Costa Rican home office

In another blog post, I mentioned that my home office radar is always on. My recent trip to Costa Rica was no exception. While my sons and I were waiting to go rappelling, I noticed the owner’s home office. I qualify this as a home office because the owner lives in apartments attached to his home office and the reception area.

Reception area

The woman who works in the office told me that the owner spent several months finding the right (renewable) trees to cut down to use as dividers. Even the bookcases are made of wood found in the rain forest.

You decide…is this home office cool or what?

Desk #1
Topsy-turvy and turbulent
The top of your desk is piled high with magazines, unopened mail and bills. If someone wants you to see something, they leave it on your chair. Eventually you’ll feel it when you sit down.
Your desk screams: You’re a creative person but you seem a bit scattered, unreliable and easily distracted.
Desk makeover: The goal isn’t to be a perfectionist or a neat freak. Instead, create some order. Use desktop file holders for the files you’re working on now, put stacking bins on the floor to hold materials for certain projects, hang bulletin boards and wall pockets to help you get and stay organized. Get in the habit of clearing out your office every few weeks.

Desk #2
Slick and sparse
Your desk screams: Only the bare essentials, thank you. Your computer, printer and handheld are on your desk while everything else is tucked away.
Desk makeover: Add a picture of your family, pet, or friends to the wall or add colorful artwork. A plant wouldn’t hurt either…just remember to water it.

Desk #3
Stacked and stodgy
Your desk screams: You have trouble making decisions, especially when it has to do with papers. Magazines you want to read are stacked neatly in one corner, while in another corner are papers you need to file and supplies that need a home.
Desk makeover: Add a bookcase near your desk to hold magazines stored in magazine holders or get rid of magazines altogether and subscribe to the online versions. Make decisions about paper by using the P-A-P-E-R system: Put papers in a file, Act on them, Place them in a stacking bin, Enter any action you need to take on your To Do list and toss (or file) the papers, or Recycle them. Keep extra supplies in your bookcase, stored in colorful baskets or containers.

Do you know what your desk is saying about you?

Between the orange walls (Benjamin Moore Soft Glow) and paw prints climbing up the walls and across the ceiling, this isn’t your typical home office.  But don’t be fooled by the whimsical look of this space.  If you look closely, you’ll find plenty of organizing systems in place (yes, I tend to look at that first).

Dwight’s desk holds a laptop and two monitors, while his printer is off to the side and in the corner (the best place to put a printer because it’s out of the way but still accessible). His open hutch has room for a hanging file rack, books and personal photos. These items are within reach but aren’t cluttering his desk.  The two-drawer file cabinet gives him additional storage space on top.

There’s even room in his home office for a “junior” work area complete with a small desk and a laptop for his kids to use. A tiger rug and tiger-striped draperies finish off the zoo-themed look.

Who needs a traditional home office when you can bring out your wild side and run a business from home?

• Work surfaces that are the wrong size. A desk or workspace that’s too narrow, too deep, too tall or too short can affect your productivity. Instead of using that space as a place to work, you may turn it into a dumping ground for papers and supplies.

• Cheap filing cabinets. Drawers that don’t glide open, get stuck, or don’t open completely can put a damper on filing. Instead it will be easier to stack papers on top of the cabinet until you’re ready to fight with the drawers.

• Furniture that doesn’t fit through the door, up the stairs or within your home office. Know ahead of time how large your home office furniture can be. Otherwise you’ll waste time shopping for the wrong furniture and you’ll waste money on delivery fees.

• A home office space that initially seems ideal but turns out to be too hot or too cold, too noisy or too quiet. Avoid moving your equipment, furniture and supplies several times by trying out your new home office space for one month. That should give you enough time to decide if you’ve picked the right place to set up shop.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could start over and set up your home office today?

Located near the front of her house (convenient for when clients visit), Wilson’s home office is set up in a spare bedroom with huge windows, room for a reading chair and plenty of space for her U-shape desk. All of the equipment she needs to run her business is within reach and she stores supplies in the cabinets above her workspace.

My favorite part of Wilson’s office is her closet. Inside it she has a hanging pocket system to manage projects.  File folders would serve the same purpose but she likes keeping her projects in full view.  That’s a great idea worth trying out.

Wilson’s Working Naked prizes include:

Fellowes PS-79Ci Cross-Cut 100% Jam Proof Shredder
Epson WorkForce 610
Elfa products from The Container Store ($250 value)
Library edition binders from Russell + Hazel
Home Office Solutions: Creating a Space that Works for You book by Lisa Kanarek
One-year subscription to Flexjobs
Official “I’m working naked…are you?” t-shirt

Thanks to our sponsors and to everyone who entered.

Before you set up a home office, it’s important to consider every room in your home. Even if you already have a home office, there may be a better place for it.

I always ask my clients these questions to help them determine the best place for their home office:

• Will you actually work in this area?
• Will there be only a few distractions?
• Is there – or could there be – enough lighting?
• Could you run a phone line and Internet connection into the room? (If you already have wireless, you’ll be fine.)
• Are there enough electrical outlets?
• Is this space comfortable year-round?
• Is there room for everything you need (desk, file cabinet, computer and storage)?

If you answered “yes” to most of these questions, then you’ve found a good place to set up or maintain your home office. Before you move to another space, try it out for a couple of weeks. You may find that the room is too noisy, there’s too much traffic in and out of the space or you’re isolated from the rest of your family.

Paint is one of the easiest ways to update your home office.

How would you describe your home office? Does it look a bit rough around the edges? Clients may not see your home office but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a nice, comfortable and even stylish place to work.  There are a few cheap ways to give your home office a facelift.

• Paint your walls and don’t be afraid of color.  Start with your rug, a piece of art or any furniture that’s in your home office and then match it.  It doesn’t have to be a perfect match (that’s boring). If you can’t find a color you like, make up your own color.  I created “Working Naked Gold” for my home office.

• Add window treatments.  Shades, valances and drapery can add color, pattern and interest to your home office. In the design industry, custom = costly. Fortunately there are some great ready-made window treatment options available from high-end stores to discount stores.  A few places to shop for reasonably-priced window treatments are The Great Indoors, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Tuesday Morning and even (believe it or not) Lowe’s.

• Use homemade accessories. What better way to get art for free than from your kids? Instead of tossing your child’s wobbly clay pot or pitching a vase, display it. My sons’ works of art (from a few years ago) fill my home office bookcases. They’re colorful and they have sentimental value.  Do you have a clay sculpture of a lion holding a penguin or a mouse surrounded by cheese and cooking utensils?  I didn’t think so.

• Create cheap (yet stylish) art. Enlarge your favorite photo, add a mat and frame, and then hang it. Or buy a book of reproductions, clip a few pages, slip them into frames and enjoy your new masterpieces. Frames are cheap and sometimes even expensive frames go on sale.

1. Replace incandescent bulbs (lamps) with compact fluorescents. Those spirals look strange in fixtures but now you can get lamps that resemble what we’re all used to buying and they’re compact fluorescent.  They’re more expensive than the traditional lamps but they last longer and save energy.

2. Use materials that are renewable. For example, instead of a traditional wood floor, use cork.  Harvesting cork doesn’t hurt the tree and a new layer can grow easily.

3. Use window treatments to block out eastern or western exposures. They also help to soundproof your home office from outside noise.

4. Save documents on your hard drive (don’t forget to back up) instead of printing everything. Think before you print.

Is your home office zen-like?

My home office is comfortable, relaxing and set up so I can find what I need when I need it, but it’s not zen-like. I didn’t think about it (or even care about it) until I read the article, “18 Ways to Create a Relaxing Home Office Experience.”

Of the 19 tips—someone messed up on the numbers but I’ll take an extra tip any day—I already follow four of them.

#2. Find a room with a view, #10. Meditation breaks (I call them bathroom breaks), #12. Organize your belongings, and #13. Get an ergonomic office chair.

Some of the other tips are going to be more challenging: #3. Get some green. Some people are great with plants. I’m not one of them. The second #3. Fresh air. I live in Texas where it’s hot most of the time and where the mosquitoes hold year-long conventions. #17. Cut the sugar. Seriously?

I especially like #18. Get a massage on your lunch break. I’m not sure how that will improve my home office but it sounds good to me.

• Executive desk groups (major office hogs) are being replaced by smaller groupings at lower price points.

• Home office furniture isn’t only for home offices. Families are buying the furniture for game rooms, family rooms and bedrooms.

• Desks are smaller but still functional and they’re on wheels to make them easy to move around.

• Cabinets have fold-down work surfaces to save space.

• Desks for laptop computers are still popular. Why buy a desk with space for a CPU if you’ve ditched your desktop?

• Furniture features flexible configurations. That comes in handy if you move to a smaller space or if you want to be able to change around your office once in awhile.

• High-end furniture manufacturers are continuing to reduce the size of their desks, along with their prices.

For the first time in Las Vegas, less is more.