Home Office Desks: Too Much Distraction
Reduce Distractions, Increase Productivity
I have mentioned before that home office desks are usually “command central” for any busy home. This creates unique problems if you also work from home. Imagine bringing your entire household and everything that goes with it to your office - how much work would you really get done? Therein lies the problem of home offices.
You must take two approaches to combat this distraction. First you must organize your home office desks for maximum efficiency. Second, you must organize your work habits for maximum efficiency. The first is much easier than the second.
To organize your desk and your home office, you must first select the right office furniture for your space - I touched on this concept yesterday. Now take a look at your office space and ask yourself a few questions:
- Is your home office located in a quiet area of the house?
- Is your desk covered with clutter and personal items?
- Are your files and office supplies easily accessible from your home office desk?
- Is your technology up to date and also conveniently placed?
This is a good starter set of questions.
Location
Let’s start with location. If your workspace is in a busy area of the home, you will easily become distracted by other household members or other household work that is just calling your name. Your home office desks will also become magnets for clutter and paperwork. It may not be feasible to move your home office to another part of the home, but you may be able to make a few adjustments to minimize distractions. Think about using a visual barrier to define your space - for example, a free standing decorative screen may provide enough privacy to keep you focused on the work at hand.
If your home office occupies a corner of a large, busy room like a living room or family room, then consider positioning your furniture in such a way to block off your workspace. An example would be to place a sofa with it’s back to your home office desks, thus providing the definition that you need.
If your home office is located in the kitchen then you’ve really got your work cut out for you. You may try and use lighting as the visual barrier in this case. Lighting up your workspace and not the rest of the kitchen may help you to focus on work and vice versa.
Tomorrow I will discuss some ideas and solutions to the other questions.
Home Office Desks: Why Size Matters
Home office desks present a design challenge. Often space in a home office is tight, so desks tend towards the smaller side. But a small work area can translate into a less efficient area. If there is not adequate space to get your work done then you will slowly spread out into other areas of the home. Before you know it you will find yor work everywhere but won’t be able to find anything anywhere. And then you will wonder why you bothered with home office desks at all.
The best time to evaluate the size of furniture that you will need for your workspace is before you buy. Before you head to the store measure your room and your available space. Figure out the maximum space that you want to allocate for home office desks. Then decide how much of your desk will be needed for office equipment. Ususally a computer is the biggest space hog. If you have a monitor, keybooard,and tower unit, thin ou may want to consider a desk with an undermounted keyboard tray. This will save precious work real estate and may be more ergonomic as well. If you are in the market for a new monitor you may want to consider a wall mounted unit to save space. If you own a laptop computer (like my favorite Apple Mac laptops 
) then you may think that space won’t be a problem because you can always put the computer away. In reality, his is not the case. Think about it, how often do you shut the computer down and pack it up when you need to do other work on your home office desks? Ususall I need the computer to check something here or there even when I am working “offline”.
So, you see, before making a big investment in new furniture for your home office, you want to have all the information you need to make the right choice. Consider how you work to find the right desk to fit your needs.
Macy’s Summer Sale
Macy’s Summer Sale starts today! Don’t miss it!
Summer Essentials Sale at Macys.com. Save 10-50% + Values. Valid 27-May-08 through 1-June-08
I am not sure if Macy’s Desks are included in this sale - but you might be able to find other accessories for your home office space on sale.
Discount Ink Cartridges
Printer ink cartridges are expensive, there is no doubt - ink still costs more than gasoline these days. It is tempting to go for generic ink cartridges, and while this may work for some, it can also be a recipe for disaster as Beth at Techmamas found out.
Me, I have found a way to get discount ink cartridges that are brand name. It’s a bit of a compromise but I know that I am getting quality.
My strategy for cheap ink cartridges is Staples Rewards Program. You see, whenever you return an empty ink cartridge (only certain brands - I use hp ink cartridges and these are included) you get a $3 credit in your Staples Rewards account. If you join the Staples Rewards program, you also get credits for other office supplies that you buy. Periodically you will get a “check” from Staples that you can use in the store (only at Staples) the same as cash. I usually use this “check” to buy more printer ink cartridges.
Voila! Instant discount ink cartridges - and brand name too. Perfect for your home office desks!
Circuit City Memorial Day Sale
Not to be left out - Circuit City is having a 2 Day Memorial Day Sale as well. Again, it is a great time to stock up on electronics for those home office desks. A small hdtv may be a perfect addition to a bare wall. Why not make your home office space as comfortable as possible? But make sure you still get some work done!
