10 Tips On Managing And Organising Your Home Office. Articles

10 tips on Managing and Organising your home office.

27th August 2005

Evelyn Lim

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1. Clearly separate your work area from your bedroom. It will be ideal if you have an extra room in your house or den to turn into a study. However, having this luxury may not always be the case. You may find that you're short on space. You become tempted to use your dressing table or even your bed to put your laptop on. Avoid this temptation or you'll find yourself lounging in bed instead! Also, if you're going to be spending hours working, it's just not healthy to be cooped

up in your bedroom all day long.

2. Find a location where you can shut out all outside distractions, when necessary. Don't expect to work effectively with children near your work area, especially if they're young and keep interrupting your ability to work. You will need some childcare help if this is the case. Also, it's best not to allow your children to play in your office so that they will not use it as a playroom when you're not there.

3. Have a work or time schedule. It's easy to fall into the trap of not having a time schedule and end up working all morning, day and night. By doing so, you run the risk of putting a strain on your relationships. Make it a point to take plenty of breaks. Set aside time for your family and friends. And have your meals with them.

4. Don't let housework distract you from getting your work done.On the other hand, you may find yourself being distracted by the endless household chores that you need to get done. Work out a plan with your partner or spouse. Engaging a housekeeper to help out is another possibility.

5. Don't munch on junk food as you work.

This is a sure way to put on weight. If you must, stock your refrigerator with healthy snacks like fruits, salads and low fat yoghurts. In addition, avoid having the snacks at your desk. Take a break.

6. Treat your home business like a real business.

"If you're at home, you must not be working." That's what your friends and relatives think. Erroneously. So they will end up stopping by, sipping tea and talking all afternoon. How do you deal with this misconception? Have separate phone lines for your business and home, for example. Answer only your business line during your regular business hours. Let your non-business callers know that you're busy and that you will call them later. The more that you treat your home based business like a real business, the more respect everyone else will.

7. Do some offline marketing as well.

Other than promoting your business online, you can also undertake some offline efforts as well. Here are some examples of what you can do: distribute business cards, advertise on magazines, tell your friends about what you are doing, submit articles about your business to the newspapers.

8. Allocate time to organize your work area every week. It's easy to mix up the pile of paper that is meant for your business and those that are meant for your home. Set up proper files and storage area for your business. Mark the files clearly. And set aside time for arranging and sorting out your paperwork at least once a week.

9. Minimise your taxes. One of the greatest benefits of having and registering your own business is that you are legally entitled to deduct many business expenses on your income taxes. So keep proper records for them. However, not everything can be written off. What you incur on your personal and family expenses, cannot be written off. It is best to check out your local tax laws as to what is allowable business expenses and what is not.

10. Manage your cashflows. It is always prudent to work out an expense budget and determine the investment amount of your business. Expenses can overrun quite easily. Afterall, doesn't the latest upgrade in computer software or office equipment sound tempting? Decide carefully where to spend your hard earned money when you have to. Finally, do your best to hold the line on expenses that will drain your financial reserves and those that generate little or no revenue.

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