Setting up a new office is quite a tedious task, as you will need to take care of a lot of important things before you start operating from here. And if you are planning to setup a home office in India, you need to do little more that you would otherwise do in a commercial space. You ought to setup everything in such a way that you can work comfortably and without any distraction.
One of my friends has started a venture and instead of renting office space in a commercial centre, he has setup a home office in India (Kolkata). When I visited his home this weekend I was quite impressed with the way he has setup a home office is such a small space.
I discuss with him and took note of plenty of things and ideas and I want to share it with you all. if you are planning to setup a home office, you should check this post till end and I am sure you will be god to go. So are you ready?
Initial planning to setup a home office
You should make a proper to do list before starting your work. First of all you need to figure out how many people are going to work in your office and accordingly you have to choose a space, that will be enough to accommodate that many people along with their official belongings like Desktop tables, computer PC or laptop, printer and scanners, files & folders, stationeries like writing pads, pens, paper weights, pen stands etc.
Initial clean up and pest removal
Get the entire premises properly cleaned because that’s the first thing you have to do. Depending on the setup and condition of the space, you may hire a professional cleaning service. If too much clutter has been allocated in it will become nearly impossible for you to clean them up on your own, especially the washroom and the toilet. If you are setting up your office in a newly built room, then you should first go for a initial room cleanup and if possible check whether rodents and other pests are also residing there as they might pose real threat to your official belongings, and after decorating your office you might face a lot of trouble to locate them. Hence it is recommended to deal with them in the very beginning either by yourself or by hiring a professional pest control service.
Make a proper environment for working
To keep it clean and blooming arrange for proper ventilation and space for allowing natural air and sunlight to pass through. If possible locate your workspace near a source of natural light. Also arrange for artificial lights for adequate supply of light so that you can work unhindered and with ease. You can install table lamps (it helps you to focus on your work especially if you are reading something). Install an AC if required or if it is out of budget then you can settle with a ceiling or wall fan. Just make sure that not to end up hot and sweaty while trying to meet a deadline.
Furniture and upholstery
Choice and inclusions of furniture will depend upon the space you won, do not try to use too many furniture, as it will eat up the space and there would be less space for working. Just make sure there is enough to accommodate any guests who come for a meeting. Two might be enough. Wooden chairs and table can be a good match, but it will eventually depend on the entire interior looks. Other parameters like wall and floor color and material are also a matter of concern.
If you need to change the look and wish to spend s little more, you may like to hire an interior designer for layout planning and color combination etc for wall painting. Painting an office is way more different than a house and a little bit of professional help will only add to it.
Here’s everything else you may need
Clock: Always keep the time into account; do not forget to keep a wall clock that can be easily spotted or a table clock (if there is enough space in your desk space).
Telephone: In the digital age of smart phones and tabs, inclusion of a telephone might sound silly, but having a telephone in the office is an official proof that your business or trade is legitimate. You can go for a vintage telephone to give your office a retro look. If you prefer ease of use then go for a cordless receiver phone instead of other fancy phones.
Dairy, notepad or writing pad: No matter how improved our computers and other digital devices become, they can never replace the notepads and writing pads that we use to quickly note down an address or a number. Hence keeping a note pad or writing pad is a must.
Miscellaneous materials: Keep a simple pen stand; fill it with pens, paper cutters, staplers, a gum-stick, sketch pens, pencils, marker pens, whiteners etc. Keep a separate place for keeping gent-clips, board pins, and extra cartridge of stapler pins, put a decent paper weight, a coffee mug etc.
Writing and posting boards: Mount a white board on your wall for drawing and explanation purpose. Keep a duster or a dry cloth to rub the ink off from the board. If you have more open wall space left try hanging a cardboard for sticking up notices and other information in it.
Get rid of smells and use room fresheners: Working in an office building sometimes provides you with undesirable and unavoidable scents. The weird smell coming from the air vents or your co-worker’s overpowering perfume or sweat can distract you from work. But when you are working from your home office, you have control of what you smell. You can light a scented candle or scented sticks near your work space. The scent of lemon is calming and promotes clear thinking. Lavender reduces stress. Peppermint helps with brainstorming and gives a boost of energy.
Conclusion
There are other various factors you need to take care for successfully setting your office like fitting the electrical connections, fixing and repairing of few things. All in all I believe this post will make you ready for setting your office up at your home successfully.
