How to Put Your Home Office on Steroids

Having your primary workspace a home office has plenty of advantages, but it only works for those who know how to work it. When all’s said and done, home is home right. But when you’re working from your private residence there has to be a disconnection of sorts. That means it has to feel like a workplace, and not the usual place you kick-back and relax. This piece is all about making the most out of a home office setting. We’re going to look at ways on how to supercharge your home office so that you can be more productive.

No More Commuting

Commuting can be a costly and frustrating business these days, not to mention all the lost hours it takes to travel to and from one’s place of work. In the US, commuters lose around 42 hours a year just stuck in regular traffic jams. That’s just for gridlock, and not total travel times. According to a report in USA TODAY, urban commuters collectively lose something in the neighborhood of 7bn hours and over 3bn gallons of gas to traffic delays.

The two great savings people make when they work from home include:

1. Time (lots of time in some cases)
2. Money (public transport costs or vastly reduced fuel bills)

Don’t forget also that there will be minimal wear and tear on private vehicles too, as you don’t need to use them anywhere near as much. Commuting is also stressful, or it can be, especially when there are hold ups beyond your control. The working commute alone is reason enough to make the home office appealing, but it’s not the only reason.

Who Works From Home

For the most part, it used to be freelancers and stay-at-home moms that worked from home locations. This is no longer the case. More companies are starting to see the real benefits of letting their staff work from home locations too. Some also choose to work from local coworking centers like the ones offered by Office Evolution that are springing up around the country to meet local demand. Freelancers, solo professionals and new startups also favor the work-from-home concept. This is mostly for reasons of cost savings. Having no upfront financial commitments for permanent office space lets people put more money into developing their business.

The Home Office on Steroids

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, working from home needs doing right if it’s to work. Discipline is part of this equation, but there are several other factors. These might seem trivial, but they’re really not. Here are a few things to seriously consider about your home office:

1. Create a space void of unnecessary distractions and keep it that way
2. Buy or build a desk that matches your specific work needs
3. Setup multiple monitors if it will help with your productively
4. Keep your home office supplies well stocked as you would do the food cabinets
5. Personalize your workspace; make it a pleasant and comfortable place to work

Shhh! No One Needs to Know!

Just because you work from home, that doesn’t mean everyone needs to know. The last thing you want is retired friends or neighbors stopping by for a chat every five minutes. For those who do know you work from home, you will need to set firm rules from the outset. Let them know that they mustn’t interrupt you between certain hours of the day. This includes any family members as well.

What about if you’re not an employee and you work for yourself? Well, this is one area you have to give careful consideration to. Here are some problems to this arrangement (we’ll look at the solutions to these after):

1. The home office is not an ideal setting to meet for work sessions with clients and prospects
2. A home address looks unprofessional
3. Everyone will know where you live (expect some uninvited callers)
4. A home address is not allowed in Google’s business listings
5. Business mail gets mixed up and potentially lost or misplaced among regular mail
6. You don’t have the social energy from working in a buzzing professional office or a network of coworkers

It’s Time to Put Your Home Office on Steroids

Aside from creating the ideal workspace, the other part of supercharging your home office is to change the way others see you. It’s a big mistake to underestimate the issues outlined above. In business, you have to look and sound professional as well as be professional in your approach. This is where the benefits of a virtual office membership come into play.

An Office Evolution, Hackensack virtual office membership provides solutions to all these problems:

1. You get to meet clients and business associates in a professional conference room
2. You have a professional business and mail delivery address with a personal mailbox
3. No one will know where you live, only where they think you work
4. Your new business address shows up on Google’s local business listings (free online exposure)
5. Mail does not get lost or mixed up with the post back home
6. You can take a break from your home office to work in the coworking business lounge, soaking up the energy and expanding your network

There’s More

Finding the right balance between the home office and virtual office solutions lets you put your home office on steroids. It is, in fact, the best of both worlds—the perfect solution. Yes you work mostly from the home location but no one would know it. With your coworking membership, you can also rent meeting rooms and offices as and when you need them. There’s also the coworking business lounge area where like-minded professionals get to network (crucial in today’s business environment). Don’t forget, there’s also the virtual receptionist services that can take and manage all your incoming calls and manage your calendar, for example, confirm appointments with prospects (making you look professional and organized).

Here’s a recap of the supercharged home office in conjunction with the virtual office membership:

1. Create the ideal working space (see ‘The Home Office on Steroids,’ points above)
2. Clients and potential clients think your virtual office address is where you work
3. Google maps displays your business in its local listings (thanks to the above)
4. The mailman thinks you work at an impressive office building (keeps business mail separate from home post)
5. Clients think the hired virtual receptionists is your personal assistant
6. You work when you want in vibrant coworking business lounge to fuel your productivity, energy, and network
7. You do the majority of your work from home but it doesn’t appear that way to others

This is how you supercharge your home office setup. It’s the way to put your home office on steroids and create that all important great first impression. You bring the best of both worlds together, saving money in many areas while improving productivity and personal happiness.

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At Office Evolution Hackensack, we provide virtual office, coworking, and private office solutions. We offer meeting rooms, offices, a coworking lounge, a shared reception, a business address, and virtual receptionist services. We have many options and price points, and all terms are flexible. Plus, you become part of a community of like-minded professionals.

Whether you live in Teaneck, Bergenfield, Maywood, Teterboro, Hasbrouck Heights, Moonachie, Little Ferry, Rochelle Park, Dumont, Bogota, River Edge, New Milford, Hackensack, Englewood, Paramus, Tenafly and other communities nearby in Bergen and Essex counties, choosing Office Evolution Hackensack in New Jersey will help you be more professional, productive, and profitable.

Contact us today to discuss putting your home office on steroids!