don't want the chair up too high so that you have to use an apple crate,
unless you are extremely short. Sit in the chair and adjust the height for
your legs, then push it up to the desk and see if it feels right for typing.

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CUSHIONS

As you sit in your chair working at your desk for hours and weeks and
months and years, a very worthwhile investment may be to get a back and/or
seat cushion. There are several on the market, but something ergonomic to
force your spine to sit upright is what you should seek. These cushions,
including the BackJoy with memory foam, can be found in stores and online
under chiropractic cushions.
Slumping forward in your chair leads to neck and shoulder pain, headaches,
and low back strain. If on a budget, try a sofa pillow; try anything you have
around the house; experiment until your body feels better.
If you are forced to use a dining room chair, a metal folding chair, or even a
lawn chair until you can afford something better, that's okay, but at least try
to make it more comfortable with some cushions or small pillows
strategically placed.

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FOLDING TABLES

To keep your desk uncluttered and keep yourself
organized, one or two tables are a must. When working on a file, I like to
have a small table -- as small as a card table or a folding TV tray or five feet
long, just whatever fits the spot -- to stack everything needed for the current
assignment. If there is enough room, I like to also place a small printer
and/or scanner on the folding table.
I like this working table to be at a right angle to my desk or to my right since
I am right-handed. I can just twirl around in my chair, grab an exhibit, put it
on a copyholder so my exhibits are not lying flat, causing me to have to lean
forward to read them.

This same table, within reach while seated at the desk, can also be used for
many other purposes such as paying bills, spreading out reference books and
so forth.

SECOND TABLE - If you have enough room, I would suggest a second

stationary or folding table in your office, but this table will hold all sorts of
things and not be a bare table top as is your working table. I like a plastic
tray with compartments for paper clips, rubber bands, a stapler, a staple
puller, pens, et cetera, on this table top.

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ORGANIZATIONAL GADGETS

Some sort of an organizational gadget for file folders or brown envelopes for
your incoming work may be just what you will need.

A slotted rack for magazines also works well for certain items.

Cardboard boxes or plastic bins can be stored underneath the second folding
table for temporary filing cabinets. Extra supplies or equipment can also be
stored in boxes under the table unless you utilize a supply closet.

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FILE CABINET

The best file cabinet I have found for my
needs is a tall 4-drawer so that it takes up less space. Often these can be
found at a yard sale dirt cheap. You may or may not want a locking cabinet,
but I really don't think you need a fireproof cabinet. They are heavy,
expensive, and probably unnecessary.

One drawer could be dedicated to all of your financial records, invoices,
receipts, ideally in manila folders. The other three drawers could be for your
finished jobs, also in manila folders or large envelopes.
Let me hasten to say that this is the "old-school way," and many folks are
moving towards just scanning everything into their computer. But if you do,
it is very important that you have all of the information neatly arranged onto
a jump drive or a very reliable backup storage source. If you chose to scan
everything, the filing cabinet could probably be eliminated. But being a
paper person myself, I like filing cabinets.

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BOOKCASE

Your book collection, space, and budget will determine the size and shape of
your bookcase. Even though you may prefer e-books and rarely use a paper
book, you will still need a bookcase. You need an organized place for old
theory materials, software, reference books, and so forth. If you have empty
shelves, that's where you would put photographs, plants, and other doo-dads.
If you do your own binding, save a shelf for binding materials, mailing
envelopes, and so forth.
If you have a desk with an upright shelved hutch, that is an ideal space saver
that you might consider in lieu of a separate bookcase or bookcases.

DRY-ERASE BOARD

A very handy item for the home office is
a dry-erase board on the wall, a large one
if you have the space, to write down
everything as reminders. Jobs being
worked on, jobs to be worked on, and so
forth, can be written on the board and
easily wiped off as they are completed.
One with a monthly calendar is also
handy.

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PROOFING CHAIR

I believe everyone should sit in a different chair and get out of the swivel
steno chair when proofing, if proofing from paper or from a laptop, netbook,
tablet computer, or smartphone.
This chair can double as a guest chair for your home office. My
recommendation is a wingback chair with a very tall back, taller than your
head so that you can lean your head back in the chair and keep your neck
straight, which reduces neck and shoulder strain. Just picture a Grandma-
type wingback chair. Some people might think these chairs are ugly, but I
like them and find them to be great proofing chairs.
I would not recommend a recliner because you may tend to get too
comfortable, sleepy, the proofing gets boring, and you just won't be as
productive, in my opinion.

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LAMPS

I have tried table lamps, small lamps, large lamps, pole lamps, 3-way bulb
lamps, and I have found that the best proofreading lamp for me is a tall lamp
placed behind or beside the proofing chair. The light should be higher than
the chair, directed downward onto your lap.
I also like another lamp near my desk or table. My favorite is a gooseneck
so that I can angle the light wherever I want it.
These lamps do not have to be expensive and can sometimes be found at
yard sales or thrift stores.
Most traditional lamps emit a yellowish-colored light, and they are really not
the most ideal for your home office. Something emulating daylight sunshine
seems much better for my eyes.
Remember, your eyes will be spending many, many, many hours staring into
a computer screen so anything you can do to prevent squinting and to
protect your eyesight is wise.

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CONCLUSION

I hope that you have enjoyed this book as much as I did creating it and that
some of my ideas will work to help you become more efficient and
comfortable in your own workspace!

~ Linda Wilson, CCR-MS 1314 ~
For more information about the author, see back cover.

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