- 1). Find a quiet place to work. Whether your home office is for an at home job, take home work from the office or personal business you need to be able to concentrate. Is the area where your home office is situated in too noisy? Is there a television in the room? Do your children run in and out? If there is a high noise level and distractions that keep you from being productive in your home office it may be time to relocate or change it. If the office space is needed for income related productivity then you must have it in an area that is off limits to things that keep you from working well. If it is in the family room you might want to think about moving it into a spare room. If it is impossible to move to a new location in the house think about where the office is located in the room it is in. Should it be moved within the room and a room divider set into place? What can you do to have your office in a better location for an improvement? Last but not least a set of noise reducing ear plugs can be a good investment.
- 2). Get in-home help. The answering machine is now your home receptionist. Let it answer the calls. You can program it so you can hear the caller and make a snap decision if you can take the call that moment. If it can wait schedule time for phone calls. Constant interruptions and phone calls bring down your productivity. The message you record can state "If someone is available we will pick up right away, otherwise please leaves a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible." Same thing goes for the cell phone. If you are on the phone too much you are not getting things done.Your children can help you become more productive. Give them jobs to do that will help with your needs, give you more productivity time. You will have help getting things done and you are teaching them the responsibility of a job with pay.
- 3). Create an organized work area. Your office desk is your electronic work area. You need the desk top or lap top computer front and center. Add in a printer, scanner, fax machine (if needed) and phone system. A good desk lamp is an important item for the work area. A filing system is crucial and needs to be kept up to date for the office to be at it's height of productivity. If electronics takes up the main office desk space and you have need of more work space you need a separate table. It makes a difference what size your home office is as to what size work table you can add into the space. If you are tight on space consider an interior door placed on top of two filing cabinets for a large office desk/work space combination. This is a low budget answer for a large area to work in.
- 4). Make sure you are organized. Clutter takes over your space and diminishes productivity. Take a good look at your home office area. Do you have things in a jumble? Do you have proper files set up? Is everything you need easily accessible? If the area is not as organized as it could be, then it's time for a change. Good organization can be done on any budget. You can go to an office supply store and buy a matching set of shelves, storage bins and paper trays. You can go to a discount store and find metal or plastic organization items for a small budget. Even the no budget organization update is do-able with some time and thought. Cereal boxes can be cut down and transformed into magazine keepers, a coffee cup is a great pen and pencil holder and a cardboard box with a sturdy cover will work fine for storing paperwork. Small cardboard boxes make great desk drawer organizers. Desks, filing cabinets, shelving and office chairs can be bought at Good Will, flea markets and yard sales. If you sell items you need them displayed in a way that truly shows their value. If you offer a service and customers come into your work space will the office be an invitation to hire you or a sign that you will be disorganized on their job. An organized home office is a much more productive office.
- 5). Manage your time wisely. Are you using your time wisely? Are you sitting at the office desk and working on that project or are you getting caught up in computer games, email or television shows? Be honest now. If you sit down in front of the computer with an intent to work are you really working? You may need to set up a schedule for yourself. When are you in the best frame of mind to work at home in the office? Maybe you need to get up an hour earlier each morning . Perhaps you are at your best when the household is quiet for the night. Use your time wisely. Spend quality time with the family and then settle down to work. You will be the best judge of when and how you can increase and improve the productivity in your home office.
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