Alongside losing weight and being more active and healthy, changing jobs or careers is one of the goals that consistently tops lists of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Of course, if you want to explore pastures new in 2014, you don’t necessarily need to apply for jobs elsewhere – in fact, if you choose to venture out on your own you might find yourself spending a little more time somewhere familiar…
Why are so many people choosing homeworking?
In many ways the internet has made it easier for people in a substantial number of professions to set up their own business or choose to work on a freelance basis; it’s far easier to connect with other people, swap files and even to find clients thanks to the world of the web. This means a substantial number of people are choosing to work from home. If you do plan to forge a career as a consultant or freelance worker you may find that you spend just as much time outside of your home office as well as in it. However, it’s still wise to have a dedicated area in the home to ‘do business’. Whether that’s working on a day-to-day basis or doing your accounts and preparing invoices.
What are the office must-haves you need in the home?
Before you start clearing out the spare room or even the corner of your living room, you need to establish your must-haves and priorities.
If you have a web-dependent role such as developer or writer then your planning will start with a computer and a good internet connection. In a world of Wi-Fi, cabled broadband often gets overlooked, but it’s usually more reliable and secure, so bear this in mind when making your choice. If you’re setting up your own tech, you can purchase computer cables cheaply online from specialists like Rapid Online who deliver to the UK, US and Australia and offer business accounts – just in case you’ve got a big tech checklist to work through.
After the tools of the trade, a desk, comfortable and supportive seat and lights are next on the hit list. If your workspace is well-lit you might be able to skip buying a desk light, in fact, if rumours about a new desk-free computer from Apple are true, you may well skip on the desk soon too!
What else do you need?
Keeping your workspace tidy becomes a harder task without the assistance of an office cleaner. A good old desk tidy, some shelving, and some simple storage in the form of boxes will set you on the right path for that ‘new office’ feel. Theplasticboxshop has a very colourful selection of boxes in all shapes and sizes. Virtual storage is something you may also need to consider – the use of platforms like Dropbox can make it far easier to share files securely with clients and work partners, though you may also want to back up your work on the cloud. Not sure how to use the cloud? Check out our recent post here.
