When a mom has to give up work to look after young children, it can have an impact on the household income. That is why many moms choose to work from home instead. Because of the internet, it is possible to work in a virtual office wherever you are. With file sharing, applications, and real-time collaboration between staff, the cloud has much to offer.
Bosses are catching on to the fact that they can make huge savings by shifting their business to the cloud. The cost of rent and business rates put many companies under extreme financial pressure. They can alleviate it with a flexible and modern approach to the way they do things.
Let’s assume that you are lucky enough to have a job with flexible hours so that you can flex it around your children’s needs and that you work in an office. Do you think you could work from home? Here are some ideas that will help you to set up an office where you can work with others as if you were in the same room.
Choose The Location
You might at first think that there is no room for an office in your house or apartment. Well, sometimes you need to be a bit creative. Here are a few places you might be able to utilize.
- Does your home have a large landing? If there is room, you could fit a desk and chair up there.
- Think about converting a section of the loft to use as a base. It isn’t as difficult as you might think.
- Maybe you could section a part of the garage to use as an office. You only need to build some walls out of timber and plasterboard to make space to any size you choose.
- The cupboard under the stairs could function as an office if you fit a small desk and chair in there. The beauty of online working is that you do not need several filing cabinets or stationary cupboards, so you don’t need much space.
- If you have a spare bedroom, it is the ideal place for your office.
Here is how to set up an office in a spare bedroom.
Lighting
Natural lighting is best in the office. Hopefully, your room will have a large window that lets in plenty of light. Window blinds are better than curtains in offices. Here are a few types of blind that you could use.
- Venetian
- Roller
- Vertical
- Pleated
The venetian and vertical blinds are best. With them, you can control and direct the light as the sun moves during the day. At a particular time, you might find that it shines on your computer screen and makes it hard to see. That is no problem with these blinds; there are easy to adjust
If the window is small, or there might be a big tree outside the building that blocks the light, there are other things you can do. Perhaps you could construct a skylight in the roof. Roof windows are easy to install and you only need to build a tunnel down into the office through the attic. It is a job that a builder can do in a couple of days. If the room is on the corner of the building, could you install a window on the other wall? It might seem too much trouble, but it is worth the effort.
The artificial light fittings from some place like Watt Lite should include modern LED bulbs. These high-tech inventions are set to replace all other domestic lighting in the future. They cost less to run than other options and last about twenty times as long.
Technology
Your office will need the latest technology. Let’s take a look at what you must include on your shopping list.
- Computer
- Monitors
- Speaker
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Telephone
- Printer
- Router
- Webcams
The computer must be powerful because it may run several webcams as well as the office software. You need to keep an eye on your children as they sleep or play when you work. You will display the pictures on a second, or even third monitor.
Most computers are wireless enabled these days, but think about connecting a cable directly to the router, wherever it is in the house. Many routers allow for a 50mbs data transfer wirelessly but 100mbs with cable. The cable is more secure than a wireless connection against unauthorized access.
Furniture
You do not need much furniture but buy top quality items. A cheap chair might give you a bad back and a numb rear end. You could spend one thousand dollars on top of the range models, but those in the region of two hundred and fifty dollars will serve you well. If you buy a large desk with plenty of drawers and a cupboard on one side, it might be all you need for storage. As I mentioned earlier, you won’t use much paper when you work online. It is a good idea to have a small sofa in there so that you can relax and have a cup of coffee while keeping an eye on the screens in case someone needs you.
Flooring
If you want your office to have a commercial feel to it, think about laminate flooring. It is well suited to offices, but it can be cold underfoot. Remember to put some underlay down first because it can be noisy when you move around.
The Walls
You must decorate the room as an office; flowery wallpaper won’t do here. Paint the walls a neutral color such as gray or beige. You will need some pin boards too. Try to keep any artwork to a minimum so that you can concentrate on the job at hand.
Even with a perfect office, working from home isn’t easy with children. It is a particular problem when school age children finish for the holidays. If you are able to work flexible hours, you might choose to start early in the morning to get much of your work done before they get out of bed. You might find it hard to maintain concentration when your children are around, but you get used to it after a while.
Many people work from home and you can too. Why not inquire about it at work? This time next year you could be living the dream.
