Home Wealth Project

Many small business owners work from home, but very few of these same owners would be comfortable inviting a prospective client to see their home office.  The home office often ranges from controlled chaos to a black hole where invoices and client information are never seen from again. Organize Your Home Office for Success – Expert Strategies That Can Work For You was written to help business professionals put into place a workable office space and systems that keep crucial information from falling through the cracks.

Organize Your Home Office for Success is an easy-to-use book for business owners as well as at home corporate employees trying to create or reclaim their office space.  The book is well laid out and while you can read it cover to cover, it works just as well if you go straight to the section where you need to get started.

This is the fourth edition of the book, which was originally published in 1993. I was very excited when I received a review copy of the latest edition because it also includes updated online tools under the electronic home office chapter.

What Organize Your Home Office For Success Covers

The book advocates flexibility over a one size fits all mentality. And the author freely admits that she doesn’t always agree with other experts in the field. Some areas covered in the book include:

• The Challenges and Rewards of Working From Home
• Finding the Right Space for your Home Office
• Stop stacking and start filing
• Making better use of your time
• Taking advantage of the Electronic Home Office

The author is one of the Nation’s Leading Home Office Experts

Lisa Kanarek is one of only a handful of home office experts who is also an interior designer. She is the author of five books about working from home and the founder of WorkingNaked (@WorkingNaked on Twitter).   Lisa has been a guest on several national programs including CNN Financial News and American Public Radio as well as featured in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Expert Strategies

It is often tough to carve out time and space for your home office. Often you need to set-up boundaries both in your calendar and around your home office. You can never lose sight of the need to maintain professionalism, which is why the author encourages you to maintain normal business hours as much as possible and spending the necessary money on quality office supplies and marketing materials.

When setting up your home office, the author addresses the very first item – creating space for the office itself. We fill often fill our homes to the brim so this is no easy task. The section on de-cluttering and staying de-cluttered is key.  Whether you choose a U-shape, L-shape or parallel workspace, office ergonomics are important to keep in mind. Over eighty percent of office workers say that their office furniture is uncomfortable, so don’t skimp in this area. Lisa encourages you to try out all office chair adjustments in person.

The book also includes Lisa’s P-A-P-E-R System that provides five options for dealing with paper:

1. Place it in a stacking bin.
2. Act on it.
3. Put it in a file.
4. Enter it on your to-do list and file it.
5. Rid yourself of it (or recycle it).

While Lisa recognizes that technology changes daily, she includes several ways to improve email, voice mail and electronic filing to make the electronic home office more effective. There is a splendidly comprehensive list of software and online tools ranging from online back-ups to to-do lists.

Resource Guide

Lisa does not shy away from including several pages of resources ranging from furniture to office supplies and even includes associations to help out small business owners.  You will find even more resources listed along with her blog and entertaining videos on her site, WorkingNaked.

Who will benefit most from this book?

Entrepreneurs and home-based corporate employees will benefit the most from this book. Whether you already have an office that’s out of control or setting one up from scratch, this book focuses on creating functional and productive home offices that meet each individual’s working style.

The Bottom Line

A successful home office doesn’t just happen. It needs to be planned and thought out to work effectively. Use Organize Your Home Office for Success – Expert Strategies That Can Work For You to start your home office action plan today.

From Small Business Trends

“Organize Your Home Office” For A Workable Office Space

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