The Perfect Home Office
According to recent surveys, people do have the perfect
home office in mind - unfortunately, it's often not their own.

Thirty-four percent of the males surveyed say they would
like to work out of technology tycoon Bill Gates' home office,
followed by Donald Trump and Stephen King.
Among women, Oprah Winfrey's home office was the top choice,
followed by Bill Gates and Martha Stewart.

For Americans considering designing a home office,
most people say if money were not an object,
Bob Vila would be the ideal person to design their offices,
followed by the incredibly organized and
sophisticated Martha Stewart.

Dream Office
Unfortunately, working out of Bill Gates' home office and
having your own home office designed by Bob Vila might not be
in the budget. So, most people are left with creating their
own perfect work place.

Most home offices suffer much of the same problems that traditional
work offices do - they're too small and too disorganized.
Lack of space was the No.1 frustration among home office-bound;
while too much clutter came in second.

One thing that home offices are not deprived of is technology.
A vast majority of home offices have plenty of gadgets.
Ninety percent of today's home offices have a television,
80 percent have a radio, 60 percent have a computer,
55 percent have a printer and 52 percent have CD-ROM drives.

Another advantage of working from home is the opportunity to
take a break. Because you are your own boss, you don't have to worry
about someone catching you playing solitaire, surfing the Web or
planning your next vacation. Instead, you can run the dishwasher
whenever you want or get a few loads of laundry done as well.

Fortunately, household chores are not at the top of favorite
break activities. Instead, most people say they like to take a walk
or get some exercise. Or maybe to turn on the TV and get caught up
on their favorite soap operas or catch the latest edition of ESPN SportsCenter.

But, the activity break that generated the most surprising result was sex.
Most say that sex is their favorite break from working in their home office.
Yet, another great reason to get your home based business up and running.

More Home Offices
The National Association of Home Based Business predicted that by
the end of 2001, there will be more than 55 million people working from home.

More and more new homes are being built with home offices.

Builders in all price ranges are now providing customers with plans that
automatically have a den/home office or a formal living/dining room that
can be switched into a home office. Builders also are offering high-tech
wiring packages for those customers creating a home office.

Equipping Your Home Office
There are many factors to consider when creating a home office.
The most important question to ask yourself is: "What will this space be used for?"
Some people have that quiet place with a card table to do the bills and
the only piece of technology they need is a calculator. On the other hand,
there are people who will be conducting an entire business from home.
They need all the essentials - computers, printers, Internet access, fax machines
and financial software - to seamlessly serve their customers.

Whatever your needs are, you must have the right technology; whether it's a
$10 calculator or $1,500 laser printer, technology can make or break your home office.

When creating a home office, it's important to select the best equipment
to meet the needs of your situation. If you use your home office to do household
finances and to take the occasional project home from your day job,
a good computer system with Microsoft Office and a financial software package.

On the other hand, if you're running a full-time business out of your home,
you will need much more than a computer. For example, you may consider a computer
with financial and accounting software. If you want to be incredibly efficient
and save space, you may want to consider a copier/printer/fax machine/scanner
all in one. And depending on your schedule, you may want a hand-held,
wireless computing device such as a Palm Pilot, to keep yourself organized
while you are away from your office.

Often times, a home business owner will give presentations to potential
and current clients. I would suggest having a portable computer as well
as a portable projector for presentations. You can't always rely on the
technology at other sites. It is best to always use your own equipment,
especially since you are already familiar and comfortable with it.

And of course, every successful home business needs a Web site.
There are many different options for creating a Web site. One of the best
software packages is Microsoft Corporation Front Page, which provides easy-to-use
tools to create and manage great sites. In addition, there are many others that
offer free Web sites for a small business. So pick one that's best for you.

If you decide to purchase home office equipment and software online,
make sure the provider is a reputable retailer. Check for a Better Business
Bureau Icon. It definitely is a sign of the site's validity and security.

Organizing Your Home Office
It is equally important to integrate technology products with a home office's
space and furnishings to enhance productivity.

There are a number of factors to keep in mind when organizing and
designing your home office.

First, you need to find the right place in your home for an office.
Don't choose a space that tends to be high-traffic, such as the kitchen.
A spare bedroom or an under-utilized dining room is a better choice.
But make sure your new home office isn't isolated from the rest of the home.
A dingy corner in the basement can be depressing and inefficient.

The next step is to choose the right furniture and equipment.
A card table is not the best choice for housing a computer and other
high-tech equipment. You should invest in a solid office desk,
which you can find at most office supply stores. Once you have furnished
your home business office, it should be ergonomically correct to decrease
the risk of fatigue, back problems and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome."

Organize your home office based on a daily planning system.
Whether it is paper-based, computerized or utilizing a hand-held organizer.
Make sure you have a system to help keep you on track for your
day to day activities. Realize that a good filing system is a basic
long term necessity as well.

Don't forget to utilize all the space in your home office.
Closets are a gold mine for any home office owner. After adding shelves,
you can store office supplies, books and a reference file cabinet inside,
while saving space in your home office room.

One of the most important aspects to organizing a home office is to keep
everything you need where you can easily find it. I would also suggest keeping
things nearby where they will be used. Paper should be kept near the printer
and fax machines and pens and pads near the phone. The trick to organizing
is to keep it simple and readily accessible, at all times.

Your success is based in large part on your ability to become efficient,
while still being able to have fun, in your home based business.

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About the author:
Buster Klingemann runs a successful home based business,
and resides in Texas. For free details on how you can get
started in your own home business. Visit his website at:
http://www.bukzonline.com