Seriously, who even knew there was such a thing, much less that it’s happening September 7-13? I didn’t until someone I know told me about it. But it makes sense, all you have to do is look at the entries we had at the beginning of the year in our Messy Office Contest and you can see there are a lot of home offices that could use some improvement at least once a year. Of course, some would take a bulldozer but don’t get me started.
Beyond just the general clean-up and learning to put things away, there are all kinds of things you can do to improve a home office. Here’s my top 5:
- Obviously number 1 is signing up for MyFax and my1voice. Both of these services can really help small business owners work more efficiently and present a professional appearance to customers, partners and suppliers.
- Update your home wireless access (or get wireless access if you don’t have itJ). A ton of improvements have occurred since you bought that 802.11 b wireless router at Radio Shack so it’s time to let it go and get faster download speeds over a longer distance. While you’re at it, look in to upgrading your PC/laptop, monitor, or business applications.
- Join the organizer mania! Everyone is doing it! Organizers can actually give you places for your stuff, so you can find it when you need it (instead of a week later after you’ve bought another one). My top recommendation is the charging station. It lets you store and charge all your little portable electronic devices (mobile phone, iPod, PDA, camera, etc.) in one handy unit. Sure beats having all those bulky charging block under the desk and all those cord snaking around your work area.
- Replace your old desk chair. If you’re like me you probably lugged your current chair home from a garage sale and fixed it with duct tape. But you really can’t underestimate the value of a comfy work chair.
- Give your office space a facelift. Even if it doesn’t “need” it, a fresh coat of paint can be a real pick-me-up in your work environment. Don’t just settle for beige either. Us traditional office types have to settle for beige but you don’t. Pick a color that inspires you and revel in your non-corporate freedom.
So there you have it. I’d love to turn this in to a top 10 list so let me know what you’re planning or what you’ve all ready done to improve your home office?
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2 comments:
I recently went through the desk and threw out a whole bunch of 3.5 inch floppy disks. Since my computers haven't had a disk drive like that for two generations now I figured it was time.
It's amazing how much old technology we hold onto thinking we might need it someday. But someday never comes.
Ok, this may sound so simple but it took me a while to figure out: invest in great lighting for your home office!
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