The Solopreneur Specialist
Monthly Newsletter
Like most authors, I love it when I hear from readers who have found my books helpful. Today’s post is a guest submission from new solopreneur and virtual assistant, Amy Morgan, who set-up her office using tips from my book, There’s No Place Like Working from Home. I think you’ll enjoy reading her experience of identifying and creating a suitable office space when you don’t have much space to work with!
Make Your Workspace Work for You
By: Amy Morgan, Virtual Assistant
At the end of the summer, I officially launched my online business and joined the ranks of thousands of women as a “work-at-home-mom” (WAHM). As a mom and someone very involved in her faith community’s volunteer projects, I needed a great amount of flexibility while also bringing in a steady income to support my family, so owning my own business and working from home seemed a natural solution.
Of course, working from home is completely different than being employed, with set working hours and a designated working space, so I was a bit unprepared for how to actually be productive at home. Thank goodness there are a number of tremendous resources available that make the transition easier.
One I’ve found particularly helpful and chock-full of great tips for those who choose to become entrepreneurs and forgo a formal working environment is a great book by Elaine Quinn called There’s No Place Like Working From Home. I’ve already applied many of her tips and they’ve all been helpful, but the one I enjoyed the most was creating my “home office.”
I went for about 4 months of operating my business from home before I realized that I could be much more efficient with my work tasks and not let my work bleed too much into my family life (way too easy to do when your home becomes your office). So last week I decided to dedicate some of my working hours to apply the tips outlined in the chapter “Make Your Workspace Work for You.”
“If you’re going to work at home, rather than just be at home, you need to create an environment that will allow you to operate in a business-like manner.”
– Elaine Quinn
Step 1: Select the Right Location – Okay, NOT the bathroom. Where else would work?
Hmm… I live in a small, two-bedroom townhouse with a one-year-old and I wasn’t sure where a suitable, designated space would be. Both bedrooms were already taken and I already knew I would be distracted if I put my desk in the kitchen and wouldn’t be able to “unplug” from work if I put my desk in my bedroom.
Thank goodness Elaine gave some great tips in her book, including the suggestion of using a closet for your office. OK done! My bedroom closet is actually really small, but my toddler’s closet would be the perfect size to house a small desk, filing, cabinet, shelves, and other items for work. It would be a little cramped, but I was confident that the additional tips she gave in the chapter would help, including:
“Your office should be a pleasant and comfortable environment with adequate space, lighting, and ventilation. It should be a place that makes you feel inspired, efficient, and productive. Don’t be tempted to furnish it with leftovers that aren’t welcome in the rest of the house. They likely won’t meet your needs, and you won’t feel good about working in a poorly furnished space. Having a professional-quality workspace is important if you’re going to enjoy your work and produce professional-quality results.”
I decided to choose an inviting paint color, and put up my family pictures, my world map, whiteboards for brainstorming, and of course, my vision-board reminding me why I chose to be a WAHM.
Step 2: Create a Convenient Office Layout – Literally, everything within reach!
With the limited space I have in the closet, this was a real challenge, but I was able to position my desk in a way that felt open and inviting to work, and my filing cabinet and other supplies are within arms-reach.
Step 3: Equip Your Office Professionally – When you don’t need much, you can get exactly what you want.
I loved this part! In the book, Elaine suggests that you “spring” for professional office equipment that will help you feel like you are producing professional work. I considered her suggestions on ergonomic measurements and got a beautiful, ergonomic, and functional sit/stand desk for a deal at Costco! This desk MAKES me want to go to work just to enjoy it. I also bought a great chair that’s comfortable when I do have to sit for particular tasks.
Step 4: Get Your Office Organized – No wasted space, no wasted time, no wasted effort.
I went through all my files and supplies and determined what I needed to keep and how I would create seamless workflows. My filing cabinet and folders are now organized and placed in an intuitive way so I don’t have to think when I need to reach for something. I also purchased desk drawers to keep my supplies organized and out of sight when I don’t need them.
At the end of the day, as Elaine suggests, I spend fifteen minutes “re-setting” by putting away all my supplies in their designated places, and create my schedule for the next day.
Ta-da! My home office is complete!
All in all I feel this particular chapter of Elaine’s book was incredibly helpful and gave me the impetus to really consider what kind of home office I would like to create. Now, during my office hours, I feel a new sense of productivity and joy, and during my family hours, I can just shut the door to the closet and enjoy being with my husband and son without work glaring at me from the kitchen table—which is, the whole point of wanting to work from home in the first place.
After all, There’s No Place Like Working from Home!
